I just made year two for Platinum, but I'm not very knowledgeable! I think I'm getting taken advantage of, but looking for advice.

I don't seem to get any sort of room upgrade, and often not even my bed type preference is honored.

Sunday I checked into a full up Marriott, and was told there was not any type of free breakfast after asking. I would have expected to have at least been told of the concierge floor, doesn't Platinum get you in there?

Do I have to ask for the upgrades? How would I really know what an upgrade was?

Thanks in advance!

Marriott is notoriously tight fisted when it comes to giving upgrades. You are most certainly entitled to a upgrade and no you are not supposed to have to ask but most of the time you will. You are also supposed to have access to the concierge lounge without having to request it but you most probably will. When you check in hand the check in clerk your platinum card and ask if your room has been upgraded. They will tell you that you have been upgraded or if not they will usually upgrade you on the spot. When they hand you your room key ask them if it has been coded for access to the concierge lounge. You need to be a bit more agressive about getting the benefits you are entitled to.

Trying to determine if you got an upgrade can be difficult unless you get something obvious like a suite. You should probably ask at check-in if you are receiving an upgrade (and why the room given is an upgrade).

Many concierge lounges are not open on weekends; however, some people report that they can get coupons to the in-house restaurant if they ask nicely. The check-in clerk should definitely be telling you about access to the club lounge.

Regarding your room preferences, as long as you aren't making your reservation the day you check in, you should be getting them. If not, you should be asking for your cash compensation (the next day but before checking out).

(I checked into the JW in DC earlier this year and ended up with a room on the 2nd floor. I asked about a room higher up and was told they were all full. I wasn't offered my platinum gift. I was really annoyed and figured I would just claim my cash the next morning. As I was walking away from the counter, the clerk does a last-second look at his computer and notices I'm a plat when magically a suite opens up and I get my platinum gift.) That reminds me...are you getting your platinum gift at check-in?

Oh...welcome to FT.

The most common upgrade is a regular room on the concierge level, which may even be a floor or two below the floor where the lounge is.

When you say you "just" made Plat, when was that, and is it showing on your account online yet? If you just had night 75 in the past week, it may not have hit your account yet.

Of course, lounge access is given to Golds too, so you should have gotten that anyway.

I am in a similiar boat, just checked in for the first time as a platinum member at the Marriott LAX. I informed the front desk of my status and she picked up the phone and made a call and upgraded me to a "suite" - which isn't much different than a regular room imo. She asked me if I wanted the ammenity or the points, I choose the points. Was this in lieu of the platinum arrival gift?

That is the Plat arrival gift. Usually they give you card with all the options you can choose from with one of the options being 500 points.

They may slightly off-topic... but here goes.

What are the Plat perks at Courtyards, if any?

JP

For Courtyards, SpringHill Suites, and Residence Inns:

Platinum members get a welcome amenity that consists of one or two bottles of water and a small package of cookies. The amount of water and size of cookies can vary from property. The general standard is one liter of water and four Milano cookies, although I have gotten as much as 50 ounces of water and half a pound of Fig Newtons.

Along with gold members, platinum members are entitled to free local phone calls and up to 15 pages of free outgoing faxes per day of stay.

At CYs, I have had very good luck asking for to pick out a cola and snack from the small snack room next to the front desk instead of the water and cookies. (Though quite often I still get the water and cookies as well.)

Welcome to FT!

Have you created or updated your online profile indicating room type?

This is actually year two of being a Platinum member. It's not new. But the rooms I get at Courtyards seem to be nothing special. This week, I stayed at a full-up Marriott, was not told anything about the concierge level, told there was no free food. The internet didn't work, the pizza I got from room service was awful, I bailed and am now at a nearby Courtyard, which couldn't accommodate my bed type, yet alone an upgrade! (I did move without notice due to the Marriott).

