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Funny, I searched and searched the Marriott website for "block" or "preblock" and came up empty. And while I know the competitors preblock some guests, I am able to use my GUARANTEED upgrades in advance with both SPG and Hyatt. No cost, no fuss.

And I'm happy to buy all the cocktails you can handle anytime. But we'll stick to discussing airlines if that's ok. D

I believe you can use a 010 upgrade certificate to guarantee an upgrade (I'll have to ask the MarriottConcierge team from Marriott Rewards to chime in and validate if I'm correct that these certificates can be used on a non-redemption stay)

I'm a lowly Silver with Marriott, as most of my business goes to Hilton, so please forgive me for not knowing all of Marriott's terms and conditions. As a Silver am I eligible for an upgrade? Or better question, if I ask for an upgrade is there a chance one might be offered?

benefits for silvers are:

https://www.marriott.com/rewards/mem...fits/silver.mi

but if not provided, asking never hurts...............good luck.......

If you don't ask for it, you won't get it. If you ask for it, you might, so it doesn't hurt to ask.

most hotels will upgrade silvers automatically if there is space available but as occupancies continue to climb availability is becoming less and less available

He started his new job this week, so he might be busy.

Also, as someone noted up thread, there aren't that many questions being asked of him, just FTers arguing w/ each other ;)

Cheers.

Thanks OP for the info. Hope the new job is going well.

socrates is doing a pretty good job of filling in...

I'm going to have to call Ed French up again...my stock options/deferred stock comp from my employment at MI are looooong gone - time for some comp to come my way again I think (yes I'm kidding...just in a silly mood this afternoon...but seriously my options are gone so if anyone feels sorry for me I'm willing to accept donations :D)

Sorry for being inarticulate...

What I meant was if you didn't automatically get an UG you won't get one unless you ask, whether you are Silver, Gold or Plat.

Yes and no. I travel quite a bit for work - more than the average, but less than some of the 300-nighters I see here.

I certainly get tired of living out of a suitcase on one-night stays and waking up in a new time zone every day... but when it comes to vacations, being able to use the airline and hotel points for a better time than I would have had is invaluable. It's about balance...

For the record, the OP really initiated this whole debate when he said 'they only UG if the customer asked at check in'.

Which appears to be a property specific process. fdguy's 2nd to last post on this thread says it's what they do (March 30th). Next post is #87 on April 1st, which, I believe, is his last post (so probably working all week and not surfing the net), but there have been nearly 90 posts since his last post, FWIW.

That lead to to the obvious questions about UGs which were not responded to or somewhat resolved until socrates stepped in to provide some clarity.

If you are referring to Award upgrade certificates referenced at Room and Hotel Upgrades, then the answer is no. Per that webpage, "you cannot use upgrade rewards to upgrade a cash room".

(newbie question...)

1) how do you know if you were pre-blocked or not? Do you ask the front desk agent when you check in, or are there ways to find out online?

2) how do you ask for an upgrade tactfully? Can you just say "I am wondering if there are any upgrades available?" Do you have to specify "free" upgrade, or is that understood?

3) if you arrive at the hotel early and an upgrade is not available (at least for the moment), is it possible to tell the front desk that you are willing to check your luggage and wait for possible upgrades?

I must be unlucky. I've never been upgraded as a Silver or Platinum...

My next question is: what's the easiest way to get the email address of the hotel GM -- call the hotel directly?

the GSA's (desk staff) are trained on what to look for while checking a guest in - while it's possible they would mistakenly overlook status it should automatically happen and they should automatically assign a room (if one isn't already assigned) that is an upgrade if one is available

yes I was referring to those and good to know - thanks for posting the correct information

1) you can't - and honestly it doesn't really matter if you're blocked or not, what most here would like to know is if they are still in the same "room pool" or an upgraded type, if you have been upgraded the website will reflect the new room pool

2) exactly as you've typed it

3) yes but that doesn't increase your chances of obtaining an upgrade - hotels will typically "block the house" a few days in advance so they know their inventory very well by the day of arrival and know what is and isn't going to be available

Yes - but reservations will be able to provide you with a hotel email address to (sometimes it's the GM's email - other times it's not, just depends on which email the hotel decides to provide)

1.) Very often if you check your reservation on line at Marriott.com the day before and sometimes the day of arrival under room type it will show Concierge Level Room or Corner Room instead of King or Double if you have been upgraded.

2.) As I am being checked in I will ask what type of room they have me in and the location. If I am not happy with it, I will then ask if they have any upgrades available, such as, "Do have any rooms on the Concierge Level available?"

3.) Depending on the hotel, yes. Most FS Marriotts, RENs, and Resorts have a place to lock up your luggage. Some will even book you into the particular upgraded room and call your cell when it is ready.

Regards,

RIP...

Hello all!

This thread has gotten a lot of attention and a lot of discussion. It's neat to see.

I apologize for my absence - as others have noted...I started a new job this week and was without a personal computer until the end of the week. Hard to keep up at the business center!:D

I will be on and off tomorrow during the day to answer anymore questions. I don't really know what to say about the upgrades, except what people have said before. I will note that occasionally guests would e-mail our GM and he would forward it on the front desk management staff. These guests (often without status) would get all star treatment because the GM was aware of them and we did not want to disappoint/have the GM notice us in a negative way.

