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
Dec 24, 2021, 10:13 am
#3121
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,351
I happened to have asked at check in if we can request a rollaway if we find the sofa bed uncomfortable and they said no problem. I asked if there would be a charge and they said no which I found interesting because the site did mention a fee for rollaways. But either way the sofa bed was large and had a very comfortable firm mattress so it worked out great.
Dec 29, 2021, 12:30 pm
#3122
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,351
Just wanted to share my experience of using SNA vs not using SNA at the same property, The Westin Galleria Houston (yes, I know I should probably not be using SNAs at this type of property, but if you're interested in my experience anyway you can read below 
)
Shortly prior to the Marriott announcement that SNA expirations would be extended I booked a room at this hotel for 1 night. Booking was made over 24 hours prior to the stay and I paid 30k points which is peak pricing for points at this hotel. Thinking that my SNAs would be expiring in ~2+ months anyway, I decided to apply one to this reservation just to burn it rather than losing it. I was offered a selection of "better" room types which I ignored and selected the sole true suite offered = Executive Suite. Precisely 3 hours later I received an email that the SNA had cleared and the reservation now showed me booked into an Executive Suite. Great. The room and stay were both very nice.
Fast forward to last week. I booked another 1 night stay, this time paying only 20,000 points which is off-peak pricing. Booking was made late Sunday night for a Tuesday evening arrival (points price remained 20k for the base room up until the point of checking in Tuesday, so it wasn't priced at off peak because I booked slightly earlier than the previous time, although I think the cash price was around the same for both stays, so no idea what the peak/off-peak points pricing are based on over here). Since my SNAs had obviously all been extended at this point and the hotel showed Suites still available, I opted to take my chances for a complimentary upgrade. I also didn't care if I got a suite or not.
On Monday evening after checking in using the app, I chatted with the hotel and asked nicely if an upgrade to a suite would be possible based on status and they responded they would note my request but wouldn't commit to anything. Tuesday morning en-route to IAH I received a push notification that my room was ready. Checked the app and saw that I had been "upgraded" to a Premium Room (I seriously have no idea what is different about this room over the base room). I chatted again and thanked them for giving me a Premium Room and mentioned that I see Suites are still available for booking, so can I please have one? The response was that they are sold out of Suites and they have no idea why I still see any available to book! (Aren't we all familiar with this line??) But if any Suites were available at the time of check in they would be happy to give it to me.
Since I had a busy day ahead of me I asked my spouse to keep checking if they pulled the Suites offline. They did not. Up until very late in the evening the Suites were still available for booking (more than 1 was available). They obviously didn't want to give one to me for whatever reason and I'm not the type to be confrontational especially after a long day of work. I also didn't really need a suite as I was traveling by myself. When I checked in I just accepted my key and retired for the night.
I have no idea if I had used an SNA for this second stay if it would have cleared but I have a strong hunch that it would have. So if it would have been important to me then I would know for future that I should apply SNAs here to exponentially increase my chances at getting that Suite. Yes, this is just anecdotal and yes, it's just based on comparing 2 recent stays which is probably not enough for concrete evidence, but this is my personal takeaway.
Happy New Year and here's to hoping we all have better luck with our SNAs (extended and otherwise) next year!
)Shortly prior to the Marriott announcement that SNA expirations would be extended I booked a room at this hotel for 1 night. Booking was made over 24 hours prior to the stay and I paid 30k points which is peak pricing for points at this hotel. Thinking that my SNAs would be expiring in ~2+ months anyway, I decided to apply one to this reservation just to burn it rather than losing it. I was offered a selection of "better" room types which I ignored and selected the sole true suite offered = Executive Suite. Precisely 3 hours later I received an email that the SNA had cleared and the reservation now showed me booked into an Executive Suite. Great. The room and stay were both very nice.
Fast forward to last week. I booked another 1 night stay, this time paying only 20,000 points which is off-peak pricing. Booking was made late Sunday night for a Tuesday evening arrival (points price remained 20k for the base room up until the point of checking in Tuesday, so it wasn't priced at off peak because I booked slightly earlier than the previous time, although I think the cash price was around the same for both stays, so no idea what the peak/off-peak points pricing are based on over here). Since my SNAs had obviously all been extended at this point and the hotel showed Suites still available, I opted to take my chances for a complimentary upgrade. I also didn't care if I got a suite or not.
