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 23, 2018, 8:14 am
#511
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: toronto
Posts: 914
This has already been reported in the SNA thread only a few days ago! Post # 478 and 502.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...thread-32.html
But all is good. Once the SNA is cleared, we are issued a new reservation # and these takes a few days to get inputted into the system. Mine took about 3-4 days to 're-appear' with the new reservation number.
Dec 24, 2018, 1:13 am
#512
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SFO, TPE, HNL
Programs: UA GS 4MM, RCC life member (paid), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, CLEAR
Posts: 1,822
You’re mistaken that the local hotel can in control the SNA process—other than in its control of its suite inventory.
You still manually can be upgraded by a hotel, but that has nothing to do with the SNA automated process. That’s why hotels that pre-upgrade some of us to better suites above the SNA options often have to re-upgrade us after the SNA process clears and concomitently “downgrades” us inadvertently.
Dec 24, 2018, 6:54 am
#514
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
No guarantee it will. The property may be holding a waitlist and it might get processed before you can get the second rez in the system, let alone the possibility someone else is about to pounce on that room. We are talking MPG IT so again, no guarantee.
Dec 24, 2018, 10:44 am
#515
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE, WJ Gold, Bonvoy Titanium Ambassador
Posts: 133
SNA on Points Reward ?
Hi,
Was informed by a marriott rep that SNA can not be used on a points stay ? Can someone confirm if this is accurate. Also would I be able to use on a 7 night cert stay (she mentioned certs are eligble for SNA). Curious before I select more SNA as reward.
Thanks
Was informed by a marriott rep that SNA can not be used on a points stay ? Can someone confirm if this is accurate. Also would I be able to use on a 7 night cert stay (she mentioned certs are eligble for SNA). Curious before I select more SNA as reward.
Thanks
Dec 24, 2018, 10:47 am
#516
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: SPG-Plat, Hilton-Diamond, Club Carlson-Silver, Cathay-Diamond, Virgin-Gold
Posts: 2,183
You got half the information. SNA's should be useable on points stays but currently Marriott have an IT issue where SNA's cannot be applied to points stays and I think still prepaid stays. It is a complete mess and I have 10 SNA's expiring in a week that I am hoping they extend as I have wanted to apply them to 20 plus different nights since August and for one IT reason or another never been able to. If it were a bank it would be done for mis selling lol!
Dec 24, 2018, 11:29 am
#517
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chicago
Programs: Hyatt Glob; UA 1K; BonVoyage LTT (RIP SPG); HH Dia; JX Insighter
Posts: 1,642
You got half the information. SNA's should be useable on points stays but currently Marriott have an IT issue where SNA's cannot be applied to points stays and I think still prepaid stays. It is a complete mess and I have 10 SNA's expiring in a week that I am hoping they extend as I have wanted to apply them to 20 plus different nights since August and for one IT reason or another never been able to. If it were a bank it would be done for mis selling lol!
Dec 24, 2018, 11:31 am
#518
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NYC, FLL
Programs: UA PP 1MM, Marriott Bonvoy LTTE, BA Gold
Posts: 6,299
Yes SNA's are possible on Points Rewards. The rep is misinformed. And it's all possible to request online. Marriott IT can have issues after that (not showing the pending request, if they clear the reservation drops off your account), but the process still largely works.
Just had 2 SNA's clear on an upcoming rewards stay.
Just had 2 SNA's clear on an upcoming rewards stay.
Dec 24, 2018, 3:46 pm
#519
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: La Jolla, CA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Lifetime Titanium, Delta Plat, Hilton Diamond , Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,615
I booked an Award stay online recently at the Inn at Ranch Santa Fe. I had no problem applying an SNA online through the APP and it cleared 5 days out to a huge 1000 SF 1 BR Suite.
I definitely have my list of grievances with Marriott IT (which I won’t air even though it is Festivus) but SNAs seem to be working for me now on both Award and Paid Reservations.
I definitely have my list of grievances with Marriott IT (which I won’t air even though it is Festivus) but SNAs seem to be working for me now on both Award and Paid Reservations.
Dec 24, 2018, 5:29 pm
#520
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
Ok, here are the choices for the CSRs. 1) Take all your information and go off on a long hunt for someone in IT to figure out what happened and they devise a plan to fix it and/or come up with a workaround for your situation. OR 2) follow management's lead in saying everything is fine and you must be the problem so go away (paraphrased just a bit). Which one will get them off onto the next caller quicker and make it look like they are a great CSR in taking so many calls. If the CSRs were on top of their game there would be little use for FT. I'm sure they don't expect members are comparing notes and providing guidance on how to navigate the loyalty programs. If you should have happened to catch their name, I'd suggest emailing (I know, I know) them or the Lurkers to maybe get the CSR's training updated.
Dec 24, 2018, 5:35 pm
#521
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: SPG-Plat, Hilton-Diamond, Club Carlson-Silver, Cathay-Diamond, Virgin-Gold
Posts: 2,183
In my case it wasnt a mis informed rep, it got escalated pretty high up and simple answer was sorry currently absolutly nothing we can do, its been raised with IT but currently they are taking a long time to respnd to any queries / complaints! By long time they were talking weeks not days!
Dec 24, 2018, 6:07 pm
#522
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 278
Suite night awards are a scam?
Can't be used on prepaid reservations, enough said. All the hotels I've checked prepaid rates are $100 cheaper. I've noticed a lot of hotels have changed to do this.
This is absolute hogwash and makes chasing nights worthless. Make things right Marriott and allow SNA to be used on prepaid stays. Saying it is not possible with IT is a lie as the original SNA system for Starwood allowed it.
This is absolute hogwash and makes chasing nights worthless. Make things right Marriott and allow SNA to be used on prepaid stays. Saying it is not possible with IT is a lie as the original SNA system for Starwood allowed it.
Dec 24, 2018, 6:15 pm
#523
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,115
Have you done a complete audit of the Marriott system? Do you really know every one of its capabilities and limitations? I have to say I'm not the least bit surprised that many things would be impossible with the current system.
Dec 24, 2018, 6:28 pm
#524
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
Can't be used on prepaid reservations, enough said. All the hotels I've checked prepaid rates are $100 cheaper. I've noticed a lot of hotels have changed to do this.
This is absolute hogwash and makes chasing nights worthless. Make things right Marriott and allow SNA to be used on prepaid stays. Saying it is not possible with IT is a lie as the original SNA system for Starwood allowed it.
This is absolute hogwash and makes chasing nights worthless. Make things right Marriott and allow SNA to be used on prepaid stays. Saying it is not possible with IT is a lie as the original SNA system for Starwood allowed it.
Dec 24, 2018, 7:14 pm
#525
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,399
SPG IT is dead. MPG IT may not have been given a complete feature set to be ready day-one. Saying it's not possible with the current code may very well be the truth, and I believe it, expecting full functionality out of the chute would have been nice but proven wrong. Marriott management is the only one to blame for all this and they are refusing to see it given the statements they've made.
