I recently wrote 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 wanted 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 wanted to 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 at most three days before arrival.
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 three
days in advance isn’t that far ahead to be able to confirm an upgrade.
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.
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. With that in mind, what has my experience been with the major hotel groups when it comes to space available suite upgrades?
- 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…
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?
Already suite confirmed Thompson Madrid for 4 nights during a very busy holiday period later this year.
Yet in the alternative reality DCS lives in, this simply isn’t possible, due to standard rooms not actually being standard, mistaken T&C reading, etc.
Must be nice to live in a fictional bizarroworld!
That is a total non sequitur, a straw man argument. What has been asserted is not that WoH Globalists never 'confirm' suite upgrades with certs. The law of averages says that they do, from time to time, if they get through the "The Frustrating Hyatt Suite Upgrade Award Process" (https://onemileatatime.com/insights/frustrating-hyatt-suite-upgrade-award-process/).
The objection, instead, is with the...
That is a total non sequitur, a straw man argument. What has been asserted is not that WoH Globalists never 'confirm' suite upgrades with certs. The law of averages says that they do, from time to time, if they get through the "The Frustrating Hyatt Suite Upgrade Award Process" (https://onemileatatime.com/insights/frustrating-hyatt-suite-upgrade-award-process/).
The objection, instead, is with the constant gaslighting or intellectual dishonesty that claims for WoH Globalists benefits that are so expansive and over the top that the program offers them is compelled to push back and stand its ground (for which it is accused of duplicity or "playing games"!).
Yeah, right. It's anyone who believes such garbage who lives in a fictional bizarroworld! because there is no Hyatt property out there that would 'confirm' with an upgrade cert, a suite that it believes has a high likelihood to be sold for cash. The simple logic escapes no one...It's the intellectual dishonesty that forces the tendency to simply lie and, then, with time, to gaslight.
G'day.
Italics off
In all chains but especially Hilton and Marriott, I find asking politely at checkin results in about half the suite upgrades I get. Albeit, i do often book only a day or two before. Never be afraid to ask.
In my experience the best luck to get a meaningful upgrade is the combination of being a repeat and regular guest and some level of status. The former is being more significant, as it provides value to the individual property owner.
The gaslighting of the masses continues... [formatting fxied]
The following, which is in very simple English, is verbatim from the World of Hyatt T&C:
The gaslighting of the masses continues... [formatting fxied]
The following, which is in very simple English, is verbatim from the World of Hyatt T&C:
See "sole discretion" right there? Well, that is not from Hilton Honors' T&C. With the availability of rooms for upgrades, including suites, being "in the sole discretion" of the applicable hotels, anyone can see why the following claim is yet another big lie that is nor faring any better than when it was first claimed as the SPG suite upgrade policy:
The only reason globalists do not spend more nights in suites than to the elites of any other program is that "hotels play games with availability". Yeah, right.
We provide the facts, you decide!
G'day.
There’s the law as it is written and the law as it is practiced. You live in Manhattan. You know it’s not legal, on paper, to jaywalk. You also know 99% of people jaywalk. You ought to know these people won’t be held accountable for jaywalking. In an exceedingly rare case when an Officer cites someone for jaywalking, the citation is dismissed summarily on the basis that jaywalking in Manhattan is a matter of established,...
There’s the law as it is written and the law as it is practiced. You live in Manhattan. You know it’s not legal, on paper, to jaywalk. You also know 99% of people jaywalk. You ought to know these people won’t be held accountable for jaywalking. In an exceedingly rare case when an Officer cites someone for jaywalking, the citation is dismissed summarily on the basis that jaywalking in Manhattan is a matter of established, standard practice.
The same applies to hotels. Hyatt upgrades people to suites a lot. Hilton upgrades people to suites sometimes. The T&C are meaningless pieces of drivel written by a biglaw dropout who went in-house.
Lordie, yet another kool-aid drinker" on the sauce", ready to regurgitate the bogus "Hyatt is best" mantra,,,
That is the myth. Here's the reality.
When Hyatt's loyalty program was still named Gold Passport, its top elites received just 4 so-called 'confirmed' suite upgrades and...
Lordie, yet another kool-aid drinker" on the sauce", ready to regurgitate the bogus "Hyatt is best" mantra,,,
That is the myth. Here's the reality.
