Dec 19, 2018, 10:39 am
Last edit by: RedSun
IF YOU HAVE A PREPAID RATE, PLEASE READ THIS WIKI!
Recommended SNA Best Practices:
- According to the Marriott Lurkers in this forum (see post #220 in this thread), as confusing as it sounds, the SNA system is separate from the reservation system, so if a suite is showing as currently unavailable or available on the website, that does not necessarily mean it is currently unavailable or available for SNAs.
As of March 2019, there is an IT bug on Marriott's website that prevents SNAs from being applied to many if not all prepaid reservations. One member has identified a workaround that enables you to "trick" the website into allowing you apply SNAs to prepaid reservation. Several members have reported success using this workaround to apply SNAs to their prepaid reservations. Hopefully Marriott will fix this IT bug in the near future.- After SNAs are redeemed, they are removed from member's account. But they are in pending mode and will only be processed (confirmed or denied) about one week (normally 5 days) prior to actual stay. Any change to the reservation during this pending period may detach the SNAs. Check with reservation agent again to have SNAs re-attached again.
- After SNAs get cleared and confirmed, they are locked with the reservation. Any further changes to the reservation may break the confirmed SNAs. It is a hazard to ask agent to process SNAs again since the SNA processing window is closing
- If your SNA clears, be sure to take a screen shot of what suite category you are assigned in the app and be prepared to show this to the front desk at check-in. Several members have reported being confirmed in certain suite categories when there SNAs have cleared or during mobile check-in only to be assigned lower a category room at check-in. Members who have taken screenshots of their initial SNA assignments have had success in getting properties to honor those original assignments after initially getting assigned inferior rooms at check-in.
- If you are assigned a lower category of room than any of the options offered during the SNA application process and/or if the hotel refuses honor the representations they made at any point during the SNA process, be sure to submit a formal complaint to Marriott and ask for your SNAs used during your stay to be reinstated. If you have followed the screenshot best practice, your screenshot should go a long way towards getting Marriott to eventually refund your SNA, although it may take a long time for customer service to process your request.
Non-Participating Brands:
Not all hotels participate in Suite Night Awards. Suite Night Awards are not redeemable at the following brands (subject to change at any time; see Marriott Bonvoy Terms and Conditions for full details): The Ritz-Carlton®, Protea Hotels®, Aloft®, Element®, Design Hotels™, all-suite hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, EDITION®, Ritz-Carlton Reserve®, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Clubs® and Marriott Grand Residence Club properties. In addition, Suite Night Awards are not redeemable at select Participating Properties. Contact Member Support for individual hotel Suite Night Award participation.From post # 220.
The system is not checking what is available for sale at any marriott.com web site, so you should not be using the web sites as a guide for what is and is not available for SNA approval.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Marriott International
FOR ANYONE TRYING TO ADD SNAs TO PRE-PAID NONREFUNDABLE BOOKINGS THAT MARRIOTT IT
CURRENTLY DOESN’T SEEM TO ALLOW, HERE IS A WORK-AROUND. GOOD LUCK!
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30575978-post541.html
All, I believe that I've found a way of getting around Marriott's IT issue where SNA's cannot be used on advance purchase rates. It takes advantage of another error in the Marriott IT system (go figure) where changes in different windows are not handled properly. It seems to work for me - would be great if someone else can confirm.
For this to work, in addition to a pre-paid reservation where SNAs are disabled you need a rate at a hotel where SNA's are eligible - so go book a bog-standard fully flex rate at your local Westin or whatever which you can cancel later if you don't currently have any flexible rates booked.
Log in to Marriott.com and click on "My Trips" (obviously this won't work for people whose trips are still not showing). Open "View/ Modify" in a new browser window/ tab on the flexible reservation first, and then open "View/ Modify" in the non-refundable reservation in another new window/ tab. Go back to the flexible reservation and click on "Start Upgrade Request" and it should take you to a webpage for the pre-paid reservation where you can finally select your SNAs.
For this to work, in addition to a pre-paid reservation where SNAs are disabled you need a rate at a hotel where SNA's are eligible - so go book a bog-standard fully flex rate at your local Westin or whatever which you can cancel later if you don't currently have any flexible rates booked.
Log in to Marriott.com and click on "My Trips" (obviously this won't work for people whose trips are still not showing). Open "View/ Modify" in a new browser window/ tab on the flexible reservation first, and then open "View/ Modify" in the non-refundable reservation in another new window/ tab. Go back to the flexible reservation and click on "Start Upgrade Request" and it should take you to a webpage for the pre-paid reservation where you can finally select your SNAs.
The link for selecting your benefit:
https://choice-benefit.marriott.com/
How to cancel an Award request:
Suite Night Award requests may be canceled until 2 p.m. local hotel time the day before you arrive, as long as the Awards have not already been confirmed for use on a reservation. Once your Awards have been confirmed, you must cancel the entire reservation to receive credit back for all the Awards; however, after 2 p.m. local hotel time the day before you arrive, a reservation cancellation will result in the forfeiture of all Suite Night Awards applied to the entire reservation. This is in addition to any other cancellation fees applicable to the reservation itself.NOTE: Always detach the SNA before cancelling a reservation. It's the only way to ensure your SNA is returned to your account immediately. Otherwise, you could be waiting hours/days to see your SNA again.