On Monday evening after checking in using the app, I chatted with the hotel and asked nicely if an upgrade to a suite would be possible based on status and they responded they would note my request but wouldn't commit to anything. Tuesday morning en-route to IAH I received a push notification that my room was ready. Checked the app and saw that I had been "upgraded" to a Premium Room (I seriously have no idea what is different about this room over the base room). I chatted again and thanked them for giving me a Premium Room and mentioned that I see Suites are still available for booking, so can I please have one? The response was that they are sold out of Suites and they have no idea why I still see any available to book! (Aren't we all familiar with this line??) But if any Suites were available at the time of check in they would be happy to give it to me.
Since I had a busy day ahead of me I asked my spouse to keep checking if they pulled the Suites offline. They did not. Up until very late in the evening the Suites were still available for booking (more than 1 was available). They obviously didn't want to give one to me for whatever reason and I'm not the type to be confrontational especially after a long day of work. I also didn't really need a suite as I was traveling by myself. When I checked in I just accepted my key and retired for the night.
I have no idea if I had used an SNA for this second stay if it would have cleared but I have a strong hunch that it would have. So if it would have been important to me then I would know for future that I should apply SNAs here to exponentially increase my chances at getting that Suite. Yes, this is just anecdotal and yes, it's just based on comparing 2 recent stays which is probably not enough for concrete evidence, but this is my personal takeaway.
Happy New Year and here's to hoping we all have better luck with our SNAs (extended and otherwise) next year!
Dec 29, 2021, 1:15 pm
#3123
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: DCA - PDX - LAX
Programs: AA Gold, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, AS 75k
Posts: 767
Just wanted to share my experience of using SNA vs not using SNA at the same property, The Westin Galleria Houston (yes, I know I should probably not be using SNAs at this type of property, but if you're interested in my experience anyway you can read below )
Shortly prior to the Marriott announcement that SNA expirations would be extended I booked a room at this hotel for 1 night. Booking was made over 24 hours prior to the stay and I paid 30k points which is peak pricing for points at this hotel. Thinking that my SNAs would be expiring in ~2+ months anyway, I decided to apply one to this reservation just to burn it rather than losing it. I was offered a selection of "better" room types which I ignored and selected the sole true suite offered = Executive Suite. Precisely 3 hours later I received an email that the SNA had cleared and the reservation now showed me booked into an Executive Suite. Great. The room and stay were both very nice.
Fast forward to last week. I booked another 1 night stay, this time paying only 20,000 points which is off-peak pricing. Booking was made late Sunday night for a Tuesday evening arrival (points price remained 20k for the base room up until the point of checking in Tuesday, so it wasn't priced at off peak because I booked slightly earlier than the previous time, although I think the cash price was around the same for both stays, so no idea what the peak/off-peak points pricing are based on over here). Since my SNAs had obviously all been extended at this point and the hotel showed Suites still available, I opted to take my chances for a complimentary upgrade. I also didn't care if I got a suite or not.
On Monday evening after checking in using the app, I chatted with the hotel and asked nicely if an upgrade to a suite would be possible based on status and they responded they would note my request but wouldn't commit to anything. Tuesday morning en-route to IAH I received a push notification that my room was ready. Checked the app and saw that I had been "upgraded" to a Premium Room (I seriously have no idea what is different about this room over the base room). I chatted again and thanked them for giving me a Premium Room and mentioned that I see Suites are still available for booking, so can I please have one? The response was that they are sold out of Suites and they have no idea why I still see any available to book! (Aren't we all familiar with this line??) But if any Suites were available at the time of check in they would be happy to give it to me.
Since I had a busy day ahead of me I asked my spouse to keep checking if they pulled the Suites offline. They did not. Up until very late in the evening the Suites were still available for booking (more than 1 was available). They obviously didn't want to give one to me for whatever reason and I'm not the type to be confrontational especially after a long day of work. I also didn't really need a suite as I was traveling by myself. When I checked in I just accepted my key and retired for the night.
I have no idea if I had used an SNA for this second stay if it would have cleared but I have a strong hunch that it would have. So if it would have been important to me then I would know for future that I should apply SNAs here to exponentially increase my chances at getting that Suite. Yes, this is just anecdotal and yes, it's just based on comparing 2 recent stays which is probably not enough for concrete evidence, but this is my personal takeaway.