When Hyatt's loyalty program was still named Gold Passport, its top elites received just 4 so-called 'confirmed' suite upgrades and no complimentary suite upgrades at all. Hilton Honors Diamonds, by contrast, received unlimited complimentary suite upgrades, based on availability. While HGP Diamonds were lucky if they 'confirmed' any of their 4 suite upgrade certs per year, I was consistent clearing up 12 complimentary suite upgrades each year ! And do you know what self-anointed "travel-gurus" were bombarding the masses with? That Hyatt Gold Passport had the best suite upgrade policy of any program. REALLY!
Then after the HGP program, as World of Hyatt, belatedly made unlimited complimentary suite upgrades, based on availability, a Globalist perk, the gaslighting began in earnest. Self-anointed "travel-gurus" began claiming for WoH Globalists, a suite upgrade policy that they had concocted and claimed to be top SPG elites':
However, just like they accused SPG hotels of duplicity and of "playing games with availability" when the program was only correctly interpreting and applying its own suite upgrades policy instead of the one concocted by self-anointed "travel gurus", Hyatt too is being accused of "playing games with availability." One would think that they would've learned by now, but they won't learn because they are certifiably insane, i.e., they will keep doing exactly the same thing and expect a different outcome.
Meanwhile, every year, I have spent and continue to spend more nights in comped suites as a HH Diamond/LT Diamond than any top Hyatt elite (GP Diamond or WoH Globalist) -- a feat that that I proved it before and am prepared to do again.
During my very recent 2023 annual Year-end Asian(TM), I stayed at 5 Hilton hotels over a 4 week period during which I was (a) proactively upgraded (i.e., without asking) to a suite 3 days before check-in at 3 properties, thanks to Hilton's new and unique global automated room upgrade scheme; (b) upgraded to a suite at check-in at one property; and (b) upgraded to a room with view rather than to suite at one resort hotel that was fully booked for New Year festivities. In fact, that was the only hotel in US or overseas where was not upgraded to suite since becoming a Lifetime Hilton Honors Diamond in May of 2022.
To recap, preceding my true, real-life experience as HH Diamond/LT Diamond, and I can prove it because I extensively and religiously chronicle, using Google Photos, all my travels with gazillion photos everything and screen captures of my upgrade notices, etc.
Correction: T&C are meaningless only to those who fabricate their own, which they would substitute for T&C of their preferred programs in order to make these seem better than they are. This site is Exhibit A. Just re-read my comment that you addressed here or that of @David (April 19, 2024, 10:27 am) just below.
G'day.
DCS offers another clear cut example of actualgaslighting and simulatenously trying to claim others are gaslighting when he says: "When Hyatt's loyalty program was still named Gold Passport, its top elites received just 4 so-called 'confirmed' suite upgrades and no complimentary suite upgrades at all."
Really just a flat out lie, as I was literally upgraded to a suite as an HGP Platinum at the Grand Hyatt Kauai on my first visit there. Upgrades could...
DCS offers another clear cut example of actualgaslighting and simulatenously trying to claim others are gaslighting when he says: "When Hyatt's loyalty program was still named Gold Passport, its top elites received just 4 so-called 'confirmed' suite upgrades and no complimentary suite upgrades at all."
Really just a flat out lie, as I was literally upgraded to a suite as an HGP Platinum at the Grand Hyatt Kauai on my first visit there. Upgrades could be given at any point.
I was also welcomed to the HR Embarcadero with a "we're putting you in our best suite" as a Diamond.
Again, he seems to think his experience with Hilton is the norm and hence it must be better than WOH.
It simply and clearly is not.
Hey, stoooopid, I too did get upgraded to a suite at Grand Hyatt Singapore and at Hyatt Regency Manila, as a HGP Platinum, and there is no universe in which anyone would claim that complimentary suite upgrades were one of...
Hey, stoooopid, I too did get upgraded to a suite at Grand Hyatt Singapore and at Hyatt Regency Manila, as a HGP Platinum, and there is no universe in which anyone would claim that complimentary suite upgrades were one of HGP Plats' benefits. That would be like saying that complimentary suite upgrades are a HH Golds' benefit because they happen to get upgraded to suites from time to time, especially in Asia. Don't take my word for it. Just ask your alter ego, the site/forum host. On this, I am sure that he will set you straight because he is well aware of when complimentary suite upgrades became an official WOH Globalists' benefit.
