Through a series of circumstances I have gone from no status to gold and will be platinum by the end of the year. I have yet to stay at a Marriott since obtaining gold status but have read the rules about upgrades. I wondered if there are practical things I should do in addition to just showing up.

Should I call ahead or ask about the upgrade when I check in. I would assume from the information on the program I just check in get me the room I should be entitled to. Do I need to do more or is everything pretty automatic?

If I need to do more what is a good approach?

Thanks

A lot depends on the Marriott chain you are staying in. In general, at non-FS hotels like RIs and CYs, I'm never upgraded by default. (Note that RI upgrades actually aren't a guaranteed elite benefit anyway.) But at CYs I've found that asking when I check-in about a suite upgrade, will quite often get me one if they have one available. (My last two stays in Overland Park was at a CY there and after asking, I was upgraded to a King Suite both times.) For RIs, I call MR to make my reservations and ask the agent if they will call the hotel to see if they will give me a complimentary upgrade. That has worked fairly well for me as well.

At FS hotels, if it is more of a business hotel, about the best you are going to do is a CL room, which given you already have CL access isn't much. But note that most FS Business oriented Mariotts don't tend to have much to upgrade persons to anyway. But if I'm staying at a Resort and would like to try for an upgrade, I will call MR to get the GM's email address. I'll send the GM a nice email letting her/him know that I'll be coming (usually with my family) and while not guaranteed, would appreciate any upgrades or other extra benefits they can offer. Quite often I will get some type of upgrade out of that (i.e. ocean front, corner, balcony, etc.)

If you don't ask? You might still get some type of upgrade. But I have found that taking a proactive stance can get me a much better upgrade (quite often beyond what a normal elite upgrade should be.) ^

I've taken a karma approach to the whole thing. If I'm traveling by myself, I'll usually just show up and see what they've got for me. If it appears I've got a regular room on a mid floor I'll politely ask if they have anything closer to the lounge.

I save my "upgrade karma" for stays with the family, where the extra space of suite actually makes a bigger difference. In that case, I'll often call ahead or e-mail the Virtual Concierge to explain the situation and politely ask for a better-than-required upgrade.

This almost always works, so I don't abuse the technique. I could just see a bunch of GM's meeting up at annual convention or something, comparing notes and realizing that some guy contacts every hotel he stays in, every time, with a sob story about how badly he needs an upgrade. Somehow I expect such a troublesome customer would be "red flagged" in their computer system and the appeals would suddenly fall on deaf ears!

i find that simply placing a note on the reservation when i book it online saying something like, "request gold/platinum elite upgrade to XXX room type" usually works even at Fairfield Inns, Residence Inns and even TownePlace Suites.

I find that politely asking is the best approach. My experience differs however from hhoop. I find that even at business hotels, conventions hotels, etc, they usually have suites that you can be upgraded to.

Your post asks about " rooms you are entitled to" as a person with status - in those circumstances, I have found the process to be fairly automated, esp as a Plat. If that is truly your question, no action needed, just show up. I rarely have problems.

The other responses are for gaining upgrades above and beyond what you're entitled to or have booked. In that case, any / all of the methods outlined can work. Asking nicely and making it clear you realize it is an " extra " is most important IMO. I would add one thing - I always call after receiving the upgrade (or whatever) and thank the person involved. Truly above and beyond merits a letter to Marriott CS.

I am in the DJ_iceman camp - on my own, I do not care, but for family / special occasions I tend to request. And Kudos to Marriott, they have never let me down. ^

I also follow the DJ_iceman approach. Karma seems to work well for me.

The only difference is that I either call or write a personal letter to the GM if I really want/need an upgrade. To me, email and VC requests are too impersonal. YMMV.

Most of the time, an upgrade means a room on the CL floor. IME, these are exactly like the rooms on other floors, with maybe a few extra amenities (e.g. iHome alarm clock). I usually don't bother asking for an upgrade and almost always end up with a CL floor room.

The other thing to keep in mind is the shorter your stay, the better your odds of getting an upgrade beyond a exec level room. Most properties don't want to tie up a suite or ocean view or (fill in the blank) room for a long period of time on an upgrade, as it limits their ability to sell it.

Cheers.