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Everyone here needs to remember that Elite members, even Plats are ENTITLED to NO UPGRADES whatsoever! However, Gold and Plat members are entitled to Concierge or Club room ACCESS no matter what floor our room is located on, and we are eligible for an upgrade based on eligibility, suites are specifically NOT included according to the rules. All that being said, in practice, suites are available if you know how to go about asking for them! There are basically four steps to having the best chances to getting what you want. Step one is making sure that your Marriott personal profile is as complete as possible in all ways, including bed preference, floor preference, near or far from elevator/ice machine, etc. Step two is that I make sure to call the Plat rez line (instead of making most rez online) and at the end of making the rez, I ask the rez agent to put "request Platinum upgrade if available" in the comment section of the rez. Step three is about three days before arrival at the hotel, if an upgrade is important to me, I call the hotel and ask to speak with either "rooms control" or the front desk manager and inquire about getting the upgrade, and I specifically ask for a suite, if available. At that point I usually find out how heavy the occupany of the hotel will be during my stay, so then I will actually know whether an upgrade is realistic or whether I am being lied to. Then, when I check in at the hotel, I ask the person checking me in, what kind of room do I have. If they tell me that I have a suite, or that I am on the Concierge floor and the hotel is full, then obviously, I am quite happy about it. If not, I ask again for an upgrade. Sometimes the front desk person is not even aware that I am eligible for an upgrade (notice that I did not say entitled) as a Platinum member. If they are not aware of the Platinum benefits, I ask them to check with a manager whether there is an upgrade available, and why wasn't it taken care of before I arrived, etc. That usually works quite well, and the manager will even sometimes come out to apologize. I have gotten some amazing suites that way, including the Presidential Suite at the San Francisco Marriott, twice the second largest suites at the San Antonio Marriott River Center, a huge two room hospitality suite at the Marriott Wardman Park, and I could go on and on. The rules say no suites, but the reality is that hotels will give Platinum members suites if they are available, especially if those Platinum members are good, repeat, or long term customers of that hotel.

Bottom line, if you do not ask, you do not get.

Now, regarding KathyP's comment that "Marriott is notoriously tight fisted when it comes to giving upgrades." I do not find Marriott any more tightfisted about upgrades than any other elite program that I am a member of. I do not get upgraded every time that I am on USAirways flights, even when there are empty seats in First or Business Class. I do not get upgraded every time that I rent from Avis, even when there is a Premium or Crossover available as an upgrade to my regular Full Size 4 Door. So, I ask for the upgrades from both USAirways and from Avis, and sometimes I get those upgrades, and othertimes I do not. But, one thing is for absolute sure, if I do not open up my big mouth and speak up for myself asking for what I want, I do not expect that they will give me what I want every time voluntarily. I also examine my bill when I check out, because there are often mistakes, which to me is the same principle, you have to go after what you are looking for, the right amount on your bill, the right amount of points, whatever it might be, go get it, and don't expect someone else to get it for you if you don't get it for yourself. It is a learning process, and I learn things about the rules all the time, including what I can be compensated for if I don't get it, such as my welcome gift, or not getting my guaranteed room type, etc.

I like what you said, you have to ask for it and get the upgrades. Today, I asked for it and I did not get the upgrades and I decided to check out after 3 nights. I am going to check it to another hotel and not Marriott. Sometimes, you need to do this and not give all to Marriott.

What is your MR elite level? Gold? Platinum? When did you first ask for the upgrade? Did you get access to the Concierge Lounge?

I am currrently gold and if i had stayed all 7 nights in this location, i will have the 75 nights. I was given access to the lounge that was great, no complain there. I asked for the upgrade when I received marriott's email reminder that I am going to stay in this hotel.

I will get my 75 nights in my next stay in my next stop as I will be staying 4 nights at the next marriott property, totalling 75. Wish me luck to get an upgrade in the next marriott property this weekend. Hopefully, I don't check out again, hehe

I think sometimes you just need to just "check out" from Marriott.