There is no sense quoting the entire post, but suffice to say the poster has it correct through and through.
Typically, if I have a 1 night stay at a not frequented property I simply post my "Plat Upgrade Requested" in the comments box when booking online which generally gets me at least a nice C Room.
At a property I stay at often or know that I will, I call ahead and introduce myself to the GM letting him/her know I will be a frequent guest and appreciate a suite when available. This generally gets me a suite (90%+ of the time), and I always make it a point to meet with the GM while I am there, and if I can the Guest Services Mgr., Sales Mgr., or at minimum the GMs assistant. Then after booking online for subsequent stays I will call the lower management (I don't trouble the GM) and they frequently block me into a suite rather than just "if available". I will also personally thank the GM before departure or leave a thank you note if not available. I find that doing these little things gets me the best of treatment and that I am recognized and known by name when I arrive.
One of my frequented properties gives me the Presidential almost every visit (19 of 20 stays in the past two years).
On one recent trip which was a special event, I phoned ahead and let the hotel know that I was bringing a total of 8 guests for an 11 night stay and requested a suite with connecting rooms on either side. I was taking a family cross country to visit thier family they had left 7 years earlier (Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, etc.).
I had called ahead twice to explain and request the upgrade. On check in they tried giving us two rooms connecting but with a King in each. It was the weekend so the GM was not in. I had to go to the front desk and after some time with the front office Mgr. was moved to two adjoining (not connecting) rooms with 2Q in each.
During the stay I had to go North after 1 day for 3 nights on business and was at another Marriott property. Upon my return I asked to see the GM and explained the entire situation (there is more to it than the details I am going into here) and that I was amazed at how incompetently it had been handled.
Bottom line, he moved us to the Governors Parlor, which was gorgeous, with a connecting King and a connecting 2Q for the remaining week, and on a day we had the entire extended family in throughout the day he even comped about $1500 in hospitality food service.
(I ordered and expected to pay, but did not get the charge).
I guess the moral is, if you act like you are doing business with the hotel, and not just expecting to check into a room and receive good service, you get a little more mileage out of your Platinum status. Interaction goes farther than just a reservation and a check in.
