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A recurring theme among many travelers with hotel elite status is that they frequently fail to score upgrades at properties that are far from full and where an upgrade should be offered per the terms of the loyalty program to which they belong.
There is no easy fix to this and there’s no guaranteed method of ‘forcing’ a property to offer an upgrade, but there are things you can do to give yourself a better chance when you’re checking in.
Know what you’re entitled to
There’s very little point in requesting an upgrade if you don’t really know what you’re entitled to in the first place, so make sure you know the rules of the loyalty program the hotel you’re checking into belongs to and make sure you know what your elite status entitles you to.
Most of the major hotel loyalty programs will state that upgrades are based on room availability (which should be obvious), but different status levels will be entitled to different levels of upgrade.
Knowing exactly what level of upgrade you’re entitled to is key if you want to have any chance of persuading a hotel that you should have a better room than you have been assigned.
For example …
In the Marriott Bonvoy program these are the upgrades open to the various status tiers:
Silver Status – Not entitled to upgrades.
Gold Status – Entitled to a “complimentary enhanced room upgrade” where “enhanced” rooms may include rooms with desirable views, rooms on high floors, corner rooms, rooms with special amenities, rooms on Executive Floors. Suite upgrades are excluded for Gold Elite Members.
Platinum Status + higher statuses – Platinum Elite Members and above receive a complimentary upgrade to the best available room subject to availability upon arrival for the entire length of stay. Complimentary upgrades include suites, rooms with desirable views, rooms on high floors, corner rooms, rooms with special amenities or rooms on Executive Floors.
There are exceptions to the above rules (e.g. some brands don’t offer upgrades at all and some brands don’t offer suite upgrades to Platinum elites) so a Bonvoy member should be aware of these.
Know the hotel you’re checking into
Just as you can’t really complain about not being upgraded at check-in if you don’t know what sort of upgrade you’re entitled to, you’ll also find it pretty hard to complain about the room assigned to you if you don’t know what rooms the property offers.
Sticking with the Marriott Bonvoy example …
The rules set down by Marriott state that “Platinum Elite Members and above receive a complimentary upgrade to the best available room subject to availability” but what’s not clearly stated is that Bonvoy (like a number of other programs) doesn’t really force properties to offer guests the “best available room” – that’s why you won’t hear too many stories of people being upgraded into Presidential suites … but this doesn’t really matter.
This isn’t an article about scoring amazing 2,000 sq ft suites, it’s just an article suggesting a way to help you get a good upgrade.
Before you arrive at the property, make sure you know what rooms the hotel offers. Some hotel websites list all their rooms in order of size/importance/desirability, and for some you’ll need to check dates far into the future to see what rooms are on sale (the price of each room should give a good indicator of where it sits in the hotel’s list of rooms).
If you’re entitled to an upgrade to a suite, make sure you know the name the hotel assigns to their entry-level suite (for most people that’s the most likely suite upgrade they’ll be able to score) as you’ll need to know this on the day of check-in.
At the hotel
Whether you have checked-in via an app (and so already know what type of room you’ve been allocated) or whether you have yet to check-in, there’s something that you need to do before you approach the front desk – check what rooms the hotel is selling at that very moment for the dates of your stay.
This is where knowing what upgrade you’re entitled to and what rooms the hotel offers will come into play.
If you’re entitled to a suite upgrade, check to see if the hotel is still selling its entry-level suites. If it’s not (or if you’re not entitled to a suite upgrade) check what the next best available room is.
Once you’re armed with this information it’s time to approach the front desk.
If you already know what room you have been allocated now is the time to ask (very politely) if the desk agent can upgrade you or, if you have yet to be checked-in, ask if you have been upgraded as the desk agent processes your details.
Assuming you haven’t been upgraded or the upgrade you have been given is a non-upgrade (you have the room you originally booked just on a higher floor), now is the time to request (still very politely) the best room that you’re entitled to (and that you know the hotel is still selling for the dates of your stay).
If you’ve done your homework, you now have the hotel at a disadvantage.
You know what you’re entitled to and you know what rooms the hotel is still selling so there should be no reason for the upgrade to be declined. This doesn’t mean that it won’t be declined, but it does mean that you’ll have to be given an explanation.
If you’re given the brush off, don’t accept it. Politely ask why the hotel believes that it doesn’t have to upgrade you to the room you have requested and, if the forthcoming explanation doesn’t fit with the rules of the loyalty program, politely point this out.
A key element here is to recognize when you’re requesting something that the person you’re dealing with doesn’t have the power to give you.
Some desk agents can upgrade whomever they like to whatever room they like, but others will need a supervisor or duty manager to give the ok. Spend as little time as possible discussing things with an entry-level desk agent and politely ask to speak to a supervisor as soon as you feel like you’re not getting anywhere.
Note: At no point should you be rude, loud, or obnoxious, and at no point should you overplay the status that you hold. Limit any mentions of status to discussions surrounding what that status is entitled to and avoid using it to try to make yourself sound important. You’ll fail, it won’t get you anywhere, and you’ll just look like a colossal ass.
Things can go one of three ways at this point:
- You’re upgraded to the room you requested
- You’re not upgraded to the room you requested but you get a noticeably better room than the one you were originally assigned.
- You don’t get upgraded.
It goes without saying that outcome (1) is great news, and I’d probably consider outcome (2) as a win too (I wouldn’t continue pursuing a better upgrade at this point), but there’s also no point in continuing to debate the merits of your upgrade request if the hotel doesn’t see eye-to-eye with you (option 3).
