Lornag

Hi

Newly minted platinum and would like to leverage some of my certificates. We have planned a trip to JPL late July. There are two platinums in the family, with all the usual certificates. We usually stay in the lakeview suites near the end of the facilities, on the way out around the lake. There are usually three adults and 1 child, but the child is getting bigger, and I think we may want to have two rooms. We're thinking about 4 nights.

What sort of upgrade will I score if I use a certificate (suite)? I noticed to book the suites right now is over 500 per night.

What class of room should I book to be able to get those lakeside suites? And does it make sense to use the free night coupon as well?

Thanks for any feedback.

Lorna

Ancien Maestro

We've stayed at JPL in the summer years past. The suite upgrade will get you possibly a Jr. Lakeview Suite, or Main Building Suite with lakeview. Depending on the agent, they may default book you into a Mountain View Junior Suite. Call Fairmont Platinum Desk for official details.

We've stayed in the one bedroom lakeview suites w/jetted tub in the summer as well. They are nice, but these suites are not guaranteed bookable using the Platinum Suite Upgrade Certificate. If you want guaranteed booking of these lakeview suites, you'll have to pay the freight. Summer commands the highest rates seen during the year, except for selected holidays.

lancexfang

I'm using platinum suite upgrades. They wanted me to book a $638 room in order to be put into a lakefront suite. The alternative is $499 room to be upgrades to jr suite maybe with a good view. Is the lakefront suite worthwhile of the up charge compared to the jr suite?

Ancien Maestro

This would be a new option at Jasper Park Lodge, suite upgrading guaranteed at booking for the lakefront suite. What category of room is the Platinum Desk requiring for you to book, to use the suite upgrade to the lakefront suite?

Lakefront suite is largely in two story buildings, larger than the junior suites, open concept roughly 545 sq ft, with fireplaces iirc. You have the option of booking a suite with a jetted tub.

The Lakefront junior suite is largely duplex style, some with vaulted ceilings, open concept, large windows to the lake. Roughly 450 sq ft. The junior lake front is more spread out and closer to the main lodge.

Both options are very nice.

lancexfang

I looked it up and the $629 rate happens to be the rate for 'Deluxe with Sitting Area King NS'.

The way she explained it is it's the amount to book a Fairmont Room, $499/night, plus the difference "between the price of a lake front suite (as requested) and the price of a Junior Suite with Lakeview (the room you would get without requesting a Lake Front Suite)".

I looked that up as well. It seems about right, with Jr Suite Lakeview Double/Double NS selling at $729 and Lakefront Suite Jetted Tub King NS at $859, hence the $130 difference.

It's a very high rate. We need two rooms. So we may end up choosing one jr suite and one lake front one...

Ancien Maestro

I was just offered this option to upgrade to a better suite for the difference in retail rates at the Pacific Rim for our stay in November. Sounds like Fairmont is offering this option at multiple hotels. It would be interesting to note if this option is now corporate wide and at all Fairmonts.

You can book a cancellable rate and lock in later at a better rate at JPL. I notice JPL consistently offers a myriad of options that could bring better value say in packages, and inclusions.

CanuckFlyHigh

I also recently paid for a further upgrade at Pacific Rim. Well worth it!

CanadaDH

I don't think this is a Fairmont corporate policy, although I would love it if it were. I called a couple of agents 2 nights ago to try to do exactly this at Banff (trying to pay the difference to get the Terrace suite) and LL (trying to get the Lakeview one-bedroom), and it was a no-go at either. Could only get 1-bedroom at Banff and Jr. Suite Lakeview at CLL (which are still great rooms, so I can't complain too much).

All they could suggest was that I try to make a deal directly with the hotel (which I had already tried), but will see what happens on check-in.

Last year, I was able to take advantage of a nice e-standby upgrade at CLL to take me into the 1-bedroom lakeview suite at check-in. Unfortunately, and a supervisor at FPC admitted it's a problem they can't do anything about because the system is run by a third party site, when using a suite upgrade to confirm a better room, the e-standby upgrades are offering options based on the room category paid, not the room category confirmed into. So, it's asking me if I'd like to pay more for a chance at a room worse than the one I'm already in! Last summer, I was given options to upgrade further from the upgraded room category I was already confirmed in.

I'm a little surprised they won't do this. You have a customer asking to pay more for a better room, and they can't accept. And I'm not even asking for a discount, as I'm willing to pay the full published difference between the 2 options. That would seem like a good deal for Fairmont?

Jasper2009

Itīs not a good deal for the hotel if they can actually sell the nice suites to someone (which quite likely is the case in the Rockies in summer). Itīs definitely possible to negotiate a better suite directly with the res department at some hotels, but itīs not consistent and certainly not "corporate policy" afaik. IME it depends on who you deal with, the dates of your stay, your FPC profile/stay history, whether you have gotten to know management over the course of many years etc.

In any case, my opinion about those paid upgrades is very mixed: Just a few years ago it used to be pretty common that FPC Plats could confirm an upgrade to any non-specialty suite, sometimes one had to contact the hotel directly, but it generally was quite doable.

Now more and more hotels are offering only the lowest suite category when using a suite upgrade cert - which is still a good deal at some hotels, but at other hotels the "junior suites" (with no view) often are rather unimpressive.

Iīve been able to negotiate upgrades to 2-bedroom suites and specialty suites in the past which was a great benefit and worked out well for both the hotel and myself, but being asked to pay an additional $50-$150 per night to get the same suite upgrade I consistently received a few years ago certainly wonīt increase my loyalty.

CanadaDH

I would agree with you if I was talking about a discounted upgrade, but I'm talking about paying the full incremental price difference. By using a Suite upgrade, the hotel has already given me the discount to move up to the Jr. Suite category. That discount isn't going away, whether they sell me an upgrade or I simply stay in the Jr. Suite. However, if I buy a further upgrade without additional discount, they're getting full price for the incremental space they are renting me.

I'm sure the hotel is capable of selling the remaining 1-bedroom suite, however, I also suspect they would be just as capable of selling the Jr. Suite as well. So, whether I stay put in the Jr. Suite and someone else pays for the 1-Bed Suite or they allow me to pay up to the 1-Bed Suite and they sell my original Jr. Suite to someone else, the hotel is collecting the same revenue across the same rooms. But under my scenario, I'm offering them the additional revenue now, leaving only the cheaper room to sell later--it gets them that much closer to the same goal. So I really don't see how it costs them anything.

Ancien Maestro

Perhaps an IT bottleneck, system not being able to pick up what room confirmed into to Eupgrade to. I was offered upgrades at Pac Rim, albeit it was over the phone with inhouse reservations. The nice thing about the Eupgrade is its guaranteed a time of reservation that was offered. Online, the Eupgrade is good at check-in if available, albeit could be at a discounted rate.

I like having the option to Eupgrade personally then not. Sometimes its nice to make the occasion extra special. It used to be through central reservations, that the suite upgrade was limited to one category if available. Its nice to get options, and means more business for Fairmont revenue wise.. so why not? At least, some management at hotel level is seeing the opportunity.

Much has changed in the past year with electronic certificate redemption. I held off a good amount of stays as I watched each certificate carefully and managed the inventory. I did run the table with certificate redemption for both profiles except for room upgrades it looks with my CLL stay tomorrow night. ROG I was rained out, and its still in my account, so hopefully works out since no more ROG option. I've already talked to the golf course to redeem the ROG.

My point is its nice having the extra suite upgrade choice in Passions. We are staying more at Fairmont this year because of this feature.