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 22, 2018, 9:39 am
#286
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Nov 22, 2018, 10:16 am
#287
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That stinks. Excluding last year's rollover, I have 220 nights this year. That's 4.4 years worth of platinum-50.
Nov 22, 2018, 10:33 am
#288
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It's too bad Marriott is not seeking road warrior loyalty (of which there seems to be many on FT). But at least the new program does bring more tiers into play although they top out at 100 nights. If the SNAs had a better hit ratio, offering 5 every 25/50 nights after 75 might encourage members to stick around and not bail once they hit 100 nights. Personally, my top tier in four programs years were driven by availability more than program benefits, but it was nice to have choices where there was an overlap. Your saving grace is the points you have to pick nicer places when on personal travel.
Nov 22, 2018, 11:18 am
#289
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Nov 22, 2018, 12:09 pm
#290
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That stinks. Excluding last year's rollover, I have 220 nights this year. That's 4.4 years worth of platinum-50.
So any Lifetime Marriott Plat member or soon-to-be Lifetime Plat Premier member hasn’t lost a thing by not getting the Choice Benefit without staying the requisite 50 and 75 nights. And yet every Marriott Lifetime Plat and soon-to-be Lifetime Plat Premier now has gained quite a significant roster of new benefits that never would have been possible were it not for the integration and intentional Marriott effort to placate legacy SPG elites with the comparable benefits previously offered with SPG.
For legacy SPG Plats, nothing has changed really—they still have to stay the night to earn the SNAs/Choice Benefits, though now they need to stay 75 nights to get the full 10 SNAs as was granted previously with only 50 nights.
In summary: all legacy Marriott Plats and coming Marriott Plat Premiers now get a lot more benefits that they never enjoyed or would have enjoyed before. That doesn’t stink at all.
In summary: if you want to earn the SNAs or other Choice Benefits, you actually need to earn 50 and 75 nights each calendar year. With the credit card earning 15 nights and a first meeting earning 10 nights, it’s pretty darn easy with the huge Marriott property portfolio for any self-proclaimed road warrior to get the remaining 25 or 50 nights.
If the SNAs had a better hit ratio, offering 5 every 25/50 nights after 75 might encourage members to stick around and not bail once they hit 100 nights. Personally, my top tier in four programs years were driven by availability more than program benefits, but it was nice to have choices where there was an overlap. Your saving grace is the points you have to pick nicer places when on personal travel.
The saving graces for me after 75 and 100 nights are (1) tremendous recognition and likelihood of better treatment at better hotels in the Marriott portfolio, (2) much better chances for suite upgrades and elevated treatment at most of the best hotels in the Marriott portfolio, and (3) much better points earning at further Marriott stays.
For everyone like you who abdicates Marriott after 75 or 100 nights for Hilton, Hyatt, etc, that just improves my chances even further for better upgrades, more upgrades, and even better treatment with less competition. So I welcome such thinking.
Nov 22, 2018, 12:15 pm
#291
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It's too bad Marriott is not seeking road warrior loyalty (of which there seems to be many on FT). But at least the new program does bring more tiers into play although they top out at 100 nights. If the SNAs had a better hit ratio, offering 5 every 25/50 nights after 75 might encourage members to stick around and not bail once they hit 100 nights. Personally, my top tier in four programs years were driven by availability more than program benefits, but it was nice to have choices where there was an overlap. Your saving grace is the points you have to pick nicer places when on personal travel.
Nov 22, 2018, 12:16 pm
#292
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100 nights isn't really that many nights whereas $20,000 is actually a significant threshold, especially if you're staying at properties in Southeast Asia or Africa.
Nov 22, 2018, 12:25 pm
#293
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Just keep in mind the new program is all about reducing program costs.
It depends. I'll wind up right around $20k this year but somewhere around 85 nights. And that includes about 25 credit card nights.
Nov 22, 2018, 1:40 pm
#294
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To owners, not Marriott itself. I'd wager focus groups show that eligible elites would rather have a guaranteed suite upgrade once or twice per year on their special trip(s) than get a suite at some dumpy airport hotel for the 1-night layover. There are so many platinums, platinum premiers and now platinum premier ambassadors in the pool of eligible elites that getting an upgrade without a certificate -- particularly for stays of over 1 night -- will be increasingly difficult, especially when (1) a number of properties don't even list suites in the room inventory, (2) properties continue to lie about suite availability and (3) there is really nothing in the terms to prioritize the upgrade order.
Nov 22, 2018, 1:57 pm
#295
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To owners, not Marriott itself. I'd wager focus groups show that eligible elites would rather have a guaranteed suite upgrade once or twice per year on their special trip(s) than get a suite at some dumpy airport hotel for the 1-night layover. There are so many platinums, platinum premiers and now platinum premier ambassadors in the pool of eligible elites that getting an upgrade without a certificate -- particularly for stays of over 1 night -- will be increasingly difficult, especially when (1) a number of properties don't even list suites in the room inventory, (2) properties continue to lie about suite availability and (3) there is really nothing in the terms to prioritize the upgrade order.
For those who want confirmed suite upgrades, and the opportunity to earn more upgrade certs for more nights, Hyatt would be the obvious choice.
Nov 22, 2018, 2:04 pm
#296
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Giving the "best" customers an additional 5 certificates for every 25 or 50 additional nights above 100 wouldn't be a big deal, especially since properties can and do play games to limit certificates clearing.
Nov 22, 2018, 8:13 pm
#297
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I had a very odd conversation with SPG customer care re SNAs. I have 3 remaining for this year ( so expiring 31/12, plus 7 pending on another stay) and 10 for 2019. I wanted to apply them to a reservation 28/12-02/01 but was told that the 5 would have to come from the 2019 allocation “ because they have to be consecutive”. Obviously I wanted 3 from 2018 and 2 from 2019. Is this ‘policy’ correct? I don’t get it...maybe it’s just a new way to screw the customer. Very odd indeed.
Nov 22, 2018, 8:20 pm
#298
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Not being allowed to try is much worse than not clearing. I can see blocking or failing the request at 5 days out when they have a better idea of what load will be like. But to block the request whenever they sell out without changes in the meantime is just lack of consideration for member time. Having to continuously check manually should not be required. Maybe they would rather have the room go empty?
For the first stay a dummy booking 5 days ahead of check-in showed both base rooms plus various suites and higher category rooms for sale with $$ during the stay period. I was able to apply SNAs on-line for those first 5 nights (though in the end they didn't clear).
For the subsequent 3 night stay a dummy booking 5 days ahead of check-in (just prior to the 5 night stay commencing) showed only base rooms available for $$ and no suites or higher category rooms available for $$ during the 3 day stay period. I tried repeatedly over the course of several days to apply SNAs to the 3 night stay and received an error message every time.
So it seems that there might need to be paid availability of suites or higher category rooms to successfully apply for an upgrade using SNAs, even while base rooms are available for $$. Note that the property was never completely sold out during the 8 days of my stay.
Nov 23, 2018, 12:31 pm
#299
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How do I use a SNA at an SPG hotel? When I click "View/Modify" I am taken to an SPG reservation page (from the old SPG site) and there is no option to us SNA. Compared to a Marriott hotel, I click "View/Modify" and there is a button to use the SNA for the reservation.
Nov 23, 2018, 12:41 pm
#300
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