Maui- 2 ocean front rooms pre-blocked for a PP but still for sale (I assume they are always for sale until someone's butt is in the room)

G/P member checks in at 4 pm- "I want an upgrade!" FD- "Sorry there are none available" G/P member pulls out mobile phone- "Yes there are- I see them right here!" FD- "Oh, alright, here you go"

Next day- PP member on FT- "I arrived in Maui at 11:30 pm last night after a grueling all day trip and all they gave me was this crummy resort view room"

G/P member on FT- "Can you believe they tried to cheat me out of this ocean front room when it was right there for sale!"

I understand what you're saying but;
1. In your scenario, what's wrong with openness? Why doesn't the hypothetical fd clerk tell the g/p that there is an upgrade that's already been allocated to a PP, who is not scheduled to arrive till later unless the room is sold prior to his/her arrival? I think most of us, upon given a reasonable explanation, are accepting. But upon being given no explanation or a false one, are dubious and, maybe, disgruntled.
2. I also note that there is no stated benefit that would give PP's any priority over P's for an upgrade. The benefits of PP have long been few and are now fewer.

Don't forget this is FT you're posting on...

I think the G/P seeing the upgraded room for sale negates the "allocated to PP" argument. That G/P is also likely to say, "Who gets it if the PP doesn't show up/gets hit by The Bus/etc?" I'm all for the FC/FS policy.

It is so much easier on an airplane. If someone doesn't show up for FC it is very easy to move the next person on the upgrade list to FC from coach if they've already boarded. Once someone is in a hotel room you aren't going to call them and move them somewhere else- there's a real cost (they have to clean the room now)/hassle factor there.

FC/FS just doesn't feel quite right to me. Circumstances beyond the guest's control will often lead to later arrival times. I suspect what feels right is going to depend a lot on which person you are in my scenario though!

Unlike the property where fdguy works, I usually get pre-upgraded. If you look at your reservation details the evening before, you will see what room type they have blocked you in. If I have to ask at the desk, an upgraded room is probably not available. I generally get the CL rooms at a FS property about 70% of the time.

OU812's experience is definitely in bad form. If they pre-block the upgrade and it is taken away, that leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the guest. "Guest recovery" is definitely appropriate in this circumstance (and it sounds like the property made an attempt in OU812's case).

Hint: If you get pre-blocked for an upgrade, print out the reservation details before arriving at the property.

All it says is:

Free Room Upgrade: Club Level and Suites not included. Based on room availability at check-in and limited to a Member's personal guestroom.

You'd have to define availability. If a room is pre-blocked that might not make it available. One of the insiders would have to clarify what that actually means. I'd think that if you are pre-blocked (i.e. the day before or earlier, which I have) it would become a much bigger customer service issue than telling someone there is not a room available for them.

FWIW, I've spoke to a few GM's about how they handle UG's for PP's and most of them have said they should be taken care of up front and not left to the randomness of other P/G arrivals.

Last time I checked my reservations and cancellation penalties if I don't show up by 6pm, so other than people checking in between 3-6 the risk to the hotel on holding rooms is minimal. It would be interesting to know how many same day cancellations occur after 3pm, I'd guess they are less frequent than the number of PP's in the program.

Of course this debate all depends on your level in MR, Gold's want FC/FS, PP's want pre-blocked status based.

I'd suggest that if a PP calls the PP line and calls the hotel, the odds of the hotel giving away a pre-blocked room or using FC/FS to knock them out of a potential UG is going to be less than 10%, IMO.

That being said, I don't give a darn if the UG is the same room just with a view. My UG success is measured by how many suites I'm given, which is not covered by FC/FS as it is essentially an unpublished benefit.

And don't forget there are some G/P/PPs, myself included, who think a suite just for me is a waste of space.

Yes, and the header of that is "Additional Gold and Platinum Membership Benefits".

Again, I am on board with Plats and PPs getting some kind of priority but that's not the way the rules that Marriott is advertising. They put Gold and Platinum benefits in the same paragraph with the only caveat "available at check in". No one made them do it. They clearly could have added another line giving Plats priority, but they didn't.

Believe it or not, I do too. But they should petition Marriott to change the rule (just as we here at Ft do), not make up their own.

Not in all cases. Like most FTers, I know the rules and plan my loyalty accordingly. I'm currently Gold but have been Plat for many years as well. I'm ok with anyone who has earned an upgrade and arrives at a hotel that has one available getting it. Maybe that's not universally true but I'm ok playing by the rules of the program regardless of my status.

I learned very early in my traveling career to not worry and stress out about upgrades. If they came, they came (and they did pretty often including some nice Presidential Suites). That way, I always felt great when I got them. And, didn't have to worry about hassling or arguing about them.

To be honest, I could care less about upgrades while I'm on the road working. However, when I travel with my better half, I do care and hope that I can score a free upgrade because of my loyalty. But, believe me, if an upgrade is paramount, I just book Hyatt and use my guaranteed upgrade in advance.

