I was attending a conference in SF and my company was staying at a Marriott property 30 minutes away from the conference hotel. This is what transpired at check in between different FDAs within 30 minutes.

At least the FD manager didn't try to tell you that Tit is below Plat, just like PP was below Plat.

Years ago something similar happened to me at Seoul CY. My co-worker who was legacy gold got upgraded to a suite but the FD told me (legacy Plat) that there were no upgrades available. We were checking in side by side and we were using the exact same Corp rate. I immediately told the FD that was unacceptable and demanded to see a manager. Mysteriously one suite suddenly became available. I guess my protest worked in Asia but it’s unlikely to work at a North American property as the service is typically worse here than in Asia.

I thought they gave upgrades out in the order you checked in.

i have been upgraded, and a friend who checked in later did not,,

Guess the room was taken..

Why didn't you call back?

did you book directly with the hotel or did you use a third party like Expedia? Was it a cash/prepaid room rate , a cancellable rate or was your booking done with points?

And how do the above scenarios compare to your friend?

If the OP booked directly with Starriott, it shouldn't matter whether the booking was prepaid, paid (partially or totally) with points, or guaranteed with a credit card to be paid at check out, subject to a cancellation deadline. All should be eligible for free elite upgrades, and no matter which of these categories applies, a Gold should not be upgraded into a suite ahead of one or more Titaniums.

Not neccesarily...
if all the basic rooms are booked solid, and you have also booked a basic room but it’s 5pm and you still have not arrived and someone walks up and asks for a room but isn’t willing to purchase a suite and that’s all that is left, you best believe the front desk agent will give your booked room away and once you show up you will then be assigned to a suite.

The hotels do what’s financially in best interest for them, let’s not kid ourselves here, as does every other business. It’s just random as you don’t have access to their database of how many of each room type are booked and how many of those booked rooms have checked in already there’s really no way to manipulate the system in your fair without this knowledge.

You’re completely right with that comment I was trying to decipher if there is a link between upgrade probability and the way in which the booking was made.

Nowhere in Bonvoy materials is it published that upgrades are prioritized according to elite levels. It has never been like that with SPG and it does not appear to be the case with Bonvoy as well. If the number of upgradeable elites arriving on a given day exceeds that of available suites,the property has a tremendous leeway in deciding who gets upgraded, and it will most certainly prioritize according to loyalty to the property itself (not the program), duration of stay and rate rather that elite tier or number of nights stayed with Bonvoy.