I’m a huge fan of World of Hyatt, and overall am a very happy Globalist member. One of my favorite perks of Globalist status is the ability to earn suite upgrade awards, which are offered through the Milestone Rewards program. However, there’s one aspect of suite upgrade awards that I find frustrating, and I’m curious if I’m the only one who has this issue.
In this post:
Globalist suite upgrade awards can’t be applied online
In order to apply a suite upgrade award you need to reach out to Hyatt reservations. Okay, as someone who is not a big phone person, I don’t love that, but it’s hardly a huge deal. Hyatt’s suite upgrade awards are incredibly valuable, since each can be used to confirm a suite upgrade at the time of booking for a stay of up to seven nights.
I’ll gladly pick up the phone for that — that’s a very small price to pay for such an amazing perk. Marriott Bonvoy suite night awards can be easily redeemed online, but clear at most five days before arrival, and each is only good for one night. Meanwhile Hilton Honors doesn’t offer any sort of confirmed suite upgrade award benefits (though I’m sure a certain someone will be around in the comments section shortly to make something up about how Hilton offers unlimited confirmed suite upgrades for you and your giraffe with every stay — stay tuned!). 😉
Anyway, I digress. I wouldn’t mind all of this, except…
Hyatt has to get in touch with properties to apply upgrades
Yesterday I tried to apply a suite upgrade award at a foreign Hyatt property (I’ll let y’all guess which one). I confirmed my booking, and saw that there was one standard suite remaining during my stay. So I contacted Hyatt reservations to apply a suite upgrade award.
When you call up Hyatt reservations to apply a suite upgrade award, the representative actually has to contact the property directly in order to have the right room blocked. This can sometimes be a serious issue, especially at foreign properties with big timezone differences, where the night auditor might not be great about picking up the phone.
In yesterday’s case, the friendly representative informed me that no one was picking up at the property, so she recommended I call back later. She pointed out that it was the middle of the night at the property, so maybe I should call back late at night my time, when the morning shift arrives at the hotel.
I decided to call back a couple of hours later. The friendly representative again tried to get in touch with someone at the property, but no one answered. She offered to send an email to the hotel in hopes of them seeing it that way.
While I appreciated the effort, there was one standard suite remaining, and I was largely basing my stay around the ability to confirm a suite (or else I would have changed my dates around), so I agreed, but also decided to call back again later. I called back three hours later, and finally they were able to get in touch with someone at the property.
The thing is, this wasn’t an isolated incident. This has happened to me a couple of times before, where reservations agents couldn’t get in touch with someone on property. It just seems to me like there should be a more efficient system for everyone’s sake?
- This seems like a waste of time for customers (who have to potentially call back several times), for Hyatt phone representatives (who are wasting their time contacting the property), and for the property itself (which has yet another task to deal with)
- If Hyatt centrally can see the room is available, why isn’t there a system in place for Hyatt to be able to block a certain type of suite without having to get in touch with the property?
If this were the first time it had happened, I wouldn’t have considered it a big deal. But I’ve had this happen several times now, and it just seems odd for a global hotel group to be reliant on someone picking up on-property, especially with timezone differences.
This is hardly the biggest deal on earth, but I do think it should be a priority for World of Hyatt to fix this and make the process less of a headache.
Bottom line
Hyatt suite upgrade awards are one of my favorite perks of Globalist status. They’re incredibly valuable, since they can be used to confirm a standard suite at the time of booking, with no capacity controls.
Unfortunately the process of applying these upgrades sometimes leaves a bit to be desired. Not only do you have to call Hyatt reservations, but they then have to contact the property. Some hotels are better about picking up the phone than others, and this is now an issue I’ve had a few times.
Has anyone else had this issue when trying to apply a Hyatt suite upgrade award?
I have 4 Hyatt Suite Upgrades that I would like to Share / Trade for points or free nights.
How do you do that?
Some may have wondered about Hilton's new and innovative global automated upgrades (GAU) I mentioned below, which this forum's host seems to have forgotten about when he stated, recycling his own old posts, that
Well, no, Hilton does now offer, automatically, so-called 'confirmed' upgrades that are quite similar to airline upgrades, based on the following statement from Hilton that VFTW, Frequent Miler...
