Guy Betsy

Ooo. Now that's interesting that LT Plats get priority. So hotels will know who are LTPs and other Plats then...

frenchft

I have heard the same about this list, but from experience i have almost the same kind of upgrade as a 75 than a 100 now... to be honest i didn't feel any difference. I just feel the difference in case of issue for exemple.

longtimeflyin

They most certainly do.

I've been Plat 50/75/100 for several years and now LT Plat recently

The greetings both from call center agents and from hotel check in staff have been very different for the different rungs for me.

"Thank you for being a lifetime Platinum member" is what I hear now from both.

bhrubin

I’ve been pre-upgraded to a suite well over 2 weeks in advance for most of my most recent stays at the StR San Francisco, the Westin San Jose, the W Los Angeles, and again even for my upcoming stay at the StR Houston in 10 days.

I do believe that being Plat100 and/or high revenue does prioritize one above LT Plats—as well it should. There’s a reason why LT Plats don’t get SNAs or other elevated benefits.

alphaod

Also the ones that makes the most noise. People like me who don't really complain much will have the lowest priority.

controller1

This is also my experience.

Medved

+1. Entirely depends on the hotel. Could be 1 Plat checking in and x number of suites available (inside and outside of the upgrade pool), and he gets nothing. Or, worse -- I had a pre-assigned suite -- saw it in my phone app while waiting to check in. A guy in front of me schmoozed the front desk attendant -- she initially refused, then after spending good 5 minutes clicking on the keyboard " found" him a suite. He left the desk beaming ear to ear. When I got to the front desk my room "miraculously" became regular one again. I cannot say who the guy in front of me was -- a regular, a Plat or just a tall good looking conversationalist. Had to DYKWIA, told the attendant that she gave my suite to the handsome guy, asked for the manager, she became irate, but after clicking on the keyboard for good 10 minutes, found me one. In practical terms, my insistence paid off big time: on Wednesday neighbors started a party somewhere around my bedroom at 3 AM. I escaped to another one, shut the door, and slept like a baby.

MSPeconomist

I thought 42 was the answer to everything in the universe.

Need

SPG25: I want to be upgraded to the junior suite.
FDC: Done.
SPG50: I want to be upgraded to the full suite.
FDC: Done.
SPG75: I want to be upgraded to the presidential suite.
FDC: Done.
SPG100: DYKWIA? I don't want to stay with these other peons in the same hotel, please walk to a Hilton or something.
FDC: Done.

hockeyinsider

Not that big of 'if' as I routinely travel with my two colleagues. All three of us have SPG platinum status through Marriott. One of us is platinum premier with Marriott, another is both lifetime platinum and platinum premier, and I'm platinum. We routinely fly on the same flight and use the mobile application to check-in with our anticipated time.

hockeyinsider

And that's assuming someone working the front desk actually knows the difference between the various levels. There are enough reports across multiple hotel brands that front desk clerks don't always grasp the status tiers and the difference between them. Even with airlines many flight attendants don't actually realize how much someone has to spend on an aircraft to hit the top tier.

hockeyinsider

When I stayed at the Four Points Sheraton in Penang, Malaysia, the front desk manager handled my check-in. He commented on my year-to-date hotel stays, which on his system combined both Marriott and SPG numbers. He commented that everyone has had to learn the Marriott system a week or two earlier when the systems changed.

Supposedly, the Marriott system tells a front desk where my last stay was and where my next stay is. I've never had anyone comment, but I've read reports of a hotel front desk making a comment to a guest about a past or upcoming stay.

hockeyinsider

Revenue isn't a good indicator for hotels because even St. Regis properties are relatively cheap in Asia and elsewhere. Is a customer who spends 100 nights at a St. Regis in Malaysia or China, where the rates are cheap, less valuable than a customer who spends 100 nights at an expensive Sheraton somewhere in the U.S.? I would hope not.

bhrubin

i meant total revenue. Your parsing needlessly. It’s not likely to be a zero sum game. I’m sure there are exceptions and rule variations all over the place. But someone who spends a ton with SPG is likelier to get an upgrade, most likely though that’s not guaranteed. And what a ton means depends on where you are and what hotel we may be talking about.

Of course, a high revenue customer also is more likely to be paying for a higher end hotel room than a lower revenue customer, too. The variations will never cease.

MSPeconomist

My guess is that the plain vanilla Plat is most likely to get the upgrade. Many Marriott front desk staff seem to believe that Platinum Premier is lower than Plat.