In the past, I’ve written a post comparing the major hotel loyalty programs, sharing what I view as the pros and cons of each. There are various factors to consider, ranging from a hotel group’s global footprint, to elite recognition, to the points earning structure.
For many people, the single most valuable perk of hotel elite status is upgrades to suites. In this post, I want to compare the suite upgrade policies of the “big four” hotel loyalty programs, to determine which is best.
In this post:
Comparing hotel loyalty program suite upgrade policies
Who doesn’t love a suite upgrade? I mean, it might not be necessary on a one night stay at an airport hotel when you’re traveling alone, but it sure comes in handy when you’re traveling with family on a special vacation.
Fortunately hotel loyalty programs may offer suite upgrades to their most loyal members. In this post, I’ll compare the suite upgrade policies of the four all-around most lucrative hotel loyalty programs — Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt.
Let’s look at the complimentary upgrade policies of each program, and then we’ll also look at opportunities available through each program for securing suite upgrades in advance.
Below is my ranking of hotel loyalty program suite upgrade benefits, starting with the best.
World of Hyatt
World of Hyatt Globalist status sets the standard for suite upgrade policies, both when it comes to space available upgrades, as well as the ability to confirm upgrades in advance.
Hyatt Globalist members receive unlimited space available suite upgrades at check-in, subject to availability. If a standard suite is available, you should receive an upgrade to this as a Globalist member.
Furthermore, with the World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards program, Globalist members who rack up 60 elite nights in a year can earn five confirmed suite upgrade awards, each of which can be used to confirm an upgrade to a standard suite at the time of booking for up to seven nights, with no capacity controls — as long as a standard suite is available for sale, you can confirm it.
You can earn further suite upgrade awards for over qualifying for status (you can choose a suite upgrade award with every 10 elite nights earned, from 70 all the way to 150 elite nights), or if you’re a lifetime Globalist member. Note that even elite nights earned with credit cards count toward these thresholds.
You can’t beat the combination of unlimited suite upgrades subject to availability, plus easy to earn confirmable suite upgrades that can be used at the time of booking.
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador status, offers a pretty well-rounded suite upgrade benefit.
Marriott Platinum members and above receive unlimited space available suite upgrades at check-in, subject to availability. If a standard suite is available, you should receive an upgrade to this as a Platinum member and above. Note that at Ritz-Carlton properties, suite upgrades are only offered to Titanium members and above.
Furthermore, with the Marriott Bonvoy Choice Benefits program, members can select further benefits when passing 50 or 75 elite nights in a year (even elite nights earned with credit cards count toward this). At each threshold you can select five nightly upgrade awards, each of which can be used to confirm a suite upgrade starting three to five days before arrival (depending on the brand).
Ultimately I get quite a bit of value from these, but they have limitations — there are capacity controls on these, each is only valid for one night, and only being able to confirm an upgrade at most three to five days in advance doesn’t give you much certainty with travel planning.
I’d say Marriott has a pretty well-rounded policy, between what’s tied for the best space available suite upgrade policy, and the confirmed suite upgrade policy (even if it’s the weakest one of the three that exist).
IHG One Rewards
IHG One Rewards Diamond members receive room upgrades subject to availability, and these upgrades may include standard suites. However, upgrades are offered at the hotel’s discretion, meaning that a hotel doesn’t have to make a suite available for an upgrade, even if it’s empty.
While the space available suite upgrade offering is weak, IHG has an impressive confirmed suite upgrade option. With the IHG One Rewards Milestone Rewards program, members can earn up to three confirmed suite upgrades per year (which would require earning 70 elite nights).
Each confirmed suite upgrade can be used to confirm a suite upgrade between one day and 14 days prior to arrival, for a stay of up to five nights. These can be used on either cash stays or award stays.
While IHG’s space available upgrade benefit is pretty weak, at least the confirmed upgrade perk is a great opportunity.
