Horace

Here's the current official policy on Complimentary Room Upgrades for Gold Elite members (and higher) at the Marriott Rewards Terms & Conditions page on the Marriott.com website (captured Jan. 30, 2016): Thailand is not excluded. Resorts are not excluded. Only Marriott Vacation Club is excluded (and that's because timeshares are based on a one-to-one correlation between specific room inventory and reservations for them).

There's also nothing about "one class only" (nor is there anything about "best unassigned accommodations in the whole darn place").

It's a flexible policy about treating Elite members well. Hotels and Resorts of all Marriott brands (except MVC) are supposed to reward Marriott's best guests for their loyalty. That's good business for the properties and Marriott International because it's likely to make frequent hotel guests even more loyal to Marriott.

Properties often pre-assign Elite members into higher categories -- either days in advance or as the room assigner works the arrivals for a given check-in date. And front desks can override the assigned room if there's something better available when the Elite guest arrives.

Upgrades are not always possible, but the effort should always be there.

Some properties consist almost entirely of cookie-cutter rooms, making significant upgrades (beyond the floor or the side of the building) almost impossible. Other properties have plenty of executive rooms, parlor suites, and even full suites that routinely go to Elite members.

At a resort with balconies, there are clearly more desirable and less desirable rooms.

Apparently, the Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa is either unaware of how to comply with Marriott brand standards or chooses not to.

mg1981

Thank You for all answers!

I am sorry if i have a wrong Thread title, if there is a possibility i would like to Change the Thread title.
I am not a native English speaker.

After reading your answers i think that the property is not aware of the room Upgrade policy for Gold members of Dont Want to give any Upgrade.

I will Report After our Stay.

luvlanna

Renaissance Bangkok acknowledges elite status and treats guests accordingly. Renaissance Koh Samui treated me like a beggar days later. Expect the same from Marriott Hua Hin. Enjoy Thailand!

joeags

Very funny. The Courtyard Bangkok acknowledged our elite status well, and the Ren Phuket and JW Khao Lak treated us like beggars days later! (I loved the Khao Lak one regardless!!!) Sorry leeky, I just don't know if one-time western visitors during high season gets the good Thailand resort upgrades these days - I think each of the 4 groups checking in before us were gold or platinum, and that's just the place to go and not enough upgrades to go around!

MSPeconomist

It shouldn't matter whether the hotel guests are westerners or not.

BTW, what does " no more free abf" mean in the OP?

leeky

abf is American breakfast

leeky

resort hotels whether they be in Thailand or other countries do not follow all the rules, like free breakfast, in accordance with Marriott Corp policy.

although you have a right to complain, why not complain to corporate as it's their policy

furthermore, the Pattaya Resort provides not only an Exec Lounge but also breakfast for 1+1 in either the lounge or restaurant and if my map is correct its still in TH

and, if Thai resort props are so bad maybe they should start charging a resort fee like others with nothing really gained to the G/P customer - then you'ld really have a cause to complain!

DJ_Iceman

Okay, friends, this is a weird one. A couple of months ago I booked a room for my family for this upcoming weekend at the full-service Marriott in Riverside, CA. The property was sold out, so I was only able to get a room by invoking the platinum guarantee. I've been keeping an eye on the reservation to see if we'd been upgraded, or if the hotel shifted out of sold-out status and suites were available for sale.

Today, two days before check-in, I saw that rooms are again available for sale at the property. I was disappointed not to have gotten a free upgrade, but given that my family of four is staying in the room, I was willing to pay the difference to confirm the suite in advance. So I changed my reservation online, got the confirmation e-mail, and was looking forward to the weekend.

