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
Mar 13, 2022, 6:48 am
#3226
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Mar 13, 2022, 7:17 am
#3227
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Mar 13, 2022, 7:18 am
#3228
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Mar 13, 2022, 7:54 am
#3229
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Open the wiki and have a look at the script in red, or go back to post #220. A lot of people are unaware of this and it causes much frustration. A number of us here have reported the SNA clearing when there were NO suites for sale. It’s happened to me twice.
Mar 13, 2022, 8:49 am
#3230
Join Date: Feb 2018
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I believe the suite availability on the stay date is a good indicator that your SNA might get approved.
Likewise, sold out suite usually meant SNA won't get approved.
But then there are cases where SNA approved on sold out suite days or SNA rejected when suite shown as available.
So I guess when suite was sold out on the stay date then prepare to get SNA refused.
On the other hand, if the suite show available and SNA got rejected, then I would guess the hotel just being dodgy.
Likewise, sold out suite usually meant SNA won't get approved.
But then there are cases where SNA approved on sold out suite days or SNA rejected when suite shown as available.
So I guess when suite was sold out on the stay date then prepare to get SNA refused.
On the other hand, if the suite show available and SNA got rejected, then I would guess the hotel just being dodgy.
Mar 13, 2022, 11:04 am
#3231
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Mar 13, 2022, 11:57 am
#3232
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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.
The hotel is not the one clearing the SNAs! There are numerous reports of hotels canceling SNAs after they’ve been approved but it’s the system that approves them.
Mar 13, 2022, 2:24 pm
#3233
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Ahem ….
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.
The hotel is not the one clearing the SNAs! There are numerous reports of hotels canceling SNAs after they’ve been approved but it’s the system that approves them.
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.
The hotel is not the one clearing the SNAs! There are numerous reports of hotels canceling SNAs after they’ve been approved but it’s the system that approves them.
Mar 13, 2022, 2:33 pm
#3234
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They keep separate inventories. Airlines keep separate inventories for seats for sale vs upgrades vs redemptions.
Mar 13, 2022, 2:52 pm
#3235
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So the inventory used by the SNA system has to be less than the hotels inventory, correct? Otherwise the SNA system would be allocating suites where there are none. So fine, I can accept this. So SNAs may not clear... and yet the system still shows suites for sale. Since we're supposed to receive suites at check in (if avail), one can still use the peruse the app trick to see if they are for sale and then get them if they are, right?
Mar 13, 2022, 3:10 pm
#3236
Join Date: Jan 2018
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I've had three situations in the last two years where I was denied a SNA request but then the hotel upgraded me to a suite anyway. I had always wondered how that could be possible but it makes sense if the Bonvoy system is handling the SNA.
Mar 13, 2022, 3:21 pm
#3237
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So the inventory used by the SNA system has to be less than the hotels inventory, correct? Otherwise the SNA system would be allocating suites where there are none. So fine, I can accept this. So SNAs may not clear... and yet the system still shows suites for sale. Since we're supposed to receive suites at check in (if avail), one can still use the peruse the app trick to see if they are for sale and then get them if they are, right?
As mentioned here before, SNAs do clear even when there is no inventory on the website. My classic example was St Regis FLR with 0 suites showing for my 2 nights in early Aug, yet my SNAs cleared 5 days before arrival. My friend who was arriving a day after me, also had his SNA clear 5 days out even though no suites were showing on the website for his single night.
Hotel is supposed to make “standard suites” available for Elite upgrades at check in. Whether that will happen is questionable especially in North America.
Mar 13, 2022, 3:24 pm
#3238
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A very small percentage of the suites are in the SNA pool, usually the smallest/cheapest ones.
Mar 13, 2022, 3:28 pm
#3239
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It’s not the same inventory.
As mentioned here before, SNAs do clear even when there is no inventory on the website. My classic example was St Regis FLR with 0 suites showing for my 2 nights in early Aug, yet my SNAs cleared 5 days before arrival. My friend who was arriving a day after me, also had his SNA clear 5 days out even though no suites were showing on the website for his single night.
Hotel is supposed to make “standard suites” available for Elite upgrades at check in. Whether that will happen is questionable especially in North America.
As mentioned here before, SNAs do clear even when there is no inventory on the website. My classic example was St Regis FLR with 0 suites showing for my 2 nights in early Aug, yet my SNAs cleared 5 days before arrival. My friend who was arriving a day after me, also had his SNA clear 5 days out even though no suites were showing on the website for his single night.
Hotel is supposed to make “standard suites” available for Elite upgrades at check in. Whether that will happen is questionable especially in North America.
So what happened in your case? You showed up at the hotel and they said, sorry, even though we see your SNA cleared, we have no suites?
Mar 13, 2022, 5:44 pm
#3240
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Right, that's what TerryK said above. But you're saying that the internal Bonvoy system actually allocates Suites even though the hotel is sold out? That seems quite hard to believe. (don't misunderstand, I believe it happened to you!). I'm just saying, who the heck came up with a system that allows an internal system to allocate inventory that doesn't exist?
So what happened in your case? You showed up at the hotel and they said, sorry, even though we see your SNA cleared, we have no suites?
So what happened in your case? You showed up at the hotel and they said, sorry, even though we see your SNA cleared, we have no suites?
OK. I found one. Post #3041.
Last edited by margarita girl; Mar 13, 2022 at 5:58 pm