Some may have wondered about Hilton's new and innovative global automated upgrades (GAU) I mentioned below, which this forum's host seems to have forgotten about when he stated, recycling his own old posts, that
Well, no, Hilton does now offer, automatically, so-called 'confirmed' upgrades that are quite similar to airline upgrades, based on the following statement from Hilton that VFTW, Frequent Miler and others, but not this site, reported back in November. Here's Hilton Honors' statement on their new GAU (emphasis mine):
See? No need to call anyone to 'confirm' these upgrades, they are automated, and hotels cannot opt out - a trifecta that only HH's GAU can claim!
That is why one needs to take with a huge grain of salt whatever one reads in the travel blogosphere echo chamber of made-up and self-serving standards. Make fun of 'CDS' (inversion on purpose) all you like, but the non-fake, i.e. real, 'DCS' has gotten it right nearly every time, including rejecting Loyalty Lobby's widely echoed claim that the new HH automated global upgrades would give priority to those booking awards costing 100K+ per night, even if one is not a Gold or Diamond, which never made any kind of sense to me. Hilton's room upgrades are a Golds- and Diamonds-only benefit, and their standard awards are still capped at 95K per night, except at their two most 'aspirational' properties (WA Maldives and Los Cabos) where they costs 120K-150K per night. Therefore, the claim meant that the T&C were going to be amended to make room upgrades a general perk (unlikely!) and that people stupid enough to book 'premium' awards would get upgrades priority...as they should if they can afford such awards!
G'day.
I just had one that took about 2 weeks at JDV in Rome. Bit of a headache.
My Hyatt Concierge has been phenomenal in arranging upgrades, requests and bookings. Planning at least 3 days in advance has been the key to receiving the majority of my requests. I email and usually get a response with 24 hours- verbally and digitally. I would also suggest sticking to one concierge and working with that associate consistently.
In situations similar to this, sometimes it's best to book a free cancellation paid stay. Suite upgrade award can be applied to those without the agent needing to contact the property. Then later (when someone is available at the hotel) switch the stay to a standard room free night(s) award stay, asking the agent to leave the award attached.
I agree. If Hyatt can do this centrally for paid nights, they should be able...
In situations similar to this, sometimes it's best to book a free cancellation paid stay. Suite upgrade award can be applied to those without the agent needing to contact the property. Then later (when someone is available at the hotel) switch the stay to a standard room free night(s) award stay, asking the agent to leave the award attached.
I agree. If Hyatt can do this centrally for paid nights, they should be able to come up with an IT solution to do this for free night stays as well.
Once you reach 60 nights a year you should have access to My Hyatt Concierge service and you can easily email them with such upgrade request.
Yup...got one of those. Some seem to be better than others. In my case - if I'm lucky they'll respond in 3-4 days, unless on vacation, then it may be a week. In the past, they'd hand me off to another concierge when on vacation but recently it just goes unanswered and I still end up having to call. Of 200 nights last year, I requested assistance about 5 times. 4 were total fails. 1 was useful. I get better results using twitter.
This sounds like a first-world, rich but not that rich person problem.
Have you ever been able to use the twitter Hyatt Concierge? They've helped me with so many things, so quickly. I just wonder if they could contact and get back to you.
I also always use the Twitter concierge for upgrade awards. Works great. Much, much easier than through phone.
I’ve never called. Just email the concierge assigned. Why wait on the phone?
I always use Twitter to handle upgrades. No phone call and they follow up once they've completed it.
The other frustrating thing about agents having to check with the property is that sometimes the property will say no. I had one rep stone back and say that the property has a policy of not applying suite upgrades within 24 hours of a stay. Corporate should be able to directly apply the award if a standard suite is available.
*come back
When I was Hyatt Globalist/Diamond before the pandemic I had a concierge assigned to me and I could always email them to make reservations and apply upgrades on my behalf. Aren't you Globalist, Ben? Seems like it'd be easier to have your concierge dogging the reservations agent than you doing it.
