"Upgrades" are an illusion used by hotel marketing teams.

Let's take a look at what Marriott actually says:

From the Titanium Elite Exclusive Benefits marketing page at https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/mem...ts/titanium.mi :

Enhanced Room Upgrade
We’ll do our best to upgrade your room (including Select Suites), based on availability upon arrival. Upgrades are subject to availability identified by each hotel and limited to your personal guest room. Terms and conditions apply.

From the Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions at https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/terms/default.mi#elite :

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 on the day of arrival, for the entire length of stay. Complimentary upgrade includes suites, rooms with desirable views, rooms on high floors, corner rooms, rooms with special amenities or rooms on Executive Floors.

Neither one says that if a hotel still has any suite for sale when a Titanium Elite member checks in, the hotel must give it to that member, even if the member only booked the cheapest category, whether with cash of points.

Properties should make a genuine effort to upgrade Marriott Bonvoy elite members. In my experience, they do. This spring, I stayed at six Marriott Bonvoy properties. All of them upgraded me at least one category. My only suite was due to using SNAs. But the other five hotels all provided a higher category (more expensive) room, along with all the other Titanium Elite benefits.

Just left westin munich after 1 night stay - suites were available (both Jr and 1 br) but front desk flat out refused to upgrade saying nothing available for upgrades....
Par for the vourse at many marriott properties these days so I adjust my spending accordingly... ymmv of course

In previous years upgrades were hit-or-miss for me as a Plat, usually miss. BUT, I will say in 2023 that many of my stays have been upgraded, and I appreciate it. Sometimes when I booked what were obviously mistake rates, the hotel still took care of me and upgraded me, and I returned the favor by taking care of staff when I could.

Upgrades are part of the price of becoming part of a chain with an international pool of customers who choose to book your property because of that affiliation. You need to honour your end of the bargain.

You're absolutely right. I don't care how much it costs the hotel. I don't care even a little. I made an agreement with Marriott to say a certain number of nights and in return, I get certain amenities that increase my travel dollars' ROI. I upheld my end of the bargain and I expect Marriott hotels to uphold theirs Period. Anything else is simply deceptive. I do not require a hotel to go above and beyond its contractual obligations as a member of the Marriott portfolio of hotels. Being a Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton whatever drives business to the hotel. They have made the business decision that the additional revenue being a part of the Marriott portfolio is greater than the costs. That was the business decision. As a result, I, and others, stayed at their hotel because they are a Marriott hotel. The hotel cannot have it both ways. It cannot avail itself of the additional revenue from being a Marriott, but then not provide the benefits to the guests. Should the hotel decide that the business decision was in error, the hotel is free to leave the Marriott portfolio at a time and manner as set forth in the franchise contract.

But no. I spent my money at Marriott hotels and I expect them to honor the agreement. How much it costs them to provide the agreed upon services is not my concern, any more than I care about the costs to produce goods and services. That is something the merchant needs to figure out, not me.

Thank you claref, couldn't have said it better!

Perfectly said!

It's basically gotten to the point where I never expect a suite upgrade unless I use a SNA (and it clears).

Also, as a Plat I am well aware that on any given night there could well be a dozen or more Titaniums and AMBs staying at the property as well. (We had some discussion a few months ago of properties that post how many elites at each level are checking in on a particular night, and the numbers at some properties were very, very high.)

Elites have fulfilled their part of the deal by staying x number of night and spend certain number of dollar at the chain.
Its the time the chain (and their affiliate hotels) to fulfill their end of the bargain by providing what those elites entitled to.

Hotel cannot just expect to receive the benefit of being part of a brand with loyalty program (extra reservation from that channel) and yet refuse to provide the elite benefit.

Obviously Bonvoy try to side with their valued customers by making the T&C wording looks great by claiming elites get upgraded to the best available room/suites and then straight away make the said promise meaningless by giving the hotel full control with upgrade pool.

Hotel can have all room/suite available and refuse to upgrade elites and Bonvoy will plug their ears (and cover their eyes)

Easy solution for hotels who refuse to honor elite benefit will be deflag and go independent.
With that, they no longer bound to provide any elite benefit to anyone.

The red part, is the great promise from Bonvoy. Best available room/suite.

And yet the green part basically give blank cheque to the hotel to do whatever they want.

Hotels that value elites will do their best to provide the said upgrade, and hotels that feel elites are liabilities will use the green part to not provide any upgrade at all by exclude all their room from upgrade pool.

Yes, I agree. Without a documented definition in the T&Cs of what "available" really means, the phrase "best available room/suite" is meaningless. In fact, it's worse than meaningless because it leads to an expectation that any elite member with a reservation for the cheapest room should feel entitled to the best suite that's still for sale on Marriott.com.

I've been on this forum for many years. I've found it interesting that some forum participants claim they are never upgraded, while others claim they are almost always upgraded. Some of this is undoubtedly due to what brands and specific hotels someone books, and some of this might be due to what someone's elite level is. But I think it's largely a matter of how someone defines an upgrade. Some people consider getting a better room that they're paying for to be an upgrade, while others consider anything less than the two-room suite not to be an upgrade.

Well-run hotels upgrade elite guests in advance. Consider a hypothetical hotel with four room categories:
— Deluxe (basic)
— Superior (bigger room than basic)
— Junior Suite (bigger than superior, with a nice sitting area)
— Executive Suite (actual suite with a separate living room and bedroom)

It's time to to assign rooms. The hotel is almost fully booked, but there's an executive suite available for an upgrade. Should the room assigners just put the first Platinum Elite member that they come across with a Deluxe (basic) booking into the Executive Suite? Or should someone with a Junior Suite booking be moved up, so that someone with a Superior booking can be moved up, so that someone with a Deluxe booking can be moved up? I think the latter is better -- even if it means I'm not getting an Executive Suite with my credit card FNA booking or my cheap cash rate booking for the most basic room category.

This is exactly what they want, though, and the T&C is worded in such a way that allows for it. That (probably) is not unintentional.

It's been said many times, in countless posts across FT, but Marriott's customers are not the guests. It's the franchisees. For every member that leaves the program because they are tired of the way things are, countless more fill the space left behind them, fresh and ready to experience being bonVOYed themselves before the cycle repeats.

The only guests that matter to Marriott are the Ambassadors because on average they spend 67x more than a basic member, and almost 3x more than Titanium.
​​​​​​

I know of a few Ambassador-level travelers who would disagree with you on Marriott caring about them.

I only meant that some rules bend and some doors open for Ambassadors that otherwise would not. "Marriott cares" was a stretch, I'll agree.