Colin

enjoy your standard suite

friedablass

Majority, if not all, elites in every hotel program has no problem politely asking for a suite upgrades at or a little in advance of check in, because part of the program is granting suite upgrades to elites if available. Your local restaurant and barista normally has no such a program so it's not a comparison at all.

I once booked a premium suite on points and as a Globalist tried my luck and asked at check-in if an upgrade to the presidential suite was available. It was off peak season and they had no problem giving it to me for 2 out of 3 nights. So it really doesn't hurt to ask; perhaps at a resort such as this Andaz property your chances are lower of actually being granted your request but that shouldn't prevent anybody from trying their luck.

Colin

free upgrades to premium suites is not a part of the World of Hyatt program. the guy came on FT to complain and get advice from others’ experiences with premium suites. i gave him solid advice based upon my own experience where i end up in premium suites at this property every stay for the past 10 years and illuminated the downside of his “just politely asking” approach. apparently, dude didn’t really want advice

friedablass

I didn't notice the guy complaining. Asking for advice, yes. Which is what FT is here for .

I understand that premium suites may not be part of the program to the letter of the law, but a Globalist or even other elite member (in which status means this customer is loyal to Hyatt) politely asking for an upgrade should rather be granted one than a 1 time non-elite customer if any were getting it at all.

Not everyone has service recovery issues from a current or past stay (which is great IMO and reflects well on the property!) or can use any of your other ideas which may work better than the just because line, so I still think that elite members can try their luck by just asking nicely.

Colin

asking for a freebie nicely is not without downside risk

Kacee

I think the issue here is that the property wants revenue for that premium suite, which is why OP was offered a paid upgrade. Management may well leave prefer to leave it empty rather than upgrade anyone.

The comment about upgrading a one time Expedia guest was ridiculous, is clearly not the norm at this property and is causing some pointless debate here.

Colin

the point is that many hospitality managers have a visceral disgust at low-revenue guests asking for freebies on top on freebies. if the hotel was fully committed with only a standard suite and a premium suite left for the two guests remaining to check-in, i would absolutely leave in his confirmed standard suite the globalst award+TSU guest who emailed me earlier asking for a free upgrade and give the premium suite free upgrade to other guest who booked via Expedia & didn’t ask for a freebie. Asking for freebies rubs many many people the wrong way. And there’s just no reason to take that downside risk when you can apply a modicum of human ingenuity to create an angle.

Kacee

Sure and many of us have the same reaction here.

But property management often has the same attitude toward bargain-hunting OTA bookers, who tend to be at least equally unprofitable. So I'm pretty confortable saying the Expedia customer booked into the lowest category room is not getting the Ocean View Suite as a comp upgrade ahead of a Globalist.

Colin

hospitality managers don’t have the same visceral disgust at a low/no maintenance Expedia guest. regardless, i stand firmly by my advice to create an angle to avoid the downside risk. never, ever ask for a freebie without an angle. get the manager’s name and lookup his LinkedIn profile to find something useful. be charming & funny at check-in, make a silly joke about a swanky suite. flirt. lookup the price differential and suggest a upgrade fee that’s a third of the differential and explain it’s a splurge after a rough year. anything other than give me a freebie.

Kacee

I've found the best way to get premium suite upgrades at any given property is to stay frequently and spend lots of money there.

I don't generally ask for or expect a free upgrade beyond program rules.

beachfan

I did what you said, (very special occasion, fliwers, same suite as last time, which might have been the an Andaz suite it the other wing that had a view), didn’t work.

staying 10 times there might work. But your advice didn’t. This is the same GM that restricted suite upgrades at the Andaz 5th Avenue when she was there.

offering a lower fee in advance may.

A clever “angle” didn’t.

Colin

it's an art. up your game.

redbirdsj

I guess it's an empirical question whether being straightforward and polite with a request for a perishable inventory item v. attempting a laughably transparent "angle" is the better on-average approach to get extra suite upgrades. Doesn't seem as simple to me as the particular psychology of the manager but rather it's likely a complicated weighing of several considerations including maintaining suite pricing integrity, increasing the likelihood of variable spend from a satisfied guest, and generating customer goodwill.

I've had plenty of success over the years being nice and up front with any requests with FDAs and managers. Sometimes they accommodate, sometimes not. Either way it's a low stress proposition if you aren't expecting anything but treating it as a nice bonus. And then I don't have to play pretend on my vacation.

Kacee

Or how about "don't be a jerk."

ElevatorEnthusiast

Seems like some people just want to brag about how good they are at getting premium suite upgrades due to "how good they are at the game" or the art or whatever ridiculous thing they want to call it. Rather than actually provide useful information, they would rather just brag. What do we want to bet that the "art" is just paying a quoted upgrade fee?