Happy New Year and here's to hoping we all have better luck with our SNAs (extended and otherwise) next year!
)Shortly prior to the Marriott announcement that SNA expirations would be extended I booked a room at this hotel for 1 night. Booking was made over 24 hours prior to the stay and I paid 30k points which is peak pricing for points at this hotel. Thinking that my SNAs would be expiring in ~2+ months anyway, I decided to apply one to this reservation just to burn it rather than losing it. I was offered a selection of "better" room types which I ignored and selected the sole true suite offered = Executive Suite. Precisely 3 hours later I received an email that the SNA had cleared and the reservation now showed me booked into an Executive Suite. Great. The room and stay were both very nice.
Fast forward to last week. I booked another 1 night stay, this time paying only 20,000 points which is off-peak pricing. Booking was made late Sunday night for a Tuesday evening arrival (points price remained 20k for the base room up until the point of checking in Tuesday, so it wasn't priced at off peak because I booked slightly earlier than the previous time, although I think the cash price was around the same for both stays, so no idea what the peak/off-peak points pricing are based on over here). Since my SNAs had obviously all been extended at this point and the hotel showed Suites still available, I opted to take my chances for a complimentary upgrade. I also didn't care if I got a suite or not.
On Monday evening after checking in using the app, I chatted with the hotel and asked nicely if an upgrade to a suite would be possible based on status and they responded they would note my request but wouldn't commit to anything. Tuesday morning en-route to IAH I received a push notification that my room was ready. Checked the app and saw that I had been "upgraded" to a Premium Room (I seriously have no idea what is different about this room over the base room). I chatted again and thanked them for giving me a Premium Room and mentioned that I see Suites are still available for booking, so can I please have one? The response was that they are sold out of Suites and they have no idea why I still see any available to book! (Aren't we all familiar with this line??) But if any Suites were available at the time of check in they would be happy to give it to me.
Since I had a busy day ahead of me I asked my spouse to keep checking if they pulled the Suites offline. They did not. Up until very late in the evening the Suites were still available for booking (more than 1 was available). They obviously didn't want to give one to me for whatever reason and I'm not the type to be confrontational especially after a long day of work. I also didn't really need a suite as I was traveling by myself. When I checked in I just accepted my key and retired for the night.
I have no idea if I had used an SNA for this second stay if it would have cleared but I have a strong hunch that it would have. So if it would have been important to me then I would know for future that I should apply SNAs here to exponentially increase my chances at getting that Suite. Yes, this is just anecdotal and yes, it's just based on comparing 2 recent stays which is probably not enough for concrete evidence, but this is my personal takeaway.
Happy New Year and here's to hoping we all have better luck with our SNAs (extended and otherwise) next year!
Jan 1, 2022, 7:00 pm
#3124
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 11
I thought I saw something before, but I can't seem to find it again. What is the rule for using SNA with point redemption nights. I seem to recall you couldn't do a "5 for 4" points reservation with SNA, but if you did a Points + Cash, you could apply the SNA. So would this work for a 6 night stay? Say, pay 1 night, then 5 for 4 on points, and SNA across all 6 nights, assuming enough SNA (and availability)?
Jan 4, 2022, 5:49 am
#3127
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,687
I thought I saw something before, but I can't seem to find it again. What is the rule for using SNA with point redemption nights. I seem to recall you couldn't do a "5 for 4" points reservation with SNA, but if you did a Points + Cash, you could apply the SNA. So would this work for a 6 night stay? Say, pay 1 night, then 5 for 4 on points, and SNA across all 6 nights, assuming enough SNA (and availability)?
Jan 4, 2022, 4:18 pm
#3128
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,880
The response was that they are sold out of Suites and they have no idea why I still see any available to book! (Aren't we all familiar with this line??) But if any Suites were available at the time of check in they would be happy to give it to me.
...
I have no idea if I had used an SNA for this second stay if it would have cleared but I have a strong hunch that it would have. So if it would have been important to me then I would know for future that I should apply SNAs here to exponentially increase my chances at getting that Suite.
...
I have no idea if I had used an SNA for this second stay if it would have cleared but I have a strong hunch that it would have. So if it would have been important to me then I would know for future that I should apply SNAs here to exponentially increase my chances at getting that Suite.