I know the members of FT are not a big fan of tipping for benefits (my apologies if I'm wrong), but there is something to be said of it. When my colleagues and I would receive a tip that we deemed too much (~$20) we would always give it back in other ways. Often we would ask for the keys back, upgrade the room to a suite, and give new keys. We would usually slip breakfast coupons in the key packet as well. Sometimes we'd send up champagne/chocolate strawberries. While this is not an optimal solution as everyone would like to receive this based on status alone, it is another option.

Good to know that tipping at the front desk works outside Las Vegas hotels. If a hotel room were several hundred dollars a night, wouldn't a $20 tip be a small tip, rather than "too much", but I guess it really depends on the property and its location.

I am surprised to read that "no status" guests who email the GM gets upgrade priority over PLT/GLD/SLV elite members. Having said that, in my experience, emailing GM or FOM of the hotel a few days in advance has given me better upgrades than responding to Virtual Concierge, which seems to be a "hit or miss" and often overlooked. I usually mention my elite status in the email so that they know I am a loyal Marriott guest.

I just want to say tipping for "benefits" as described above wouldn't get the guest in trouble but would be considered a theft by an employee and would be handled accordingly if uncovered

We wouldn't actively "sell" these benefits. We were allowed to accept tips and we were encouraged to make every guests stay more memorable in any way we deemed necessary.

It would be one thing to tell the guest you will give him a $60 upgrade for a $20 tip, but we did not do that. We did not solicit anything. It was simply a matter of fact that I felt weird accepting such a large tip (it rarely happened) and would usually try to give it back (my wage did not rely on tips). If the guest would not accept the tip back, I would then offer the upgrade, breakfast, etc.

seems like tipping at the front counter upon check in appears as bribery/desperation.
I cannot imagine a circumstance where a guest should pull their wallet out upon arrival and hand out a tip for service they have 'not yet' received.

This behavior would make me uncomfortable as the member taking this action and even more uncomfortable as a staff member accepting the tip/bribe.

I guess, to each his own, but I am amazed at the lengths some will go to just to get an upgrade.:( Personally, I feel uncomfortable even being placed in the position of having to ask for the upgrade when its suppose to be a benefit of the program (if available upon arrival) anyway.:(

What is the best way to discreetly tip the FD agent?

Justify that as you wish but I'm with socrates on this issue.

If a guest refused to take a "tip" back I'd put it in a donation box for Amnesty International or Médecins Sans Frontières.

Marriott email nomenclature is first name dot last name @ marriott.com (don't type dot & don't do the space between last name & marriott before/after the @!), so once you get the GM's name whether from hotel itself or MR line, you can email.

FWIW - I rarely email the GM; usually just for a 'special occasion', and even then I might or do do the upgrade request via virtual concierge rather than the GM. GM really only gets contacted if it's a special special occasion. However, that's just my philosophy.

+1 on all 3 above. And re: #3, often they'll let you wait in the exec lounge (if hotel has one) until your room is ready.

+1.

Cheers.

This Is Starting to Depress Me
 

Apparently I can no longer get an upgrade at Marriott without throwing a fit at check-in or making it rain twenties. Maybe I just want to call off the MR's to get back to Gold.

It does give me a greater appreciation for an old friend who quit being a front end manager years into the career because she got tired if being yelled at by elites every day.

I just submitted a form on the website, had the GM's email address within a couple of hours.

This is what happens to a lot of people. Most elites never even say thank you when they are informed that they have been upgraded. One could argue that they shouldn't need to say thank you because they are entitled to it, but still it is nice to hear. You hear about every little remotely negative thing when you work the front desk, but hardly hear any positives. It takes a toll.

The negative comments are the ones most easily remembered but I personally don't believe someone should thank me for doing what is expected and I have to say for every trying guest I've met over my career I've met a guest exactly opposite of this - there are many many wonderful folks both inside our industry and as guests, sure it can be trying at times but it can be equally rewarding

This just reinforces to me the importance of completing the guest surveys the brands all send out so your personal experience can be shared and recorded (these surveys do mean a lot even to he poor management teams out there, hotels can and have lost their brand affiliation over poor scores)

I rarely complain but my philosophy is if I'm willing to complain I'm willing to give credit & thanks when credit & thanks are due. FWIW - if I've been told I've been upgraded* I do say thanks, cool, much appreciated!! Primarily because I appreciate it, but because I want to reinforce good behavior.

* I don't usually say that on an upgrade to an exec level room (or just a minor thanks) because that's usually the minimum upgrade one can expect & I've got access to the exec lounge anyway, so whether I'm in exec level room or not is not that big a deal given a lot of exec rooms are about the same as normal rooms.

* I've got no problem saying thanks when someone upgrades me even though it might be expected (see above), and I don't think fdg was saying there are only negative memories, just the pleasant ones & thanks help offset the DYKWIA etc, and goodness knows as guests we've watched other guests be PITAs; can imagine FDCs see it more often.

Cheers.

In your experience for Marriott Travel Cards, did you only allow them to be used when people were only paying Rack RAtes??? It seems the T & C's Limit the use of them, but I have used them on AAA rates and Friends and family rates in the past without any problem.. Heading to Europe next week and have a few thousand worth of them and a bit worried I will have a problem with my AAA rate booked..

Thanks
FV

My point is most elites are actually some of the best guests out there, but then the most difficult I've worked with were platinums at the times too - it's dangerous to lump all elites into a single category

lol

Just wait. You have not seen anything yet. And yes....I've been saving up for ya......:p

LOL - I don't have many contacts left in Mr. Marriott's Office of Consumer Affairs these days but I'll be sure to put them on alert :)

Where and how does one contact the Virtual Concierge for individual hotel?

Thanks, fdguy for your kind help!