Marriott Bonvoy is the world’s largest resort loyalty program. An OMAAT reader who’s a brand new Platinum member simply requested me what he can realistically anticipate when it comes to upgrades, and if members are speculated to ask for them at check-in, or how they’re assigned. I determine this can be a subject value masking right here, and I actually welcome the takes of others.
Marriott Bonvoy’s elite suite improve coverage
Whereas Marriott Bonvoy has 5 elite tiers, standing actually begins to get useful with Platinum standing and above. For what it’s value, Platinum standing requires 50 elite nights per 12 months, Titanium standing requires 75 elite nights per 12 months, and Ambassador standing requires 100 elite nights and $23,000 of qualifying spending per 12 months.
It’s additionally value protecting in thoughts that Marriott affords Platinum standing with its most premium bank card. These with the Marriott Bonvoy Good® American Specific® Card (assessment) obtain Platinum standing for so long as they’ve the cardboard.
On paper, the three elite tiers roughly have the identical improve profit. Right here’s how Marriott Bonvoy describes the Platinum and above improve profit:
Enhanced Room Improve We’ll do our greatest to improve your room (together with Choose Suites), based mostly on availability upon arrival. Upgrades are topic to availability recognized by every resort and restricted to your private visitor room.
Let me emphasize a couple of of the necessary phrases:
- Platinum members and above obtain a complimentary improve to the perfect obtainable room, topic to availability upon arrival, for your complete size of keep
- Complimentary improve consists of suites, rooms with fascinating views, rooms on excessive flooring, nook rooms, rooms with particular facilities or rooms on government flooring
- At Ritz-Carlton, suites are solely included for Titanium and Ambassador members, and rooms with direct membership entry are excluded from the improve profit
- Enhanced room upgrades are topic to availability and are recognized by every collaborating property
- The complimentary enhanced room improve for Platinum members and above is obtainable in any respect collaborating manufacturers, besides at Marriott Trip Membership, Marriott Grand Residence Membership, Sheraton Trip Membership, Westin Trip Membership, The Phoenician Residences Scottsdale, and Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Observe that this complimentary improve profit is separate from the Nightly Improve Awards (NUAs) that may be chosen as a part of the Alternative Advantages program. These mean you can lock in upgrades beginning three to 5 days earlier than a keep.
How Marriott motels strategy elite upgrades
I don’t envy the state of affairs that particular person Marriott motels are in relating to providing room upgrades. The problem is that Marriott has seen a large inflation in elite members, and lots of properties have a disproportionate variety of elite members competing for a restricted variety of suite upgrades.
In some ways, there are parallels between airways and motels relating to elite standing. Within the US, many airways additionally supply limitless complimentary top quality upgrades. The problem is that airways promote a overwhelming majority of top quality seats, so you’ve a lot of folks competing for a restricted variety of upgrades.
I believe the most important distinction between airways and motels is that the previous are extremely clear about upgrades — on the day of departure, airline apps will present you what number of top quality seats are remaining, together with the improve precedence record. The problem with motels is that there’s lots much less transparency.
Elite members will check-in at motels and see a bunch of upgraded rooms (together with customary suites) obtainable on the market, solely to be informed that they’re not obtainable. It’s comprehensible to be skeptical of whether or not motels are doing their greatest to ship on the promised advantages.
The best way I view it, Marriott properties usually fall into considered one of three classes relating to upgrades:
- On one finish of spectrum, some Marriott properties genuinely do their greatest with proactively upgrading elite members; that’s to not say that everybody will get upgraded, however they struggle do to their greatest to behave throughout the spirit of this system, and fill all doable rooms that could possibly be used for upgrades
- On the opposite finish of the spectrum, some Marriott properties virtually appear to have a disdain for elite members and can do every little thing of their energy to keep away from offering upgrades; they need to be a part of Marriott for the distribution energy, however they don’t really need to present the perks that make folks loyal to the model
- Many properties are someplace within the center; they’ll kind of attempt to improve members, however maybe to not the very best rooms, or generally provided that folks ask
As you’d anticipate, your expertise will even differ tremendously based mostly on the place on this planet you’re. Usually talking, the USA is the place you’ll discover essentially the most elite members, and the motels that care the least. That’s not an amazing combo. In the meantime the farther from the USA you get, and the extra off the overwhelmed monitor you go, the higher the chances of a resort attempting a bit tougher.