Hilton Honors
As much as I’ve become a big fan of Hilton Honors in general, the program’s suite upgrade benefit is the weakest of the “big four.” Not only is the space available suite upgrade benefit not particularly strong, but Hilton also doesn’t offer any opportunities for confirmed suite upgrades in advance.
Hilton Honors Diamond members receive room upgrades subject to availability, and these upgrades may include standard suites. However, upgrades are offered at the hotel’s discretion, meaning that a hotel doesn’t have to make a suite available for an upgrade, even if it’s empty.
Furthermore, at least technically, Hilton Honors elite members don’t receive any upgrades at nine brands, including Embassy Suites, Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Motto by Hilton, Spark by Hilton, and Tru by Hilton. However, in practice you may still find that elite members often get upgrades at these properties.
As mentioned above, Hilton Honors also doesn’t have any sort of suite upgrade certificates that can be used to confirm an upgrade in advance.
An important suite upgrade reality check…
As anyone with hotel elite status can attest to, just because you’re entitled to a suite upgrade subject to availability doesn’t mean you’re going to get one:
- Even when hotels are fully playing by the rules, there will often be more elite members eligible for suite upgrades than available suites (just as airlines offer elite members complimentary upgrades, but that doesn’t mean there will be seats available)
- That doesn’t factor in that lots of hotels don’t play by the rules, and will do everything they can to avoid providing a suite upgrade; this comes down to the fact that most hotels are individually owned, and only have a management or franchise agreement with the major hotel group
As is the case with many aspects of elite recognition, I generally find that the further you get from the United States, the better elite recognition is. Furthermore, I find that being a repeat guest helps with getting priority for upgrades, and I also have better luck with upgrades on short stays than long stays.
With that in mind, what has my experience been with the major hotel groups when it comes to space available suite upgrades (while noting that there’s still huge variability with each group, given that hotels are individually owned)?
- I find that Hyatts are best about trying to provide complimentary suite upgrades when available, and I tend to get them pretty regularly, especially outside the United States
- With Marriott I only very rarely get proactive suite upgrades within the United States; there’s tons of competition for upgrades, and I find that I have the best luck internationally, and also when using nightly upgrade awards
- With Hilton I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a suite upgrade within the United States, while I get them fairly regularly abroad; I’d say that in Asia and the Middle East my suite upgrade percentage is roughly the same with Marriott and Hilton
- I unfortunately don’t have much firsthand experience with IHG’s top tier status, though the data points I’ve seen so far suggest that most IHG properties aren’t very good about space available suite upgrades
Anyway, that’s just my experience. I also can’t emphasize enough that especially in major cities or markets, it’s common that there could be dozens of people with a particular elite tier checking in on a specific day, and it can be hard to make everyone happy.
Bottom line
Suite upgrades are one of the best perks of hotel elite status, though not all suite upgrade policies are created equal. First you have the difference of how hotel loyalty programs offer space available upgrades — some offer suite upgrades subject to availability, while others offer them at the hotel’s discretion. Then you have some hotels that offer confirmed suite upgrades, but even those policies differ significantly between hotel groups.
When it comes to suite upgrades, personally I think World of Hyatt wins, followed by Marriott Bonvoy, followed by IHG One Rewards, followed by Hilton Honors. Admittedly people will have different takes, though, depending on their hotel stay patterns.
What has your experience been with elite status suite upgrades at hotels? Which program is your favorite?
IHG CSU is a joke as it excludes most rates and has so many caveats that I wasn't able to use it even once despite many IHG stays. I no longer choose them as a milestone reward, it's a scam.
@Samo Which hotels did you try? It worked for me. It was even applied successfully on an award stay. I used it at an IC hotel. I just called IHG to get the upgrade within the timeframe.
We travel a lot, mostly not in the US. Either staying with Hyatt Globalist Status or Marriott Titanium. I would say space available suite upgrades are about same same. We have received some surprisingly nice upgrades (the royal suite at St Regis Osaka) and been struggling to get any upgrades at properties that are notoriously stingy (Grand Hyatt Tokyo). Of course the positives and negatives pop up in both programs.
