Horace

There's no disagreement there.

The issue is whether hotels should take Elite status — especially high-tier Elite status — into account when assigning rooms.

Let's suppose a hotel has 50 run-of-the-house and/or standard room check-ins on a given day. Some guests will be assigned to less desirable standard rooms; some will be assigned to more desirable standard rooms; and it's quite possible that some will be assigned to higher categories because it's common to oversell standard, run-of-the house rooms.

Of course, the easiest thing for the room assigner or front desk to do is just to assign rooms randomly. Everyone gets a room. Ideally, nobody needs to be walked.

Anyone who has been on this forum for any length of time has probably read stories of a high-tier Elite member and a non-status co-worker checking in at the same time at the same corporate rate for a standard room for the same number of days. The Elite member gets a small room next to the ice-maker, while the non-status co-worker gets a suite. (That happened to me at a DoubleTree many years ago, back when I had Hilton status and my co-worker didn't. It's one of quite a few things that soured my opinion of Hilton.)

It's not always as obvious as in the paragraph above. Usually, when I check in, it seems the hotel has taken my status into account. But other times, I've wondered if the hotel could really not have done better. Yes, I know some hotels have almost nothing but cookie-cutter rooms, but, even then, some rooms are clearly more desirable than others.

Marriott Bonvoy status should matter in the room assignment process.

MSPeconomist

bhrubin

We can hope in sold out scenarios that a hotel may be able to give an elite a slightly better room in a hotel category. But we are not in any way guaranteed that. We are not entitled to that. We booked a room category, and we get that room category. If we don't like or want to risk a bad room, we should book and pay for a better room category.

It's a sold out hotel. We get what we pay for.

Elite status helps a lot and quite often, but it doesn't and cannot guarantee anyone anything more than that. When we expect more in such scenarios, we are the problem.

This is noise around the fringe if ever I saw it.

Keyser

if there are two type of rooms at a particular property, one facing a wall & the other with a view of the ocean, then even at a sold out property i would expect the member with higher status to get the room with a view of the ocean....provided both guests booked the same room type....that's not entitlement....

bhrubin

I'd also expect a room with a good view to be a better room category than a room facing a wall.

So expecting an upgrade in a sold out situation there would be entitlement.

Keyser

expecting a better room than a non-bonvoy or lower tier member (when the same room type has been booked) would not be entitlement at all....

kaizen7

If the hotel list their room as follows :
Standard room huge industrial air conditioner external unit unit view $
Standard room ocean view $$
Then yes expecting ocean view is unfeasible in sold out situation.

But if the hotel just list :
Standard room $

I think its reasonable to assign elites watching the ocean instead of hotels own mighty air conditioning unit.

MSPeconomist

bhrubin

I think it is quite reasonable...in the make-believe universe where hotels don't have different room categories for elements like that. Come on, everyone: we all know better.

Naturally, none of that matters much when the hotel is sold out or close. Then all bets are off for obvious reasons. Of course, every hotel breaks down room categories for exactly the reasons everyone is imagining. so these wild theories are also wildly unrealistic.

Of course, this whole discussion of which better room we deserve within a category at a sold out hotel is nothing more than a distraction from the real issue of a Titanium guest feeling entitled to more despite the hotel being sold out.

escapefromphl

kaizen7

It more common that you think.
At Fairmont San Francisco, their Fairmont queen room have quite selections of view.
Some have nice view towards the courtyard and some have great view of air conditioning unit 1 m away (my cousin have the privilege of staying in this very room during their stays )

As for elites being assigned to an aircon view, sometimes FD just cant be bothered to juggling the available room and just assign the room randomly.
Also sometimes ... especially new FD might dont even remember which room facing what side of the building.

Handcake

I had a stay in Seoul, Korea this summer. First they greeted me as a plat rather than titanium member, and second was the room they gave me was right infront of some construction they were having in front of the hotel. I get to my room and see a crane and hear noise. Nope, not settling on that room. I went back down and asked for the duty manager. I said, as a titanium member I am a bit insulted they gave me the worst room in the hotel. Either they find me a room away from the construction, or book me out and refund me (I did a prepay rate) and I'll go to another Marriott. They asked if I could wait a few hours, I had an appointment and said sure. When I came back they had a suite for me. I wasn't expecting a suite. I was expecting a club level room of the same type I had booked, as that is the usual upgrade one gets in Asia.