See, you end up with a pie in the face...yet again. Next time, try pushing your little gray cells a lot harder before crying "Eureka!" to avoid another a pie in the face...
On a recent trip to Seoul as a Hyatt globalist, I received a suite upgrade for the 12 hrs I spent at the Grand Hyatt DFW, a suite upgrade for the 15 hours spent at the Grand Hyatt ICN, and a regular room with perhaps a preferred view for the 7 nights at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. Sigh.
Longer stays are much less likely to get upgraded because that’s a lot more revenue forgone by the hotel.
I thought corporate reimburses individual hotels for anything to do with points and awards?
Unless the hotel is above a very high occupancy percentage, the amount corporate pays on a points redemption stay is at best is a break-even proposition.
The gaslighting of the masses continues...
The following, which is in very simple English, is verbatim from the World of Hyatt T&C:
<blockquote"(c) Best Room Available: Globalists will receive the best room available at the time of check-in at Hyatt hotels and resorts, including Standard Suites...
The gaslighting of the masses continues...
The following, which is in very simple English, is verbatim from the World of Hyatt T&C:
<blockquote"(c) Best Room Available: Globalists will receive the best room available at the time of check-in at Hyatt hotels and resorts, including Standard Suites and rooms with Club lounge-access. The best room available will be determined by the applicable hotel or resort in><b<its sole discretion and may vary from stay-to-stay.
See "sole discretion" right there? Well, that is not from Hilton Honors' T&C. With the availability of rooms for upgrades, including suites, being "in the sole discretion" of the applicable hotels, anyone can see why the following claim is yet another big lie that is nor faring any better than when it was first claimed as the SPG suite upgrade policy:
The only reason globalists do not spend more nights in suites than to the elites of any other program is that "hotels play games with availability". Yeah, right.
We provide the facts, you decide!
G'day.
Responded above.
It’s simply not true that if a standard suite is available at a Hyatt (that isn’t on the short list of excluded properties) is available, they must upgrade you to it.
Thompson Madrid, for example, refused to upgrade even a single category, when the standard suite (plus almost every higher category of room) was available at check in, for a room booked via Prive no less. A call into WoH customer service gets the response...
It’s simply not true that if a standard suite is available at a Hyatt (that isn’t on the short list of excluded properties) is available, they must upgrade you to it.
Thompson Madrid, for example, refused to upgrade even a single category, when the standard suite (plus almost every higher category of room) was available at check in, for a room booked via Prive no less. A call into WoH customer service gets the response that “the hotel determines what is considered available inventory”. Essentially they could have every single room and standard suite empty, but choose not to make any of them “available” at check in.
Indeed. All hotel programs now have this owner-determined available inventory provision. For me, the collective erosion of elite benefits over time turned hotel loyalty programs into a pure economic decision. Points and dollars. No subjective value. Free agency.
It has nothing to do with ownership and everything to do with the companies that manage the buildings. They are the ones that decide everything from what's in the handbook, number of FTEs, pay rates, revenue management strategy, how capital funds will be spent/not spent, etc. And certain management companies like Aimbridge have a ton of clout in the industry since they are well over 1000 properties just in North America and that goes across...
It has nothing to do with ownership and everything to do with the companies that manage the buildings. They are the ones that decide everything from what's in the handbook, number of FTEs, pay rates, revenue management strategy, how capital funds will be spent/not spent, etc. And certain management companies like Aimbridge have a ton of clout in the industry since they are well over 1000 properties just in North America and that goes across all of the major parent companies and most of their brands.
It's a very simple equation. The owner says I expect property D to make me ABC amount of dollars for this fiscal year. It's then the management company's job to make that happen however it needs to be done even if it means screwing over staff and the travelling public at the same time. The parent companies have little to no say in most of this since they don't usually own the hotel - XYZ does and then someone other than XYZ manages it.
“Must” is too absolute. Hyatt often does upgrade to suites. The other chains do so much less often. That’s the lived experience of travelers with loyalty memberships at chain hotels.
Nothing more needs to be said. Other than you are obviously not a lawyer.
While you're technically correct, in practice with Hyatt, it can often be treated that way.