I believe it’s value emphasizing that there are some motels that strive actually arduous, however the place a overwhelming majority of elite visitors should be dissatisfied by their upgrades. It’s not unparalleled to have nicely over 100 Platinum members staying at a resort without delay, and there’s solely a lot the property can do.
How Marriott elites ought to strategy suite upgrades
What’s the appropriate strategy for Marriott Bonvoy elite members to take relating to upgrades? Must you simply anticipate that you simply’ll be upgraded to the perfect obtainable room, do you have to attain out to a resort prematurely, do you have to ask about an improve at check-in, or what?
I don’t assume there’s a improper or proper strategy, however let me share my view on issues, and what I contemplate when reserving, previous to my keep, and at check-in. And I after all welcome OMAAT readers to share how they strategy issues.
Initially, when reserving a Marriott Bonvoy resort, there are a number of issues I’ll contemplate. I’ll usually take a look at the room varieties, to see what number of potential customary suites there are. You’ll be able to usually search on-line to see the ratio of visitor rooms to suites, so clearly properties with extra suites provide you with higher odds of an improve.
I’ll additionally take a look at evaluations of the property, plus threads a couple of resort on FlyerTalk, to get a basic sense of how the resort does with elite recognition. Some motels are recognized for being beneficiant with elite members, whereas others aren’t, and I’ll usually attempt to keep away from the latter.
Previous to checking right into a resort, I verify the Marriott app to see what sort of a room I’ve been blocked into. Accommodations will usually block elite members into sure rooms both the evening earlier than arrival, or generally even sooner than that. That room task isn’t “remaining” and is all the time topic to vary, however it’s good to get a basic sense of what you would possibly be capable to anticipate. Accommodations that block elite members in upgraded rooms prematurely are additionally usually attempting tougher.
I ought to word that some folks will message the resort by way of the Marriott Bonvoy app earlier than arriving to ask about the potential of an improve. I’ve seen loads of folks report success with this, however it’s not one thing I personally sometimes do. Accommodations are underneath no obligation to offer upgrades prematurely, because the profit is that you simply’re upgraded to the perfect obtainable room at check-in.
Then sometimes shortly earlier than checking right into a resort, I’ll go to Marriott’s app and see what sort of premium rooms are nonetheless on the market, and what number of of them are on the market. That helps with getting a way of what an improve could embody.
When checking in, ideally the entrance desk agent will thanks to your elite standing, and/or point out should you’ve been upgraded:
- If there’s no point out of an improve, I’ll sometimes ask “do you’ve any [elite tier] upgrades obtainable, by probability?”
- In the event that they point out that they’ve already upgraded me, however it’s not an amazing improve, I’ll generally say “do you perhaps have any suite upgrades obtainable, as a result of I see there are nonetheless fairly a couple of suites obtainable on the market at some point of my keep?”
These days I don’t sometimes “argue” past that, and received’t escalate additional. That’s as a result of I acknowledge that even when they do have suites obtainable on the market, it’s doable that different elite members have been blocked into them. In spite of everything, there’s nonetheless a pecking order for upgrades amongst elite members.
In the USA, I usually don’t anticipate a lot in the best way of upgrades. In the meantime exterior of the USA I usually have first rate luck, or at the very least discover that motels try their greatest to honor upgrades as a lot as doable.
Backside line
On paper, Marriott Bonvoy has a really beneficiant improve coverage, as Platinum members and above obtain house obtainable suite upgrades at most manufacturers. The problem is that not all motels act throughout the spirit of this system. Moreover, even the motels that do act throughout the spirit of this system wrestle, given the variety of folks with elite standing.
To Marriott Bonvoy Platinum members and above, what strategy do you are taking towards upgrades?
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