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How to Check if ROOM is Available for Upgrade When Checking In

How to Check if ROOM is Available for Upgrade When Checking In

Old Aug 3, 2019, 6:20 pm
  #46  
 
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Just ask about suites in "dirty status". It's just that simple.
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Old Aug 3, 2019, 8:47 pm
  #47  
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Originally Posted by daniellam
Just ask about suites in "dirty status". It's just that simple.
But dont try this in Cancun or Russia unless youre very open minded.
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Old Aug 4, 2019, 2:27 am
  #48  
 
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Here in Europe I normally become aware of getting a room upgrade the day before arrival, when room type on the APP is modified by the hotel (mostly after I have already done mobile check-in).

Right now I am reading a nice "suite with balcony" upgrade (from superior room booked) in a hotel in Italy for tomorrow arrival.
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Old Aug 4, 2019, 5:27 am
  #49  
 
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Some hotels did put those detailed room information on the reservation details.
If the hotel does this then yes easy to spot these pre upgraded room/suite

But iirc there are some properties that just put King Bed room or so on the reservation detail page.

Not sure if this caused by the property not yet update their system or any other reason.
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Old Aug 4, 2019, 10:52 am
  #50  
 
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Originally Posted by geminidreams
Its been discussed many times before. Not all suites are part of the upgrade pool, not all suites under a description are part of the upgrade pool, hotels will sell inventory that may not be available and they will manage that depending on their in house criteria. Unless you can look at their inventory you do not know what is available and you dont know if the upgrades have already been allocated to other elites. What shows on the website is not useful what is the actual situation. If you need a suite book it. If you dont need it what is your complaint? You do not and never will be in a position to know the true inventory position. You can argue at the desk all you like but what are you arguing about, that the Marriott website says something and they dont agree? Its a marketing tool not an inventory management tool, dont pretend it means anything! I have been well looked after, especially the hotels that I have stayed in regularly. I know one hotel that has a renowned reluctance to upgrade but I like the hotel and even if I dont get a suite I always get a good room with a view.

​​​​

Originally Posted by kaizen7
Problem is ... hotel inventory is not transparent to the member through the apps.
Non compliant hotel will claim that the online inventory is not updated real time and or other excuses.

I can say I experience this myself, check the apps and show that junior suites and all room categories were available for the duration of my stay and yet only to have no upgrade on check in.
Asked on check in about upgrades and receive the usual our hotel is fully booked answer.
But, I'm not talking about other guests that are "more" Elite than me. I'm talking about standing in the lobby with the ability to book an upgraded room through the central Marriott booking site. Individual hotel reservation protocols with respect to upgrade pools and VIPs don't concern me, nor should they. The t&c say I'm entitled to an upgrade (however that's defined), if I can book an upgraded room in the lobby before I check in, then it ought to be given to me.

I don't understand the corporate apologists on this site. If the system is so convoluted as some of you suggest, then the onus ought to be on Marriott to make it clearer and not on me to blindly accept what I'm told. I've upheld my part of the deal in fulfilling the terms of my membership. I use my travel spend on Marriott properties. My fulfillment of the requirements for status are clear and qualifiable. The perks of this commitment ought to be equally transparent.

QUOTE=EuropeanPete;31375112]
I dont see why the spirit of the rules says that rooms cant be pre-booked for higher level elites and hotel VIP guests. It would massively devalue the programme for me, and Im happy that most of the hotels I visit are clearly able to save a good room for me even if Im arriving late.

Beyond that, it clearly cant be in the spirit of rules that any room available online is available for upgrade if it isnt actually available at all...
[/QUOTE]

Lol, I suppose as long you're receiving the perks you're entitled to, the system is working as it should. I appreciate you sharing where your perspective comes from in your responses on this site.

That being said, I'll reiterate, VIP and upgrade pool should not concern me. If I am able to book a superior room at the posted rate, that room ought to be offered to me as an upgrade.

Last edited by Toukolou; Aug 4, 2019 at 11:06 am
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Old Aug 4, 2019, 10:55 am
  #51  
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Originally Posted by kaizen7
It hard to check upgrade availability based on Bonvoy apps availability due various reasons mentioned earlier.

