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FAQ : Suite Night Awards - SNA - questions and discussion thread

Old Dec 19, 2018, 10:39 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: RedSun
IF YOU HAVE A PREPAID RATE, PLEASE READ THIS WIKI!
Recommended SNA Best Practices:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  5. 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.
  6. 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 DOESNT SEEM TO ALLOW, HERE IS A WORK-AROUND. GOOD LUCK!

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30575978-post541.html

Originally Posted by EuropeanPete
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.

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.

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FAQ : Suite Night Awards - SNA - questions and discussion thread

Old Aug 4, 2022, 12:29 pm
  #3736  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,766
I removed SNA from an AmEx FHR booking, the SNA cert did not get returned to my account even though i got a confirmation email saying its returned... How do i get it back to show in my account?

interestingly, when i cancel SNA on another reservation that's normal marriott standard rate, the snA showed up immediately after canceling..

is there some type of bug on the IT system that's preventing SNA to go back to account for FHR reservation?

Last edited by uclacolumbiaunc; Aug 4, 2022 at 12:35 pm
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Old Aug 5, 2022, 5:41 pm
  #3737  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AA Platinum, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hertz 5-star President's Circle
Posts: 18
Special Rates Ineligible for SNAs

Originally Posted by ehe123
This is a new one for me. I had a reservation at the Washington DC St. Regis. There was no way to for me to apply an SNA, which is strange as I have used SNAs here in the past. I assumed that this was just one more restriction in the system. But my daughter had a separate reservation for the same night, applied an SNA, and was upgraded two days in advance to a suite. The only difference appears to be that I used a Senior Rate. Could this be the explanation?
I've encountered the same on discount rates (Senior Rate). In my case, booking a Government/military rate makes the booking ineligible for the SNA. I've got a bunch of them in my account, but my options are spend way more on a regular booking to use the SNA, or save money and waste the SNAs.
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Old Aug 5, 2022, 8:16 pm
  #3738  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: bay area, ca
Programs: UA plat, , aa plat, marriott LT titanium
Posts: 4,821
Originally Posted by elrico
I've encountered the same on discount rates (Senior Rate). In my case, booking a Government/military rate makes the booking ineligible for the SNA. I've got a bunch of them in my account, but my options are spend way more on a regular booking to use the SNA, or save money and waste the SNAs.
well, that's new, another "bonvoyed" I've used senior rates and government in the past and been able to use SNA's - may have been before the merger (but I know I have been ug'd to suites without sna after the merger at some hotels where I had stayed before, as a Titanium)
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Old Aug 8, 2022, 1:47 am
  #3739  
Company Representative, Marriott Bonvoy
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy
Posts: 1,061
Originally Posted by elrico
I've encountered the same on discount rates (Senior Rate). In my case, booking a Government/military rate makes the booking ineligible for the SNA. I've got a bunch of them in my account, but my options are spend way more on a regular booking to use the SNA, or save money and waste the SNAs.
Hi elrico,

We would like to help look into the reason why you were unable to apply SNA to an upcoming reservation, if you may provide below information to us via private mail here or by email below.
Marriott Bonvoy account number
Email address registered in account
Reservation details(hotel name, stay date and confirmation number)

If you prefer to send information via email, please include your Flyertalk username.

Best Regards,

Christina Z
Specialist, Social Media
Marriott International

[email protected]
Marriott Bonvoy Lurker II is online now  
Old Aug 8, 2022, 5:57 am
  #3740  
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Programs: Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 147
booked 5 nights in the W verbier (this week).
Redemption booking with points.
5 SNA's applied for a sublime room, received conformation yesterday, happy!!!
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Old Aug 10, 2022, 8:50 pm
  #3741  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AA Platinum, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hertz 5-star President's Circle
Posts: 18
Thank you for reaching out. I sent you some information and appreciate your feedback. I did note that perhaps I need to partially recant my prior statement, as I reviewed a couple of upcoming reservations and they appear to be SNA-eligible. The issues I experienced earlier this summer may have just been specific to a couple of properties.

Thanks again!

elrico
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Old Aug 11, 2022, 3:14 pm
  #3742  
 
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Marriott, United, Jetblue
Posts: 150
Anyone have a good handle on the internal process Marriott has to clear SNAs. Interested in if there is preferential treatment to elite status or time of booking. I thought Hilton recently published something to this effect for suite upgrades, wasnt sure about Marriott. Does Lifetime Platinum/Titanium trump Ambassador?

Have res for both the Disney Swan Reserve and JW Bonnet Creek with SNA requested not sure which has a better chance to clear and which to cancel.
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Old Aug 11, 2022, 6:23 pm
  #3743  
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Bangkok
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Titanium, BAEC Silver, TK Miles & Smiles Elite
Posts: 2,190
Originally Posted by Ken C
Anyone have a good handle on the internal process Marriott has to clear SNAs. Interested in if there is preferential treatment to elite status or time of booking. I thought Hilton recently published something to this effect for suite upgrades, wasn’t sure about Marriott. Does Lifetime Platinum/Titanium trump Ambassador?

