DOH! Good point. I forgot about them because their lifetime status is pretty much unattainable in my world.

Marriott has changed the upgrade language to eliminate the exclusion of suites and to remove language that seemed to limit upgrades to one room category. In other words, suites are now part of the upgrade program. https://www.marriott.com/rewards/mem...ts/platinum.mi

Thanks for the heads up.

Of course there is still plenty of wiggle room from the wording found at your link:

Details from terms and conditions:

For participating Ritz-Carlton hotels:

I read this as not much changing. Hotels can still withhold suites under this wording if they have identified them as potential sales.

Personally I will patronize properties I have been given good upgrades, or identified from posts here on FT as giving good upgrades (if I have not stayed there). My days of whining about upgrades at check-in ended about 10-12 years ago after my first year or two of being Plat. I kind of feel the same about the boring Costco appetizers and cold eggs served in NA EL/CL. Not worth the energy to complain about.

But the language is flat-out changed. The before language explicitly excluded suites. That exclusion has been completely eliminated. A fair reading of the new language (new as of 6/2012) would indicate that suites are treated essentially the same as other rooms for purposes of upgrades. Additionally, note that language that had appeared in certain previous iterations of the upgrade policy to the effect that upgrades were limited to one room category has also been eliminated.

That's not to say that properties that don't want to provide suites upgrades don't have all the wiggle-room they need. They absolutely do. But to the extent that some managers pointed to the exclusion of suites from the rules as their "wiggle-room", this has been eliminated.

I posted here, above, because for whatever reason FTer's have ignored this change in the rules or, for whatever reason, have missed a number of posts in various threads over the past six months as to the change in the wording of the rules.

Yes, it is nice that this wording was removed. It wasn't there long, and from various posts here and on MR insider this wording was denounced and I believe Michelle said they would look into it and correct the wording. Sounds like they did even though it took them a few months to get around to it.

Now if they can just fix their crappy web site that they have been "enhancing" over the past couple years.

I look forward to reading all the rants from Gold or Plats checking in and having searched room inventory and complaining that they didn't get the suite that showed up as available on the hotel's web site. LOL.

FYI: michellel's post with announcement is here. Look at June 7, 2012 post. http://www.rewards-insiders.marriott.com/message/51443

The problem as I see it is, that until MR makes it through all their references and makes the appropriate changes, or removes the outdated T&Cs, the properties can rightfully still quote them and follow them. As late as yesterday their page listing the benefits still states upgrades are limited to one category of room type. So properties that have more than two room types can still limit upgrades.

You didn't post a link, so I don't know to what you refer. Here, however, is a link to a current page describing benefits (which, AFAIK, hasn't been changed in the past few months. https://www.marriott.com/rewards/mem...ts/platinum.mi
In any case you can refer to "michellel's" statement as linked above. As I posted elsewhere, she is the Marriott executive in charge of Marriott Rewards elite benefits, or at least has identified herself as such. You will also note at that linked page an exchange of comments with her in which I try to pin her down as to what the upgrade language had been. Her posting as to the new (June 2012) language then appears.
However, there is no question that a property that doesn't want to give a suite upgrade or any other kind of real room upgrade will be able to maneuver around, through, and above, the language, as they always have been able to. Each person when faced with such a situation will have to decide for themselves whether it is worth the hassle to contest whatever "fait accompli" they are presented with.

This come from Marriott.com where they state the Marriott Rewards program benefits.
Expecting members to scour all internet pages and then trying to reconcile which ones are current/correct does not work. If they want to make a policy change they must change conflicting pages. Properties can quote the pages they wish and members are left in the lurch. MR has moved to improve this by taking their social network activity to their own website (Marriott Insiders) where they can (and have) deleted things they don't like being discussed and have pretty much abandoned FT, an independent site that offers free communications with it's members.

I didn't feel it was necessary to repeat the quote from http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/20211874-post18.html that you had already responded to.

Thinks for the link. According to michellel, she was going to see to it that the language was standardized across all media and platforms. Doesn't look like it happened.

... or even started. This was only three clicks off www.marriott.com discussing member benefits. Although it is a footnote. I can only imagine how many references exist deeper down in the MR webpages.

Remember, Michele was the one telling us BOGOs would be back very shortly. She obviously does not (or at least did not) make policy at MR and can only go by what she's told. I'd suggest upping the grains of salt.

You said:T&C are not outdated. But the copy found at the link to the marketing fluff you posted is outdated, hopefully they will pull it soon.
The link you posted is not the T&C. I posted the relevant text form the T&C in my earlier post. T&C can be found here which are up to date and in sync with what ohmark posted on this subject.

Hi all, I know this answer must be out here somewhere...but I cant seem to find it.

Ive booked an award stay in a regular room in a JW Marriott as a Gold. Will I get automatic Club access?

yes, presuming the club is open during your visit (some are closed on weekends)

got it. great, thanks. they're selling club for the wknd, so it seems to be open.