If you fail to get an upgrade and you feel the hotel is acting unreasonably, do not under any circumstances take this out on the staff – it’s probably not their fault.
Accept the room you’ve been assigned, take screenshots of the rooms the hotel was selling on the day of check-in for the dates of your stay, and email in a complaint to Marriott Bonvoy.
More importantly, make a note of which hotel was unbudging and don’t return in the future. Why give a hotel that doesn’t honor elite status benefits any more of your money?
On a personal note
In the interest of openness, I should point out that I rarely follow the steps in this post as I’m usually not really invested in getting a big upgrade.
If I’m traveling alone (most of my trips) I almost always book the cheapest room and as long as I’m not facing the garbage trucks and as long as I’m not on a low floor I’m generally happy.
When I’m traveling with Joanna things are a bit different so I will question the check-in agents if I think I’ve been passed up for an upgrade I should be getting and I have, on occasions, shown them the better rooms they’re selling via the Bonvoy App and asked (very politely) why we haven’t been allocated one of those … and this has worked well a few times.
I’m always very polite, I never “demand” anything and I know when to walk away without causing a scene (there’s never any point in getting angry) – that’s how I keep my trips uneventful 🙂
Bottom line
Ultimately it will always be down to the hotel what room they allocate you so no matter how well you debate the rights and wrongs of how the hotel is behaving, you may still end up with the room you were originally assigned. But knowing your upgrade rights and the rooms the hotel is selling will improve your chances of scoring a better room.
Being calm, measured and polite helps a lot too.
Comgrats. Very well written and very practical. I have been doing exactly that as you suggested for years now at marriott properties and it has worked reasonably well. Most important of all is, as you said, never get angry with staff . They are just dong their jobs as dictated to them by senior management .
Lastly I have started to call hotels before I even travel to ask about their upgrade policies. Some have said clearly that they will not upgrade to a suite and I appfreciate th ehonesty as now I have the option to take it as is or leave it.
Regarding the comment about Marriott Bonvoy Platinum:…”subject to availability upon arrival for the entire length of stay”
Marriott will NOT upgrade to a suite for more than 2 nights unless using Suite Night Awards.
I’m Ambassador level (highest) and was told this by a GM at a hotel I frequently stay at. Exceptions are made for frequent top-tier guests and rates. But usually no more than 2 maybe 3 nights.
Also Starwood was more lenient than Marriott was/is.
That’s interesting as it goes directly against a clearly stated policy/benefit in the Bonvoy T&Cs
Not true. I have been upgraded many times to suite for 3-4 days stay. Depends on hotel discretion.
Lifetime Titanium Marriott and Hilton Diamond. When I get an upgrade (I do ask at check in) I am appreciative but NEVER assume either brand will give me an upgrade just because it is listed as a potential benefit. As a business person I understand that even if the room shows as bookable for the length of my stay the hotel, based on their analytics, may have a reasonable expectation to sell the room either via reservation or for an upgrade fee at check in. While I appreciate being recognized and, again, enjoy the upgrades I get I also understand they are in business to make money so it is truly a balance. I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the hotel while others make a scene and go with the “but I’m a Diamond” (Hilton) even though there could be 30 Diamond members staying that night.
BTW, my experience is I get much better upgrades in Europe and Asia than the US. Also, a one night stay checking in maybe after 6 PM stands a better chance of a nice upgrade (I actually have gotten the Presidential Suite at a few US hotels) than an early check in and multi night stay (again I assume the hotel believes they can sell the room and don’t want to give away it for free).
It’s not a “potential benefit” at check-in. Per the rules Marriott has written, it’s a benefit at check-in. Period. If Marriott wishes to add more vagaries to the benefits it offers, it’s welcome to do so, but while the benefits that are supposedly given to elites are so clearly stated in Marriott’s own rules, I’m not sure why any of us should add vaguries to them.
I’m with Retired Gambler on this. Never hurts to ask, but the “if available” does a lot of work in the terms & conditions. It does not say if the room is available for sale at the time you check in you will get it.
When you are on the upgrade list for a flight, do you expect them to put you in first class if you are the first person to show up at the gate and ask, seeing there are open seats? Of course not. The airline has a system in place for who they will upgrade and how long they will keep those seats open before releasing them. Do you expect Marriott to give you, a Platinum, one of their last remaining suites when they have 5 Ambassadors, 20 Titaniums, and 50 other Platinums checking in after you?
“Available” in this context means they’ve determined that they can release the room to you according to their room inventory management, not that something is still for sale. They may occasionally shut you up by giving you the upgrade, and know that their more loyal guests will probably shrug at not getting it, but you were never “entitled” to that upgrade.
This is very interesting article .. i totally agree with you Ziggy about the steps you are taken, in the same time I somehow agree with Darin .. regarding the numbers of elite members to check-in the same day or period you are there ..
My strategy is always to keep plan B for hotel I booked , I am elite member with many hotels chains . so normally if I need the upgrade for certain important reason , and the hotel declined it while the hotel is easily able to do so . I speak to the supervisor , if no success , I modify the reservation to one night and some time just cancel it and go to the plan B hotel .
That’s why I NEVER ever book non refundable rate even with around 30 to 40 % discount .
Its really simple: if you get screwed by a hotel leave a bad review (yes, a one or two star), not only on TripAdvisor but on Google and on the fake hotel reviews sponsored by the hotel owners. Eventually they will get the message.