Have res for both the Disney Swan Reserve and JW Bonnet Creek with SNA requested not sure which has a better chance to clear and which to cancel.
Sorry to be the bringer of bad news but Marriott's never made any statement about the SNA prioritisation process and if you read through this entire thread (don't) then you'd realise that it appears to be somewhat random whichever criteria you try to fix and apply to make sense of it. You may hear anecdotes of replicable strategies that have proved successful but nobody could ever be certain which of the many variables were at play. SNA success depends on the brand accepting them, the individual hotel accepting them, the individual hotel making suitable upgrade rooms available for selection, the time of year/day of the week (ie. the volume of elites trying to apply them at peak times), the duration of your reservation (the shorter the better), and the X factor which is entirely unpredictable. Whether your elite status, the date you apply the SNAs, or which upgrade you choose from the available list makes a material difference to the success is entirely opaque.

In general, you can say that you will have a greater chance of successfully redeeming SNAs when they are offered online to a short reservation (1 or 2 nights) at an unpopular hotel in low season. Apply these criteria to your two reservations and see which looks the most likely.
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Old Aug 11, 2022, 6:27 pm
  #3744  
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Join Date: Apr 2013
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Originally Posted by ftrichard
Sorry to be the bringer of bad news but Marriott's never made any statement about the SNA prioritisation process and if you read through this entire thread (don't) then you'd realise that it appears to be somewhat random whichever criteria you try to fix and apply to make sense of it.
Yep. And I've never had the sense that priority among elite levels was the challenge, but rather properties (i) not putting real suites in the SNA pool, (ii) gaming/interfering with the SNA process through a variety of tricks, or (iii) not allowing SNAs at all.
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Old Aug 11, 2022, 7:03 pm
  #3745  
 
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Marriott, United, Jetblue
Posts: 150
Originally Posted by Kacee
Yep. And I've never had the sense that priority among elite levels was the challenge, but rather properties (i) not putting real suites in the SNA pool, (ii) gaming/interfering with the SNA process through a variety of tricks, or (iii) not allowing SNAs at all.
I agree just finding good inventory is the toughest part. But its much more rewarding and typically better value to clear 5 SNA than accept the 40k points for your annual choice benefit
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Old Aug 11, 2022, 7:48 pm
  #3746  
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Originally Posted by Ken C
I agree just finding good inventory is the toughest part. But its much more rewarding and typically better value to clear 5 SNA than accept the 40k points for your annual choice benefit
Well it depends on travel patterns and preferences, but I think most here now take the FNA over the second tranche of SNA. I certainly do.
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Old Aug 12, 2022, 12:41 am
  #3747  
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Bangkok
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Titanium, BAEC Silver, TK Miles & Smiles Elite
Posts: 2,190
Originally Posted by Kacee
Well it depends on travel patterns and preferences, but I think most here now take the FNA over the second tranche of SNA. I certainly do.
Definitely. I only chose the SNAs at 50 nights because I've run out of bedrooms in the mansion to get another discounted mattress and - like everyone else on Flyertalk - I ain't giving nothin' to no charity. By the time I get to 75 nights the obvious choice is the 40,000-point Free Night Award which this year has saved me a very tangible 275 for one night next week in London.

Likely my 50 SNAs will expire at the end of this year unused just as the extended ones expired unused at the end of June. But then I do live in Asia where suite upgrades for elites are so routine and run-of-the-mill that I sometimes long for a basic room with just one loo and no sofa to lounge around on checking my hotel bill on the TV.
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Old Aug 12, 2022, 5:06 am
  #3748  
 
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Marriott, United, Jetblue
Posts: 150
Taking the approx $300 USD in value for the FNA is definitely the conservative play. During COVID I may agree, but now with international travel open it doesnt take much effort to find better value.
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Old Aug 12, 2022, 5:14 am
  #3749  
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
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Posts: 1,763
Originally Posted by Kacee
Well it depends on travel patterns and preferences, but I think most here now take the FNA over the second tranche of SNA. I certainly do.
I have been able to make good use of the second lot of SNAs in Europe. But they are still hard to use and I may go for the FNC this year.
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Old Aug 12, 2022, 8:56 am
  #3750  
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Originally Posted by Ken C
now with international travel open it doesnt take much effort to find better value.
I don't agree with that.

Finding "value" in SNAs requires accepting the risk your SNA won't clear, and that you won't know about it until you're inside the hotel cancel window and/or other booking options are no longer available. I'm increasingly unwilling to take that risk, particularly after experience last year at StR Rome, which was supposed to be an "easy" SNA upgrade to StR Suite, but was not.

And if your SNA don't clear on your trip to Europe/Asia (which is very very likely these days with high occupancy rates and properties increasingly either not accepting SNA or playing games to avoid redemption), you may now be stuck redeeming them domestically, where "value" can be impossible to find.

This is why Hyatt's approach, which allows suite confirmation at booking, is so much more appealing.
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