Raffles by Ibis Budget sounds good - we can joint copyright the brand.

Suites Upgrade in Thailand
 

Looks like i have to use up 2 suite night upgrades (before they expire) in Thailand, where I stay until end of this year

any suggestions? any good experience with suites in Thailand?
Bangkok or Beach, does not matter...

Considering the low occupancy throughout Thailand now, it is a bummer to burn suite night upgrades in hotels that would probably (or should) upgrade you to suites regardless if you use these awards or not. But I am in no better position than you, I have 9 suite upgrades that are about to expire unused. :(

If it was me, I would burn the suite upgrades where suites are the most "wow" in the country. Considering that Banyan Trees are out of bounds for suite night upgrade program, the one hotel that comes to mind is Sofitel SO Bangkok which would get my vote.

thanks escape4
do you know in which regards suites at Sofitel SO are better than Sofitel Sukhumvit?

If you can score the Loft Suite at Sofitel SO, it's better than Sofitel Sukhumvit suites in a number of ways in my opinion:
1. Much bigger at SO, I think 90 sqm vs 60 sqm
2. Extra half bath at SO, whereas suite at Sofitel Sukhumvit only has the main bathroom
3. Not to say that Sofitel Suk is poor construction, but I found higher quality build at SO
4. Marble/tile floors at SO and less usage of carpet
5. Perhaps most important of all, more fun and interesting design at SO, whereas Sofitel Suk is more straightforward and corporate

The Loft suite at SO tends to stick in memory as a very nice room you are glad you stayed in, whereas it's more forgettable at Sofitel Sukhumvit because you have probably stayed at many other suites of that kind elsewhere in the world.

Points of stay using SNU
 

I used SNU at Pullman Tokyo Tamachi. The actual amount paid is 33,600 yen including tax service charge.
However, the added points are 285 points. At the hotel, the tax service charge is 20%, so you have to add 26880 yen.
However, it was said that if the hotel uses SNU, the points will be deducted for SNU.
What are the points of SNU?
It's very unreasonable to say that you'll only get much less than you paid. Isn't SNU an independent award ticket?
Can I get points if I use SNU?
The Pullman Tokyo Tamachi suite is 52 square meters and is not separated from the living room.
I feel that it is not a room that can be called a suite room.
In Japan, there are few hotels that can use SNU, which is very damaging.
As long as there is no other option as there is no extension of SNU.
How about adding points for your stay using SNU?

I think this is just a communication issue/language barrier but of course double check. There is certainly no points deduction when you use SNU.What happens is that SNU has a value that is deducted on your invoice. For example if you stay one night :
- you book a deluxe room costing 400 EUR/night and use one SNU to upgrade to a suite costing 600 EUR/night
- You will pay only 400 EUR at check out but your invoice will usually display 600 EUR as room rate followed by a deduction line "SNU" of 200 EUR
- you will earn points based on the applicable room rate of 400 EUR (tax excluded).

I don't think I ever got more than 1 category upgrade as Platinum and Diamond so far.
Interesting.

Back to SNU, I have 5 SNU expiring at the end of the year.
Hopefully it get extended, but if its not then not really big deal.

ALL need to bring SNU request online to make these SNU easier to use.

Sorry for asking a very basic question. I understand it’s currently only possible to redeem SNU through phone bookings but how is it possible to research beforehand? Yesterday I called and the hotel I wanted “didn’t have availability” yet I could see several categories bookable for cash on said night. The line wasn’t great, the language barrier was there, what I got offered from “sister hotel” was cheaper than what I saw online but unclear what room category. I only talked to one associate but it was a pretty bad experience.

is it possible to use 2 SNU, which expire at the end of this year, for a stay early next year if I do the reservation before the SNU expires?
Are there certain conditions for that?
thanks

The only way I've been able to make research easier, is to call in about a particular property, and ask for pricing on a variety of suite options. Then go online and compare the prices, to the rates for other rooms on the website. From that, you can create a crude mapping table for the hotel, to figure out that with a SNU, Suite Type A is available for the price of Room Type B, etc. It would sure be a lot easier if you could just do rate searches online for SNU use.

I don’t think it’s possible

According to the Accor website, it seems possible (found on Covid measures webpage)

thanks!

I just used my suite night upgrades for the first time ever successfully, but am still unclear and a little confused as to how it works. I wanted to book a 3 night stay at Lake Louise and the 'take your time' rate which I understand is eligible for suite night upgrade use was around $300 and change for a base room + tax/fees on the Accor website. I enquired as to what suites were eligible for upgrade and was pleasantly surprised that of the numerous options, the 1 bdrm lakeview suite was available which I was happy to take. When the agent went to process it, the cost ended up being closer to $500 per night. I enquired as to why it went up and was told that it depends on what upgrade I select and the system automatically calculates the room rate? This seems non-sensical to me - either a rate is eligible or it isn't. That being said, $500 is a solid rate for that room type and a huge savings... not sure if the suite perks are included or not.

Now only 19 more to burn through! Our most frequent choice is Banff Springs and when I tried using the suite upgrades last year, I was informed that they are only for the gatehouse suite which I have no interest in staying in. I'm not sure why there is such disparity of options with two hotels of the same regional/ownership group.