The confirmed upgrades at...
We travel a lot, mostly not in the US. Either staying with Hyatt Globalist Status or Marriott Titanium. I would say space available suite upgrades are about same same. We have received some surprisingly nice upgrades (the royal suite at St Regis Osaka) and been struggling to get any upgrades at properties that are notoriously stingy (Grand Hyatt Tokyo). Of course the positives and negatives pop up in both programs.
The confirmed upgrades at Hyatt are nice but even there, properties manage to play games to avoid applying them. Marriott's NUA are not bad, and we have gotten nice results with them but also some very odd rejections.
My experience checking in at the Hotel del Coronado (Hilton):
Front Desk (FD): Thank you for your Diamond status; we’ve honored your status with a room upgrade!
Me: Sweet, what was the upgrade?
FD: From a room with an obstructed view to a room with an unobstructed view.
Me: … thanks…
I'm IHG and Hilton Gold at the moment (had been IHG platinum for a number of years but just dropped back). There are far more IHG properties in Australia than Hilton, so I stay there more often. Ben's point about being a frequent guest at a hotel improving chances rings true, over the last couple of years I've been upgraded to a suite every time at one IHG hotel in greater Sydney, but not at...
I'm IHG and Hilton Gold at the moment (had been IHG platinum for a number of years but just dropped back). There are far more IHG properties in Australia than Hilton, so I stay there more often. Ben's point about being a frequent guest at a hotel improving chances rings true, over the last couple of years I've been upgraded to a suite every time at one IHG hotel in greater Sydney, but not at another, both of which I use frequently. At Hilton I've been told at check-in that they had upgraded me, but only to a purportedly better room, not to a suite.
I thought you had been intending to start seriously covering the Accor scheme this year. It's interesting to note that you don't mention it at all, even if suite upgrades are an explicit benefit of it.
This is also interesting in light of the comment about the likelihood of getting a Hyatt upgrade increasing with the distance from the USA. There are about 200 countries in the world and Hyatt are only present in...
I thought you had been intending to start seriously covering the Accor scheme this year. It's interesting to note that you don't mention it at all, even if suite upgrades are an explicit benefit of it.
This is also interesting in light of the comment about the likelihood of getting a Hyatt upgrade increasing with the distance from the USA. There are about 200 countries in the world and Hyatt are only present in 76 of them (Accor:110, IHG:100), with some serious coverage gaps (e.g. they don't have a single property in Brussels or Warsaw, only have one hotel in important destinations such as Ireland or the Portuguese mainland, and no presence in 24/26 states in Brazil). I would say that the possibility of a Hyatt suite upgrade is precisely zero if there's no Hyatt hotel in one's destination.
Accor upgrade nights are at the time of booking. And, functionally, upgrades are on a sliding scale. Book room tier 1 > suite tier 1. Boom room tier 2 > suite tier 2. But, no credit cards to market.
@Throwawaname good reminder. Ben has not posted an Accor stay yet but hopefully soonish since it is still in the first quarter of 2025. I would also love to know if it is worth being loyal to Accor’s hotel program as there are quite a lot of these properties outside of the U.S.
I really am in the dark about those upgrades, as I am basically a free agent who ends up with ALL Silver or Gold status without making a real effort to choose Accor over the competition- I believe the confirmed upgrade certs only appear at the Platinum level.
However, I am almost always happy with my Accor stays, and get a fair few upgrades at check in, so I do have some curiosity about...
I really am in the dark about those upgrades, as I am basically a free agent who ends up with ALL Silver or Gold status without making a real effort to choose Accor over the competition- I believe the confirmed upgrade certs only appear at the Platinum level.
However, I am almost always happy with my Accor stays, and get a fair few upgrades at check in, so I do have some curiosity about how things work at the higher levels and that's why I had been looking forward to the coverage that hasn't been forthcoming.