Later this afternoon I got a call from the property saying they saw I had upgraded my reservation, but that due to a computer glitch no suites were actually available. They asked me to call back, which I did, and the very nice person on the phone again apologized for the computer glitch but said they'd have to put me in a regular room. I asked if any other upgraded room types (they also have spa suites and junior suites) were available for me to pay for, but she apologized and said that they were booked full. She also said that she'd personally keep an eye on things and that if any upgraded rooms opened up that she would move me (although I think that's exceedingly unlikely two days before check-in), and she also lowered my rate for the baseline room to about $100 less than it was before I changed to the upgrade.

So bottom line is that I'm getting the room I originally booked using the platinum guarantee, for $100 less per night, so obviously I'm happy about that! And who knows, maybe a miracle upgrade will become available as well.

But what I still find interesting is that, if I go online right now to make a reservation for this weekend, the suite that I was told is not available due to a computer glitch is still bookable. So maybe they didn't fix the glitch? I can think of other, more nefarious explanations but they all seem like conspiracy theory ramblings...

CPRich

If they told you there was a problem, and didn't tell you they fixed the problem, then the simplest answer is there is still a problem.

I'm curious - why were you disappointed to not have received a "free upgrade" two days before check-in at a property that appears to be near sold out? What would cause you to expect one?

DJ_Iceman

I didn't really expect one, CPRich, but I was hopeful (as I always am) to see some wonderful room type pop up when I checked online every few days. I knew that the most likely scenario was that I'd get a standard room (and am glad for the platinum guarantee to even get me that), but also was thinking that maybe, just MAYBE, that a sold out property would need to put someone in their suites and why shouldn't it be a lifetime platinum member.

So no expectation of an upgrade, just a wistful hope...

writerguyfl

Did you enter the correct number of occupants when searching? Right now, there is a suite for sale for a Friday-Sunday stay but it's an Executive Suite with a maximum occupancy of 2. For 4 guests, there are no suites available.

If that's not the problem, then at least they fixed the "glitch".

CPRich

Yes, I saw the same. There's a suite available, but only a King bed, which I assume won't fit a family.

DJ_Iceman

I suppose that could be the glitch, although I would think they would have just told me that. We always request a king bed room anyway (as is guaranteed this time)--the toddler sleeps in the bed with my wife and I, and our older daughter sleeps on the couch (fold-out or not). I did see that they listed max occupancy of the suite as 2 despite the room being twice as big as a standard room which can take 4. Maybe I'll call the property back today and tell them about our sleeping arrangements, letting them know that our family of 4 can comfortably fit in a king-bed only room. Or maybe I'll just drop it and we'll have a perfectly acceptable stay in a regular room!

Chris26WI

As Thailand's Marriotts are differently owned/managed, there's no general principle.

Usually having good experience at Minor International's Marriotts (Pattaya, Phuket) and the Renaissance BKK indeed.

Renaissance Samui - no upgrades so far; practically no special perks neither.
Marriott Sukh 57 BKK - lounge access, sometimes upgrade to corner room.
JW BKK - lounge access, sometimes corner exec room.
MEA BKK Sathorn - usually upgrade to 1 BR executive (though I strangely prefer the normal 1 BR facing sathorn road).
MEA BKK Mayfair - usually upgrade to 1 BR deluxe.
MEA BKK Thonglor - nothing.
CY BKK - usually upgrade to corner room (sometimes only after requesting it); + lounge access.
Marriott Rayong - nothing.
Renaissance Phuket - upgrade to "preferred" room (top floor)
JW Khao Lak - always upgrade to at least pool access room, often to family room (studio), sometimes to duplex suite (but being regular guest there too since its opening - might help). Free full breakfast in the restaurant; free evening cocktail hour in the lobby or pool bar.
Marriott Pattaya: lounge access, club benefits (like ltd free laundry), room upgrades rarely (but always after explicit request for seaview room if available).

Pheenblat

I have an upcoming reservation that can be upgraded using points (adding an upgrade certificate) or paying cash. The cash upgrade fee will be 80EUR per night, whereas I can buy 5,000 points for $62.50 (assuming I can't come-up with the extra points some other way).

Am I missing something or is the hotel's revenue management messed-up?