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Gaurav Community Ambassador
February 12, 2022, 12:57 pm
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Brodie Gold
February 12, 2022, 1:07 pm
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Omar Guest
February 12, 2022, 2:16 pm
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2 more repliesThat's true but the concierge would also have to contact the property and now you have no idea where you are on the concierge's to do list with only one suite available.
I think you missed the part where he said one suite was left.
In many cases, the concierge doesn't reply for several days so this is a useless perk.
As a Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador, and newly minted Hyatt Globalist, I have to give Hyatt the nod when it comes to overall loyalty appreciation. Upgrades have been far better with Hyatt as well.
So much continued whining about upgrades lmao. You entitled little children. So you gotta make a phone call to apply a suite night, who cares?
You called, dear 'guru', sir? At your service to support your claims that up is down, that a Hyatt point is worth 3x more...
You called, dear 'guru', sir? At your service to support your claims that up is down, that a Hyatt point is worth 3x more than a Hilton point, and that WoH Globalists are the only top elites of any program to get the 4th or every 5th award night completely free, the single most valuable perk in hotel loyalty, thus making it the "best" elite status there has ever been, except maybe for now-defunct SPG...
BTW, let me digress a bit here. It is unclear to a certain someone how clearing suite upgrades at check-in based on availability, which is at the sole discretion of properties, differs from clearing so-called "confirmed" suite upgrades at booking based on availability, which is a the sole discretion of properties.
A certain someone wonders how many more suite upgrades they will be able to clear thanks to Hilton's new and innovative >global automated upgrades (GAU) after they hit LF Diamond sometime around May of this year (just ~50K more base points!), which will essentially transition them to a de facto elite level above standard HH Diamond... ;-)
G'day.
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DCS Diamond
February 12, 2022, 1:50 pm
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Hyattalltheway Guest
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DCS Diamond
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UA-NYC Guest
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DCS Diamond
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DCS Diamond
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6 more repliesBTW, Hilton's complimentary suite upgrades - soon to be automated globally - are unlimited, contingent on availability, of course. Moreover, I like my chances a lot better at check-in (did I mention that in 2014 I cleared 12 of 12 complimentary suite upgrades?) relative to the virtual obstacle course that requesting so-called 'confirmed' suite upgrades seems to be: call customer support who, when they get around it, calls the property, which then exercises it discretion....
BTW, Hilton's complimentary suite upgrades - soon to be automated globally - are unlimited, contingent on availability, of course. Moreover, I like my chances a lot better at check-in (did I mention that in 2014 I cleared 12 of 12 complimentary suite upgrades?) relative to the virtual obstacle course that requesting so-called 'confirmed' suite upgrades seems to be: call customer support who, when they get around it, calls the property, which then exercises it discretion. Hmmmm...I'd be frustrated too but, hey, who cares? It's still "best" type of suite upgrade out there, available only o the "best" top elite status of the "best" program of them all ;-)
Wow in 2014 I could have bought bitcoin for $100, who the hell cares what happened 8 years ago. Diamond for all with credit card = worthless chance to upgrade.
FYI, 8 years ago, we were being assured that clearing 4 'confirmed' HGP Diamond suite upgrades was the very definition of Nirvana, and I cleared 3 times as many 'complimentary' suite upgrades. Got it now?
Do not make claims you cannot substantiate factually. I have been a 'credit card' Diamond since 2018 and I still clear suite upgrades just fine, 3 out 4 at...
FYI, 8 years ago, we were being assured that clearing 4 'confirmed' HGP Diamond suite upgrades was the very definition of Nirvana, and I cleared 3 times as many 'complimentary' suite upgrades. Got it now?
Do not make claims you cannot substantiate factually. I have been a 'credit card' Diamond since 2018 and I still clear suite upgrades just fine, 3 out 4 at properties with suites in 2021.
BTW, you do realize that most so-called "credit card" Diamonds and those who still earn Diamond the "hard way" are one and the same, right?
G'day.
Most would say up to 28 advance confirmable suite upgrades are far far more powerful a benefit than a points diluted 5th night free for Hilton (btw nobody stays in perfect multiples of 5 days).
Keep trying to make up meaningless rules or standards that invariably fall apart in practice. There first and foremost has got to be availability, at 28 days, at check-in or whenever, or it is all moot. It's not complicated at all.