There's the program's policy and then there's what is experienced. It's a property by property thing. I've had out of the park upgrades. I've had express refusals in spite of abundant upgrade-eligible suites -- but, I could pay. In spite of lifetime status, I've opted out and gone in a completely different direction. And, I'm happy.
At least in theory, the program policy is there so that if a specific property refuses to upgrade you even though there's an eligible suite available, you can call corporate and they'll either force the hotel to upgrade you or give you some kind of compensation - i.e. they'll advocate for you, be responsible and enforce their own rules.
In practice, I think Hyatt does this to some extent, but it seems like Marriott just...
At least in theory, the program policy is there so that if a specific property refuses to upgrade you even though there's an eligible suite available, you can call corporate and they'll either force the hotel to upgrade you or give you some kind of compensation - i.e. they'll advocate for you, be responsible and enforce their own rules.
In practice, I think Hyatt does this to some extent, but it seems like Marriott just mostly lets hotels do what they want, terms and conditions be damned.
My understanding is that SPG used to actually penalize noncompliant hotels with monetary fines. Honestly, more programs should do that. I suppose that might make some crappier hotels decide to leave the program, but that almost might be a net positive...
(Also, hotel programs should abandon their "asset-light" business model and just own and operate their own hotels. If you leave your brand value in the hands of third-parties who don't care about the brand, of course they're going to do the bare minimum they can get away with and drag the brand down!)
Hello DCS, it's been awhile.
Sorry not sorry he’s left here.
With any luck TD will join him.
The self anointed Hilton Lifetime Diamond Travel Guru left the building
The one interesting contribution I ever saw him make, in between all the drivel and condescension, was pointing out that Hilton's website actually *does* promise space-available suite upgrades for Diamonds, even though the T&C only say upgrades "may" include suites. The language on the website:
"Space-available room upgrades
If we have a better room available, it’s yours – up to a 1-bedroom suite."
Source (you'll need to click the "Diamond" tab below the chart): https://www.hilton.com/en/hilton-honors/member-benefits/
...The one interesting contribution I ever saw him make, in between all the drivel and condescension, was pointing out that Hilton's website actually *does* promise space-available suite upgrades for Diamonds, even though the T&C only say upgrades "may" include suites. The language on the website:
"Space-available room upgrades
If we have a better room available, it’s yours – up to a 1-bedroom suite."
Source (you'll need to click the "Diamond" tab below the chart): https://www.hilton.com/en/hilton-honors/member-benefits/
There's no asterisk, no footnote, not even a qualifier like "standard" or "select."
Granted, again, these aren't the formal terms and conditions. If a Hilton refuses to upgrade a Diamond to a standard 1-bedroom suite, the guest can't just whip out the website's marketing language and say "but the site says..."; a third-party franchised Hilton is probably not bound by that promise. (Not sure how that would go if it was a directly Hilton-operated hotel...)
Just weird that the T&C don't promise suite upgrades even if available, while the marketing language plainly does.
You are close to saying Beetlejuice 3x. Be careful what you wish for.
Hi Lucky please correct IHG from 3 CSU to 4 suite upgrades after 70 nights . 20nights=1 , 40=1 , 70=2.
Also a shout out to Accor, even though you get only 2 nights after achieving platinum, and from memory 1 more for every 4000 status points (approx $1,800 USD) I have applied them at booking several months in advance and received excellent value.
Just completed a business trip to Vegas. Was upgraded to a suite. I was travelling alone. It was too much room room for one person. Don't see the point to suite upgrades when travelling alone. I would much prefer an upgrade to a lounge level room.
I love suite upgrades, even as a solo traveler! It's nice to have more space to unpack and feel more at home, even if it's just for a night or two - and with more space, the air just feels easier to breathe somehow (fresher, less 'stale'). But on the more practical side, consider:
• A separate living room means that any noise from the fridge or other appliances is kept out of the...