While I personally wish the hotel to be more transparent about inventory, unfortunately due to business reason it will be next to impossible.

I agree that hotels should do their best to accommodate upgrades for the elites as per t&c after all elites have shown loyalty to the chain by manage to reach the said tiers with set amount of spend as well (Ambassadors)

Unfortunately not all hotels do this. Some manage to accommodate elites even on their busy period, and some manage to disappoint elites during their quiet period.

Honestly speaking, I prefer Marriott reduce their promise (upgrade to the best available room including suites etc etc) and provide elites with guarantee 1 or 2 category upgrades (tier dependent)and hotel need to compensate members if they failed to fulfill the guarantee (similar to IHG Ambassador I believe)
It will be easier to manage by forcing the non compliant hotels to provide monetary compensation and also reduce the elites expectation on check in.
Please be careful what you wish for. If a one or two category upgrade is required, hotels will be very resourceful about declaring every room to be a different category.Your upgrade will be one floor higher or even one room farther from the elevators and ice machine.
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Old Aug 4, 2019, 12:53 pm
  #52  
 
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Originally Posted by Toukolou
​​​​ I'm talking about standing in the lobby with the ability to book an upgraded room through the central Marriott booking site. Individual hotel reservation protocols with respect to upgrade pools and VIPs don't concern me, nor should they. The t&c say I'm entitled to an upgrade (however that's defined), if I can book an upgraded room in the lobby before I check in, then it ought to be given to me.
You've got how this works backwards. Hotels are in the business of selling rooms, not giving them away. If they can get full price for a room, they're going to do so. Thus, "upgrade" rooms are always available for sale until they're actually occupied.

Any hotelier worth their salt is going to be giving its best rooms to whom it perceives to be its best customers. This may be based on Bonbon status, BUT a smart hotelier's going to take care of their high-value customers irregardless of status. I've gotten the best room in a property as a lowly silver...why? My company had already booked 30+ nights in the two prior months and they knew we had many more planned. Taking good care of your best customers is just good business, no matter the industry.

Given the above, a room may definitely be available for sale upon check-in, but is already assigned to someone other than you as an upgrade. Nicer rooms are in limited supply. Not everyone can stay in the Presidential Suite each night. Someone's going to get upgraded, and others are going to get the room they paid for. This isn't the kindergarten playground -- the first person to reach the front desk to check in doesn't get the best room.

The only exception to this are the Starwood Suite Night upgrades, which function as paid reservations and convert the room from Available to Sold status 5 days out. I'm not sure on the back-end of this, but I'm pretty sure Marriott International financially compensates the property when these are used.
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Old Aug 4, 2019, 12:59 pm
  #53  
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Yes, and preupgrades can always be revoked at any time before check in if the room/suite is sold, regardless of whether they're shown on the reservation or not. They tend not to be taken out of inventory so that they can continue to be offered for sale, although it's not very common for a hotel to take back a preupgrade unless the elite is upgraded again to a yet better room/suite.
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Old Aug 4, 2019, 1:32 pm
  #54  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Please be careful what you wish for. If a one or two category upgrade is required, hotels will be very resourceful about declaring every room to be a different category.Your upgrade will be one floor higher or even one room farther from the elevators and ice machine.
Then we can see which hotel try to game the rules when checking their website.
If a hotel have :
Deluxe room low floor parking lot view
Deluxe room low floor ocean view
Deluxe room low floor courtyard view
Deluxe room mid floor ocean view
Deluxe room mid floor courtyard view
Deluxe room high floor ocean view
Deluxe room high floor courtyard view

And so on .... run for your life
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Old Aug 4, 2019, 1:38 pm
  #55  
 
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Originally Posted by Toukolou
​​​​

I don't understand the corporate apologists on this site. If the system is so convoluted as some of you suggest, then the onus ought to be on Marriott to make it clearer and not on me to blindly accept what I'm told. I've upheld my part of the deal in fulfilling the terms of my membership. I use my travel spend on Marriott properties. My fulfillment of the requirements for status are clear and qualifiable. The perks of this commitment ought to be equally transparent.
.
Agree with the bold part.