I absolutely won't take a crappy room anymore. I am paying my hard earned cash for the room. I expect it to be quiet and comfortable. I don't expect a suite (most of the time they are a waste for me anyways) but I do like high floors if possible. I don't think that is too much to ask for as a titanium member.

Horace

The Marriott Bonvoy Terms & Conditions have two paragraphs about room upgrades. One is for Gold Elite. The other is for Platinum Elite and higher. I've pasted both into this post, adding some bold highlighting to identify key differences.

The differences are minor. Suite upgrades are only for Platinum Elite and above. At The Ritz-Carlton, suites upgrades are only for Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite.

According to the T&Cs, "Upgrades are subject to availability and are identified by each Participating Property." That basically means properties can do whatever they want.

There is nothing about higher Elite tiers having priority over lower Elite tiers. There is also nothing about any additional factors that a hotel might use to determine which arriving guests get upgrade, such as room rate, when the reservation was made, or points vs. cash.

One would hope that hotels take guests' Elite tiers into account — not just to determine who is eligible for suites, but also to prioritize upgrades. The T&Cs don't call for that, but a well-managed hotel should want to do give better upgrades to top tier guests.

Success in getting upgrades seem to be combination of the three main factors:

— The physical design of the hotel. A 1980s full-service hotel in an office park with 200 cookie-cutter rooms and one hospitality suite just isn't in position to provide meaningful upgrades, even if there is an "executive floor," "club floor," or "concierge floor." A hotel will a nice variety of room types and views can do much more.

— The culture of the hotel. Does management consider it to be good business to drive up yield by attracting and keeping Elite guests? Or does management consider Elite guests to be nuisances who have to given complimentary breakfast? Are the rooms assigners and front desk folks trained how to distribute upgrades, or are room assignments mostly random?

— Luck.

For Gold Elite Members:

iv. Complimentary Enhanced Room Upgrade for Gold Elite Members. This benefit is based on room availability at check-in and is limited to a Member's personal guestroom at no additional charge. Suite upgrades are excluded for Gold Elite Members. Enhanced rooms may include rooms with desirable views, rooms on high floors, corner rooms, rooms with special amenities, rooms on Executive Floors. At The Ritz-Carlton, rooms with direct Club access are excluded. Upgrades are subject to availability and identified by each Participating Property. The Complimentary Enhanced Room Upgrade for Gold Elite Members is available at all Participating Brands except Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Aloft, Element and Vistana properties.

For Platinum Elite Members and Above:

ii. Complimentary Enhanced Room Upgrade for Platinum Elite Members. Platinum Elite Members and above receive a complimentary upgrade to the best available room subject to availability for the entire length of stay at the time of check-in. Complimentary upgrade includes suites, rooms with desirable views, rooms on high floors, corner rooms, rooms with special amenities or rooms on Executive Floors. At The Ritz-Carlton, suites are only included for Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite Members and rooms with direct Club access are excluded. Enhanced Room Upgrades are subject to availability and are identified by each Participating Property. The Complimentary Enhanced Room Upgrade for Platinum Elite Members and above is available at all Participating Brands except at Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Aloft, Element and Vistana properties.

bhrubin

Thanks for laying it out! But I think you missed two of the biggest factors in getting upgrades:

(1) Occupancy. A sold out or very high occupancy hotel is much less likely to be able to upgrade one to a better room, let alone a suite. The hotel isn't going to upgrade an elite to even a better room category if there are other paying guests who actually booked those better room categories--which is all but certain when hotels are sold out or at near capacity.

(2) Suite number and proportions. A hotel with few suites proportionally isn't going to be able to upgrade one to a suite as easily as one with more suites proportionally. It's both about the absolute number of suites and the proportion of suites. Booking hotels with more suites as per both tends to allow for better chances for suite upgrades.

Most people ignore these to their own peril.

MSPeconomist