There's been a handful of times where I haven't been upgraded and website shows availability... only been one time where I truly pressed, and Hyatt customer care pressured the hotel and I got the suite.
Tried the same thing at Hilton, customer care told me what the hotel told them... no availability (and it was BLATANTLY untrue).
Hyatt clearly has...
While you're technically correct, in practice with Hyatt, it can often be treated that way.
There's been a handful of times where I haven't been upgraded and website shows availability... only been one time where I truly pressed, and Hyatt customer care pressured the hotel and I got the suite.
Tried the same thing at Hilton, customer care told me what the hotel told them... no availability (and it was BLATANTLY untrue).
Hyatt clearly has some power over their franchisees, Hilton not so much.
Yes, it's absolutely true that Hyatt does give suite upgrade much more often than Hilton, even in Asia (where Hiltons do sometimes give out suites), but in this instance, Hyatt reached out to the property but the front desk associate was unwilling to budge with any sort of upgrade at all, so Hyatt basically threw their own terms at me, saying upgrade availability is at the sole discretion of the property.
Just a word of...
Yes, it's absolutely true that Hyatt does give suite upgrade much more often than Hilton, even in Asia (where Hiltons do sometimes give out suites), but in this instance, Hyatt reached out to the property but the front desk associate was unwilling to budge with any sort of upgrade at all, so Hyatt basically threw their own terms at me, saying upgrade availability is at the sole discretion of the property.
Just a word of caution, because every blogger seems to repeat the "suite long as it's available" line without adding the caveat that availability is not the same as "as long as there's an empty standard suite".
JoePro is correct. I had been a Marriott Ambassador for years. On numerous occasions, when upgrade-eligible suites were available for an entire stay, tight-fisted property owners would not grant an upgrade but would offer a paid upgrade. At one check-in in London, "This room is good enough." At the New York St. Regis, "We're not going to simply give you an upgrade." Unless the revenue needle moves, don't expect a change.
PS - Property owners care about loyalty to themselves, not to the hotel network. So, if you're fortunate enough to be a "regular" guest at a particular property, you might well experience an entire range of preferential treatment. But, if you're one-and-done at a given property . . . well . . . everyone's comments say it all.
I could say that when I was a Platinum Ambassador with IHG, I had sometimes gotten complimentary suite upgrades at Holiday Inn Express hotels as well as at Holiday Inn Hotels. Yet, I cannot recall getting a complimentary suite upgrade as a Spire Ambassador. This is still true as a Diamond Ambassador. IHG hotels whether abroad or not are quite stingy when it comes to upgrades. They are also not as generous when it comes...
I could say that when I was a Platinum Ambassador with IHG, I had sometimes gotten complimentary suite upgrades at Holiday Inn Express hotels as well as at Holiday Inn Hotels. Yet, I cannot recall getting a complimentary suite upgrade as a Spire Ambassador. This is still true as a Diamond Ambassador. IHG hotels whether abroad or not are quite stingy when it comes to upgrades. They are also not as generous when it comes to amenities. Some of these hotels go above and beyond while others do the bare minimum.
I have gotten much better luck at Hilton hotels as a Diamond member in Asia. Being a Hilton diamond member is quite meaningless in North America and Europe as in I have yet to receive a complimentary suite upgrade. So, as Ben correctly pointed out from previous articles about how hotels in Asia treat their elite members well though I would say it would range from quite well to very well. Also, as some readers pointed out sometimes the local hotels or independent hotels are so much better than the chain hotels.
Hotel policies aside, the rule of thumb is to book what you want. Since I want Suites, Hyatt is the GOAT. Whether using a nominal amount of points to upgrade or applying SUA, I can and have locked in PREMIUM suites ranging from executive to presidential. To ensure suites with Hilton, I have to pay up in cash.
*standard suites with SUAs, premium with points.
careful, you just summoned Candyman to come bless us all with 700 words that basically add up to YMMV
@Santos. Yep.
His mileage varies significantly from the vast portion of the readership here. Given his personaility traits (at least the ones he displays here), I'm not surprised he gets what he wants.
@Santos @JoePro
Candyman's manifestos are SSDD. The only variation is how he insults the person he disagrees with.
Given his personality traits I would not be surprised if lives in a dark basement with a well and a bucket. I see him petting a cute white puppy while reciting the line over and over "It rubs the lotion on it's skin ..."