I believe Toukolou issue is : if the upgraded room was shown in the apps for booking for the entire stay during check in, the said room should be available for the elites as an upgrade.
Unfortunately its not what happen.

And I could say that its happen pretty often.

Honestly I can understand the frustration that comes out of this as Marriott themself promoting "upgrade to the best room available including select suite" feature on their Bonvoy promotional page.
And yet hotels sometimes seems failed to fulfill this .... either purely sold out (and not updating the online availability) or withholding the said room/suites for potential sales down the track.

Last edited by kaizen7; Aug 4, 2019 at 1:49 pm Reason: add more comments instead of post another post
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Old Aug 5, 2019, 12:01 am
  #56  
 
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Originally Posted by kaizen7
Then we can see which hotel try to game the rules when checking their website.
If a hotel have :
Deluxe room low floor parking lot view
Deluxe room low floor ocean view
Deluxe room low floor courtyard view
Deluxe room mid floor ocean view
Deluxe room mid floor courtyard view
Deluxe room high floor ocean view
Deluxe room high floor courtyard view

And so on .... run for your life
A hotel wouldn't ever do that... especially an SPG one, right? Oh wait...



At least I'm given the option of knowingly booking a room with a view of a brick wall / large industrial aircon with this arrangement. Previously, I'd have to book through Priceline/Hotwire to guarantee such a view.
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Old Aug 5, 2019, 1:12 am
  #57  
 
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Yes, and preupgrades can always be revoked at any time before check in if the room/suite is sold, regardless of whether they're shown on the reservation or not. They tend not to be taken out of inventory so that they can continue to be offered for sale, although it's not very common for a hotel to take back a preupgrade unless the elite is upgraded again to a yet better room/suite.
This happened to me last year at the W Taipei as an ambassador.

Booked a Wonderful room but at mobile check-in I had been pre-upgraded to a Fantastic Suite. When I showed up to physically pick up my key 3 hours later, I had been "downgraded" back to a Fabulous room.
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Old Aug 5, 2019, 11:01 am
  #58  
 
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To me the Marriott system is a joke. I am at about 60 nights in Marriotts this year without a single true upgrade other than maybe a corner room or some such nonsense. I don't want to beg every time I check in nor do I want to have to scour the Marriott website to determine what room upgrade I might qualify for. I just wanted to be treated like my 11 years of plat/tit loyalty mean something to someone. I don't feel it with Marriott. I had one year as Hyatt Diamond and I got one presidential suite and one very nice suite - both unexpected and without asking. More than I have received in 11 years with Marriott.
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Old Aug 5, 2019, 2:05 pm
  #59  
 
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Originally Posted by windowtothewall
This happened to me last year at the W Taipei as an ambassador.

Booked a Wonderful room but at mobile check-in I had been pre-upgraded to a Fantastic Suite. When I showed up to physically pick up my key 3 hours later, I had been "downgraded" back to a Fabulous room.
Imo, bad business practice. If they wish to keep the room available to a paying customer, they never ought to pre-confirm the upgrade. I'd screenshot this and make it an issue at check in. Just might score an even better upgrade.
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Old Aug 5, 2019, 3:06 pm
  #60  
 
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I think most of us would agree that the way properties do upgrades isn't the best, or isn't even in-line with the T&C's at times... Nothing which couldn't be addressed with some training from Marriott Corp.

That said, I'm reasonably pleased with the upgrades I've received over the past 12 months. Would I like more / better? Sure. At the same time, I've never received less than what I paid for. I'm a cheap SOB and you better believe I'm booking the lowest rate I can find, most of the time. Despite this, I've had many times this year where I've been upgraded to suites, including 2BR suites. At the very least, a larger room or view...and I'm just a lowly Gold, going to Plat this week.

That said, I'm also loyal to those properties (and staff) which take care of me. I make sure they know I appreciate them, and they let me know they appreciate my business. Being pleasant and polite goes a long way in the travel business. I've also received some niceties from the airlines, far greater than what my status should grant.
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