FAQ : Suite Night Awards - SNA - questions and discussion thread
Nov 20, 2018, 9:31 am
#256
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
It’s a dumb policy IMO...but rather minor in the scheme of all things Marriott. If a hotel is sold out so far in advance, chances are pretty good the hotel will be sold out even 5 days prior to your stay. Only about 72 hrs in advance might it have made any difference at all, more likely. But if it was that high occupancy, chances aren’t good for SNAs anyway.
Nov 20, 2018, 10:17 am
#257
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA LTG (EXP), Hilton Silver (Dia), Marriott LTP (PP), SPG LTG (P) > MPG LTPP
Posts: 11,329
It’s a dumb policy IMO...but rather minor in the scheme of all things Marriott. If a hotel is sold out so far in advance, chances are pretty good the hotel will be sold out even 5 days prior to your stay. Only about 72 hrs in advance might it have made any difference at all, more likely. But if it was that high occupancy, chances aren’t good for SNAs anyway.
Nov 20, 2018, 10:38 am
#258
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Hartford, CT
Programs: Marriott LTS
Posts: 195
I applied an SNA for my upcoming one night stay at StR NYC for this sat and it not cleared yet even though I see the rooms I have selected - Deluxe suite and Astor suite are available for sale.
Nov 20, 2018, 10:53 am
#259
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,521
Nov 20, 2018, 10:53 am
#260
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
Of course, it also could be another Marriott IT glitch.
Of course, that still bodes pretty well for you to get the upgrade, whether it be due to the SNA in advance or on arrival at check in within the next 4-5 days.
Last edited by bhrubin; Nov 20, 2018 at 11:01 am
Nov 20, 2018, 11:21 am
#261
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Hartford, CT
Programs: Marriott LTS
Posts: 195
As Lurkers and many others constantly remind everyone, just because you see a category listed as available on Marriott.com (or SPG.com beforehand) does not signify that an eligible suite in the SNA pool is available. Not every room/suite in a listed eligible category necessarily is included in a hotel’s SNA upgrade pool.
Of course, it also could be another Marriott IT glitch.
Of course, that still bodes pretty well for you to get the upgrade, whether it be due to the SNA in advance or on arrival at check in within the next 4-5 days.
Nov 20, 2018, 11:26 am
#262
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
Not to worry; we’ve all been there! Just remember that SNAs are processed by the central reservations system and not the hotel. So the hotel isn’t playing games with you here. And the StR NYC is well known for being good to Plats when it can be.
Nov 20, 2018, 11:53 am
#263
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: Delta Diamond, Marriott Ambassador & Lifetime Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, United Silver
Posts: 6,334
Ideally, Marriott would block the property from seeing whether you used a certificate so a cheap property can't deny you any privileges that come with a suite.
Nov 20, 2018, 11:57 am
#264
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Hartford, CT
Programs: Marriott LTS
Posts: 195
Yes but I dont think that happens. I used a SNA to upgrade from a studio to a 2 bedroom suite at RI North Conway and they said I had used a SNA to upgrade.
Nov 20, 2018, 12:43 pm
#265
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 902
Marriott cannot do that, because Marriott pays properties well below market rate for each night upgraded using a SNA. A property has to know that suite or enhanced room was upgraded using a SNA cert because Marriott will be paying next to nothing for that upgrade.
Nov 20, 2018, 1:05 pm
#266
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Gold, GHA Tit, BA Gold, Turkish Elite
Posts: 8,720
...Which gets to the core of the programme differences. Marriott has always had a somewhat transactional relationship with their properties where they receive cost-based financial benefits for loyalty scheme costs (designed for a hotel which costs 30 bottles of water a night), whereas loyalty in SPG was always a premium customer acquisition matter where providing an empty base level suite to a top 0.1% customer which would otherwise be empty was never an issue.
Nov 20, 2018, 1:14 pm
#267
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
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But the property can adjust their room categories so fewer rooms are available for the SNA pool. SPG built the SNA process as a black box to keep the game playing, on both sides, to a minimum. But just like with everything else, a little intense observation can tell you a lot. i.e. FDCs saying they are sold out when they are still offering rooms on the web. Allows oversell to account for no shows and last minute cancellations, but no upgrades.
Nov 20, 2018, 2:26 pm
#268
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 902
...Which gets to the core of the programme differences. Marriott has always had a somewhat transactional relationship with their properties where they receive cost-based financial benefits for loyalty scheme costs (designed for a hotel which costs 30 bottles of water a night), whereas loyalty in SPG was always a premium customer acquisition matter where providing an empty base level suite to a top 0.1% customer which would otherwise be empty was never an issue.
Nov 20, 2018, 3:57 pm
#269
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA LTG (EXP), Hilton Silver (Dia), Marriott LTP (PP), SPG LTG (P) > MPG LTPP
Posts: 11,329
I'd bet the rate varies based upon the ADR for the night(s) just like they do for point stays. The more rooms booked the higher the payment. Who was it, Le Meridien in NYC that was caught cooking the books to get the higher rate?
Nov 20, 2018, 5:51 pm
#270
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 902
Marriott ended the SPG practice of paying hotels according to a benchmark ADR when occupancy was above a certain threshold. It now pays a fixed rate, that is not strictly correlated with hotel category (also contrary to SPG practice, where rates paid to hotels were set at locksteps according hotel category). Strong incentive for fraud and inventory-tampering was one of the reasons given for the measure.