I guess I can always ask during check-in. However, is it possible to do this in advance? Call them the day before? What are your recommendations?

Upon check in is your best option as they will have an accurate count of rooms that are occupied and their expected reservations for the days you are staying.

You can all request an upgrade in the virtual concierge link provided in your reservation confirmation.

Upgrades are usually based on occupancy and vary a lot from property to property. I will often use Virtual Concierge, but sometime email the GM or Front Desk Manager a few days in advance for properties I have stayed at before. I think upgrades work best when you've established a relationship with a specific hotel with prior stays. Some properties seem to know that you have been there before whereas others don't even notice, especially if they are a large conference hotel.

I've never felt right e-mailing a GM asking for an upgrade, considering how much they have to deal with. Like what was said before, inventory should be known upon arrival. I find that I often get pre-upgraded sometimes as much as a week in advance. These upgrades are generally Main Tower Rooms or preferred rooms, they never suites.

I always found asking at check in to be better than at check out

Getting an upgrade will depend on your status, the length of your stay and the hotel's occupancy level during your stay.

What constitutes an upgrade is open to the interpretation of the hotel. Some hotels are better than others regarding upgrades. If an upgrade is really important to you, book the room you want. If you can't do that, any upgrade will depend on a lot of factors.

Waiting until check-in may make your upgrade subject to the whims of the Front Desk Clerk. Some are lazy and will tell you there is nothing available without even checking. Other FDCs respond better if you slip them $20, $50 or even $100 to secure an upgrade.

I have had mixed success requesting an upgrade through the virtual concierge. Sometimes all my requests through virtual concierge are ignored and other times I receive an upgrade in advance.

If it is a special occasion, I recommend contacting the GM directly. Introduce yourself, explain the special occasion, and that you appreciate anything the GM can do with regards to an upgrade to help you and your spouse/friends/family celebrate the occasion. Do not be demanding and most of all with Marriott, do not expect to get anything more than what you paid for.


Regards,

RIP...

Full service hotels will usually pre-block the upgrade the afternoon before your day of arrival. You can check your reservation details on marriott.com to see if they have done so or not.

If not, I have had the best luck calling the hotel mid-day the day of arrival and speaking with the front desk (not GM). I let them know I'll be arriving that evening and if any upgraded rooms are available. They can block you in then.

And when doing the above, I would expect to get the standard "I will note that request for you" because, as they have been trained, they need to look at many of the above mentioned factors and wont want to commit to anything at that point.

But it never hurts to ask. I have been Platinum for many years and have found they wont give you the good rooms, not even upgrades, by default. This week, I was placed on the bottom floor (4) of a 26 floor hotel in downtown Chicago. I checked in at 930pm. Outside of my room window was a parking garage, that went up several levels so you couldnt even see sky. There were also dumpsters for a nearby restaurant, and today was garbage day...at 4am.

This will definitely be my last stay in this property, they also hosed me on a platinum arrival gift guarantee on my last stay. Marriott corporate backed them too, stating that the local management could overule this guarantee. Im done there.

I find this to be the best solution as it gives me peace of mind and would prefer to reward those hotels that do go above and beyond.

Which property?

Cheers.

Lets see...

• Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile has 46 floors.
• Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel has 27 floors.
• SpringHill Suites Chicago Downtown/River North has 27 floors.
• Residence Inn Chicago Downtown/River North (same building as SpringHill Suites Chicago Downtown/River North) has 27 floors.
• Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel has 23 floors.
• Courtyard Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile has 23 floors.
• Fairfield Inn & Suites Chicago Downtown/River North has 19 floors.
• Residence Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile has 19 floors.
• Courtyard Chicago Downtown/River North has 15 floors.
• Fairfield Inn & Suites Chicago Downtown has 15 floors.
• JW Marriott Chicago has 12 floors.

I'm going to guess that it was the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel. Am I right?

Back to topic...

As a Platinum member for several years now, I feel I've received decent upgrades.

In addition to overall availability and how many other Elite guests are staying at the hotel, success also depends on the configuration of the hotel. Some full-service properties were designed with larger corner rooms, executive rooms, or parlor suites. Others just have hundreds of identical rooms, with even the concierge floor rooms indistinguishable from standard rooms.

Wow Horace! Thats some good intel there! On a side note, and speaking about floors of hotels, does anyone know whats on the top floor of the Residence Inn in Chicago? If you see the building from a distance, there is another floor there with stuff on it. I think its a 28th floor. Its right above where the pool, gym, laundry are. Where the owner lives?

And my mistake, you are right, the Residence Inn has rooms on 27 floors. And I have been on that top floor in a basic room with a view a few times last year, but this time there was a convention in town (Orthopedic Surgeons everywhere!) and so the capacity was tight. So am I to guess that they gave all of them rooms that were higher up since they were there for almost a week? My stay was short, so maybe thats where I got the bottom floor. But I would just expect for someone with this kind of loyalty, they would make that worthwhile. The Reniassance Downtown and the Blackstone have given me some amazing suites and upgraded rooms. Dont get me wrong, I consider myself very well taken care of by some hotels. And some hotels dont seem to put much thought in to it.

Oh well...I am over it.

Man, Horace went straight detective on you.

I ask for an upgrade every time I check in at any Marriott property.. I hand them my Platinum MR card along with the credit card I'm using and I politely say 'If you have any upgrades, that would be great'.. and I try not to sound like Lumberg when I say it.

I find that it works about 50% of the time... I have also been known to call the night before, or en route, to hotels where I have stayed before and they kinda know me, to ask if they have any upgrades available.

I usually call/email ahead then a gentle reminder once there. It has worked pretty well. I'm in a mini-suite at the JW Marriott in Bogota now.