The threads authored by insiders are often the most useful on flyertalk. However I still haven't seen answers to my top 4 questions:

(1) How do I get a decent room blocked for late arrival?
(2) How do I maximize chances of getting a great upgrade/suite?
(3) How do I minimize the chance of getting walked when I show up at midnight?
(4) Is there much of a difference between gold and plat status in terms of treatment?

What is the best way to get a good room blocked for late arrival? I almost always arrive after 3pm and sometimes 7-11pm and my #1 pet peeve is getting a crappy room. It happens all too frequently at every chain, regardless of status. Regardless of what notes I put in the reservation. It's a rare occasion when I am not marching back to the front desk for another room unless they've actually shown me the location on the map.

I don't want a pre-blocked room next to the elevator or ice machine, or on a low floor. Or one with a connecting door and a noisy neighbor. And preferably not over an air conditioning duct or facing a wall.

So IMO the best advice you could give (besides providing the optimal checkin time) is what can we do to guarantee a decent room. Not a suite, not even a view, but one that is not a dog. Is there anything that can be done in advance of arrival (besides having gold/plat status)?

As a practical matter what does that mean? Should we all show up to checkin at 8am? What happens to the guy who shows up at 6pm? Is he SOL because you've given away all the upgrades? I mean seriously we know Marriott doesn't guarantee upgrades so it would be helpful to know how best to get one. Should we email the reservations manager? concierge? GM? Call the hotel? How far in advance?

As silver I've gotten nice upgrades to Exec rooms and even 1BR suites. As Plat I've been pre-blocked into lesser rooms at the same property. I've seen more upgrades when checking in after 7pm, usually for 1 night stays. However I've also arrived late and been told that the hotel is sold out and the crap room is all that's left. It all seems completely random based on availability upon arrival. But savvy FTers don't like random - we value predictability, consistency, excellence and maximizing our odds.

Last but not least, what can we do to avoid getting walked when we know we are arriving late (sometimes after midnight)? Does Gold/Silver help? What about the rate? Does it help to call the hotel early in the day? Because trust me, the worst thing you can ever do is to walk me when I show up dead tired at 1am and have an 8am meeting the next morning.

That's actually a criminal violation in some states. You should refer your former colleagues to a labour lawyer. You can fire someone for making a mistake, but you cannot refuse to pay wages.

The gift cards take so long that it is a huge hassle as I never have time to loiter at departure. Maybe next time I will have them pre-charge my card at checkin while I am settling into my room. @:-)

Again, define what 'available' means? Rooms not sold? Rooms that key's have not been given out for?

Pre-upgrading people would make no sense if 'available' means every unsold room is up for grabs until the guest arrives at the hotel. It would also potentially create a logistical nightmare for the hotel if they blocked rooms for the day and suddenly had to start bumping people at 3pm.

So tell me what Marriott's definition of 'available' means and then the rules can be applied.

Call me crazy but a room that is not occupied would seem to me to be "available". (or if you prefer, any room that a key has not been given out for)

Your angling for an upgrade is skewing your logic. A room that is presently unoccupied but earmarked for another purpose is unavailable. A table at a restaurant waiting for the people who called a month ahead of time to reserve the specific table is unavailable if it is empty fifteen minutes before that, but has been promised in the reservation. The haircut appointment at 3:00 is unavailable, even if it's 2:55 and the person with the appointment at 3:00 is not yet there. If I'm making a cake tonight, there are two eggs in the fridge and I've put a note on the carton that states, "Don't eat - need for cake tonight" those eggs are unavailable to anyone else.

The rule isn't you can have the room if it's unoccupied. The rule allows you the room if it's available. If MI meant the former, the rule would have been written that way.

Under your logic, a person in a wheelchair could make a reservation for a handicapable room, but if someone shows up before the person checks in, lose the room.

Under this logic, a family could have connecting rooms blocked, but get to the hotel and find out their rooms are on different floors. (Granted, that's always a risk, but c'mon.)

Under this logic, requests for a feather-free room, a room with a crib, a non-first floor room, a room away from the ice machine, etc., would be unblockable. Taking this to the next step, business travelers who often check in late, but check in often, would leave the hotel in droves if these types of requests aren't honored.

I'm sorry, but making a lowly Gold who gets to the hotel at five happy at the expense of the Ps and PPs who are checking in later is foolish. Businesses take care of their best customers first. I rarely get, ask for or even care about upgrades, so this isn't really my issue, but it's very clear that rewarding the most frequent and profitable guests makes sense.

1) Be specific in your requests (high floor, away from elevator etc)
2) Be loyal
3) Be sure your elite number is in your reservation
4) actually there is very little difference in the treatment between any guests (all hotels strive to treat all guests exceptionally well) - the main difference is the benefits that go along with your status