In one particularly memorable case, I requested a SNA and it was denied. I noticed numerous suites still available to book when I checked in so I enquired if they might be able to upgrade me. When they told me they were sold out, I pointed out that suites were still available to book through the app. They front desk agent insisted that wasn't the case, so I proceeded to book the suite in front of their eyes to call their bluff (it was still before the 6pm DOA cancellation deadline). The agent then said "oh, I do see now that there's a suite available" and then begrudgingly agreed to upgraded me. Ordinarily I don't care enough about upgrades to make a fuss, but after SNA request after SNA request being denied, I wanted to prove a point.
Jan 5, 2022, 2:18 am
#3129
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kobe, Japan
Programs: Bonvoy Platinum, IHG Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 1,536
I asked via the chat about the larger suite and was told I could book it for an extra ¥30,000. Using a SNA upgrade at the Four Points might not have been the best usage, but we did get a pretty nice corner room "junior suite" with a huge king bed. Cost ¥14,000 and the breakfast buffet was excellent.
Jan 5, 2022, 7:24 pm
#3130
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: San Francisco and Berlin
Programs: UA 1K MM, Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 31
Not sure if this was answered before in relation, or if we 'know' - but what is the priority Bonvoy uses to award a room via SNA if you selected 3 types? Should we assume it's always the lowest room, or do they attempt to get you into your 'highest' option, then go down?
Not a bad approach, however, I can tell you I've also not cleared at T-5 and then I've seen lesser-category SNA rooms disappear at the exact same time the upgrade sweep runs. No idea whether I would have received them as a Titanium if I had expanded my selections before T-5, but I've had this happen far more than the alternative (clearing into my requested suite at T-5 when it wasn't showing available). Obviously, actual room inventory is separate from what we can see online.
YMMV with the "SNA lotto" (which is an apt way of phrasing this benefit). I wish they would just give us a smaller number of certs that clear directly into a standard suite if available at booking (similar to Hyatt's suite awards).
-FlyerBeek
YMMV with the "SNA lotto" (which is an apt way of phrasing this benefit). I wish they would just give us a smaller number of certs that clear directly into a standard suite if available at booking (similar to Hyatt's suite awards).
-FlyerBeek
Jan 5, 2022, 7:34 pm
#3131
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
With Marriott, who knows. I’d be surprised if the Lurkers were allowed to comment.
Jan 5, 2022, 11:07 pm
#3132
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,351
Not sure about this, but I recently selected 2 suite types and got upgraded to the higher one for a 5 night stay.
Jan 6, 2022, 8:47 am
#3133
Company Representative, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: Feb 2019
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy
Posts: 690
A Suite Night Award is a one-night confirmable award for an upgrade to a suite or select premium room at participating properties. A premium room is generally any room that is not a standard guest room. Any time after making a reservation (up until 2pm before day of arrival), you may request an SNA (as long as you have SNA’s in your account that won’t expire before your stay). Suite Night Awards are handled at the corporate level (not by the hotel). SNA availability is checked 5 days before check-in – if not confirmed 5 days before arrival, availability is checked every day before arrival up to 2pm local time 1 day prior to arrival. There are several variables that impact availability, ranging from the total number of premium rooms at the hotel, currently booked premium rooms, forecasted premium/suite occupancy and existing SNA requests.
Jan 6, 2022, 3:54 pm
#3134
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAH/EWR-LGA/MIA
Programs: UA Global Services 3.2 MM, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 2,506
Longtime Marriott member (Lifetime Titanium; current Ambassador for the first time) but little experience with SNAs since the merger. Managed to get 3 SNAs confirmed at the Sheraton Old San Juan and then took a mandatory COVID test (now required by PR) yesterday (flight was today) and it came back positive. Canceled the trip last night and learned for the first time about the total SNA forfeiture rule for cancellations after 2 pm day prior to arrival. Man, that is a punitive policy! Live and learn.
Jan 7, 2022, 1:49 am
#3135
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,319
Longtime Marriott member (Lifetime Titanium; current Ambassador for the first time) but little experience with SNAs since the merger. Managed to get 3 SNAs confirmed at the Sheraton Old San Juan and then took a mandatory COVID test (now required by PR) yesterday (flight was today) and it came back positive. Canceled the trip last night and learned for the first time about the total SNA forfeiture rule for cancellations after 2 pm day prior to arrival. Man, that is a punitive policy! Live and learn.