I love suite upgrades, even as a solo traveler! It's nice to have more space to unpack and feel more at home, even if it's just for a night or two - and with more space, the air just feels easier to breathe somehow (fresher, less 'stale'). But on the more practical side, consider:
• A separate living room means that any noise from the fridge or other appliances is kept out of the bedroom, allowing for quieter sleep (ideally this includes the central HVAC unit too, though hotels sometimes put it in the bedroom, somewhat defeating the purpose)
• You can keep your laptop in the living room, and if it randomly wakes up in the middle of the night and turns the screen on, it won't wake you up with its bright light (which has happened to me before in non-suites); also no fan noise (see previous point)
• You have one fewer potential noisy neighbor, since you are your "own neighbor" on one side of the bedroom
• Suites are sometimes stocked with better bath amenities than standard rooms
I think that it goes beyond what Ben has posted here. Only expect a possible upgrade as a Hyatt Globalist. Do not expect to be upgraded at all in any sense of that term if you are a lowly Explorist or Discoverist. These two tiers are pretty much the same as Hyatt do not care about you if you are not a Globalist. Never been upgraded as a Discoverist or Explorist. Never gotten better soft...
I think that it goes beyond what Ben has posted here. Only expect a possible upgrade as a Hyatt Globalist. Do not expect to be upgraded at all in any sense of that term if you are a lowly Explorist or Discoverist. These two tiers are pretty much the same as Hyatt do not care about you if you are not a Globalist. Never been upgraded as a Discoverist or Explorist. Never gotten better soft treatment as an Explorist when comparing it to a Discoverist. Explorist equals Discoverist except a bit more bonus points.
Not too sure about Marriott but based on so many comments on this blog and elsewhere Ben has rated Marriott too high at number two with suite upgrades. So many Marriott hotels play games with the these benefits and it is apparently not just limited to the U.S. based Marriott affiliated hotels.
As a Diamond Ambassador with IHG and a Hilton Diamond member I have been upgraded proactively much more especially in Asia and I would agree with Ben that IHG is better than Hilton. At least, I have not seen IHG try to upsell you room upgrades like at Hilton even for Hilton Gold or Diamond members. Also, IHG does not do these food and beverage credits in lieu of complimentary breakfast in the U.S.A. They actually give it as a choice of milestone benefits and IHG Diamond members can get complimentary breakfast in U.S. unlike at Hilton. Hilton’s breakfast abroad is going downhill recently and they do not care about their elites as well just like Marriott.
Although, when it comes to strictly complimentary upgrades for mid-tier members I do think IHG Platinum and Hilton Gold are better than Hyatt and Marriott. For the higher tier members, I guess Hyatt Globalist must be amazing based on these comments but after Hyatt Globalists, I think it should be IHG Diamond, then Hilton Diamond and dead last is Marriott Platinum and above.
I had been a Marriott Ambassador for years. As someone else commented, it is a property specific thing. Even being a regular guest at one particular Marriott property, it translated to no reciprocal loyalty. Zero. That single property led me from Marriott to free agency. No regrets.
@Lee that is so true. So, I would say that for some it is either Hyatt Globalist or choose another chain if cannot make it. If only mid tier or lowest elite tier then choose IHG or Hilton. Hyatt does not nothing for Explorists or Discoverists but with Hilton Gold or IHG Platinum at least you can get a better room and better soft treatment than Hyatt as they only care about Globalists.
Do you ask at check-in or just take what you get?
@ Sel, D. -- It depends. To be honest, more often than not, I just get what I'm assigned. That's for a couple of reasons.
For one, I try to stay at hotels that have decent elite recognition, or where I know they're at least doing their best. I also often confirm upgrades in advance, so have no expectations of further upgrades. And for hotels where I feel like they're playing games, I'm usually not...
@ Sel, D. -- It depends. To be honest, more often than not, I just get what I'm assigned. That's for a couple of reasons.
For one, I try to stay at hotels that have decent elite recognition, or where I know they're at least doing their best. I also often confirm upgrades in advance, so have no expectations of further upgrades. And for hotels where I feel like they're playing games, I'm usually not inclined to argue with them, because it's not like they'll typically give out an upgrade without a fight.