Originally Posted by Keyser (Post 32088640)

its not just with marriott....even with spg we had the option to chose what type of suite we wanted to attach the sna to....the difference now is that all properties with spg gave you the option to upgrade to a suite....a real suite....with marriot now there are tons of properties that don't give you the option to upgrade to a suite but only to a slightly better room....

i'll give you an example....i have a stay coming up next week where i've booked a king room....the upgrade options this property gives me is:

2 queen bedded room....
1 king bed high floor....
2 queen bedded high floor....
1 king bed executive room....
2 queen bed executive room....

there is no option to select a suite even though this property has junior suites, executive suites & other specialty suites....

the option is still up to us....but if the suite is not available in the upgrade pool then there is no way to attach the sna to it....

Originally Posted by freed0m (Post 32088688)

So nothing lost from SPG point of view? Only can not extend to Marriott properties?

Maybe Marriott can't force suite upgrade to Marriott properties because in the old contracts, SNA does not exist?

Originally Posted by EuropeanPete (Post 32088715)

Marriott changed the T&Cs so that "Suite Night Awards" no longer refer to Suites, but are instead rooms above base rooms. Increasingly I'm seeing ex-legacy SPG hotels remove all their suite availability now that it's not an expected part of the system. I'd say you see fewer and fewer suite nights in Sheratons, Westins etc (luckily I'm not so interested) as well as in St Regis properties, but the Luxury Collections seem to be holding up much better. I generally don't bother trying with luxury legacy Marriott hotels any more - I don't think that I've ever seen an actual suite available in an SNA pool.

I don't see myself getting to 75 nights with Marriott any more unless I'm somewhere with no other options, so I am likely to only have max 5 from now on which I'll simply use at the Gritti and the Imperial.

Originally Posted by freed0m (Post 32088688)

So nothing lost from SPG point of view? Only can not extend to Marriott properties?

Maybe Marriott can't force suite upgrade to Marriott properties because in the old contracts, SNA does not exist?

Originally Posted by nexusCFX (Post 32087720)

What @yyzflyer is saying is that the property still chooses what's in the SNA pool, so they can choose to not even put any real suites in the SNA pool which is becoming a frequent occurrence, along with many hotels simply pulling out of SNAs altogether.

In that case, your theoretical property might ONLY offer something like a corner room for SNAs, even though the room categories are like the following:
Standard room < View Room < Corner Room < Jr Suite < Jr Suite w/ Sofa Bed < 1 Bedroom Suite < 1 Bedroom view suite.

Just because there are many higher categories doesn't mean the property makes them available for SNAs. Some might only expose one type of suite, another might expose no suites at all.

Originally Posted by Keyser (Post 32088640)

its not just with marriott....even with spg we had the option to chose what type of suite we wanted to attach the sna to....the difference now is that all properties with spg gave you the option to upgrade to a suite....a real suite....with marriot now there are tons of properties that don't give you the option to upgrade to a suite but only to a slightly better room....

i'll give you an example....i have a stay coming up next week where i've booked a king room....the upgrade options this property gives me is:

2 queen bedded room....
1 king bed high floor....
2 queen bedded high floor....
1 king bed executive room....
2 queen bed executive room....

there is no option to select a suite even though this property has junior suites, executive suites & other specialty suites....

the option is still up to us....but if the suite is not available in the upgrade pool then there is no way to attach the sna to it....

Originally Posted by stant (Post 32090025)

I was ambassador level for a few years before the switch - I never knew you could limit the types of rooms a SNA was applied to. I guess my point was only that with this functionality it is in your power to keep the hotel from using those SNAs on a sub-par upgrade. No that doesnt mean they will give you the room you want, even in the SPG days I knew of some properties that would never upgrade to suites. Heck, sometimes you would get pushback at non resort non convention center hotels about a 4pm checkout. The rules may be rules, but ultimately it's up to the property to follow them of not. My ambassador wasnt going to fly up from austin and guard my door till 4pm to ensure late checkout.

Originally Posted by Keyser (Post 32090193)

each property can decide what rooms & suites to put in the upgrade pool....in the spg days, all properties that participated in the sna program would put a few suites in the sna upgrade pool....these were genuine suites, not just enhanced rooms like higher floor or club rooms....

the power has always been with us to keep the hotel from upgrading to a room type we didn't want when using a sna....but when the properties stop including suites in the sna upgrade pool then we simply don't have an option to use a sna to get a suite....

everything was not perfect with spg, but it was much better than what it is now with marriott....

Originally Posted by stant (Post 32091240)

no there were properties in the spg days that didnt upgrade to suites. and my 130 or so nights a year self has yet to find any new properties that dont upgrade to suites now that it's bonvoy not spg...

just sayin...