If upgrades were guaranteed to clear upon request, then, sure, there would be a clear advantage to requesting them early. However, every type of suite upgrade depends on availability,...
Keep trying to make up meaningless rules or standards that invariably fall apart in practice. There first and foremost has got to be availability, at 28 days, at check-in or whenever, or it is all moot. It's not complicated at all.
If upgrades were guaranteed to clear upon request, then, sure, there would be a clear advantage to requesting them early. However, every type of suite upgrade depends on availability, which is at the sole discretion of each property, which, reflexively, by design or just human nature, is reluctant to give suites away for free when there remains a chance that they might still be sold for revenue. It is what makes so-called 'confirmed' suite upgrades a bigger crap shoot than complimentary suite upgrades. As I understand the rule, upgrades must be 'confirmed' at booking and cannot be 'waitlisted'. So, it's confirm or bust, and it's often bust because hotels are still hoping to sell suites.
By contrast, with complimentary suite upgrades, one requests them while looking a real flesh and blood human being straight in the eyes and daring them to lie and say 'no'. Whenever I request a suite upgrade at check-in, there is usually a bona fide effort by agents to determine if any are available, which is why I often end up with the second best option for my relatively long stays: "We do not have suites available for the entire duration of your stay, but a suite will become available [tomorrow or in a couple of days] if you care to wait. Just have your bags ready and we'll send someone help you move."
That is what happens in practice, so take your "Most would say..." and shove it.
People who play the game with a "full deck" sure do, and I am sure many WoH Globalists would as well if it were an option. A 4-night stay would become totally ridiculous when one can get the 5th night for free, especially at hard to come by 'aspirational' properties. And, there is no need to stay in "perfect multiple of 5 nights", as that is precisely the beauty of it. You still get a free night (worth up to 120K or 150K HH points, equivalent to 30K or 40K WoH points) if you book 6-9 nights. When you get to 9, it gets ridiculous to stop there when you can get the 10th and a second night free... Got it now? I doubt it because you always repeat the same things over and over and over again no matter what, so I just wasted my time.
G'day.
"If upgrades were guaranteed to clear upon request"
Fortunately Hyatt does guarantee it.
Sure everything is based on availability, even looking a real flesh and blood human being straight in the eyes and daring them to lie and say 'no', they can't just magically create a new suite when they are sold out.
Properties can still play tricks with inventories, but those for upgrade are the same as for sale. So pushing it too...
"If upgrades were guaranteed to clear upon request"
Fortunately Hyatt does guarantee it.
Sure everything is based on availability, even looking a real flesh and blood human being straight in the eyes and daring them to lie and say 'no', they can't just magically create a new suite when they are sold out.
Properties can still play tricks with inventories, but those for upgrade are the same as for sale. So pushing it too much can backfire or actual paying customers.
And by the way I do agree, lots of people do stay in perfect multiples of 5 days.
But I've never been able to do or know anyone who did a perfect 4x 7 nights nights WoH upgrade in a year.
LOL. It depends on the meaning of "does guarantee", but, fortunately, you spared me the effort by contradicting in your very next sentence that ridiculous claim, another fabrication of self-anointed 'travel gurus'. Hyatt does not "guarantee" suite upgrades any more than SPG did, because:
LOL. It depends on the meaning of "does guarantee", but, fortunately, you spared me the effort by contradicting in your very next sentence that ridiculous claim, another fabrication of self-anointed 'travel gurus'. Hyatt does not "guarantee" suite upgrades any more than SPG did, because:
I did not claim that I succeed every time because I speak with someone 'live'. I simply said that I liked my chances better in that setting. As for the rest, I could not agree more because it is precisely why claims of "guaranteed" suite upgrades are just fabrications to make one's program seem better than the rest. Because upgrades, including WoH Globalists', are at the sole discretion of properties (many just managed or franchisees), it is simply silly to claim that Hyatt or any program 'guarantees' upgrades. They are not WoH's to 'guarantee' and this should not be too hard to grasp!
Some "guarantee" that is! Properties "playing games with inventories" is hardly duplicitous as it has been made out be when that is a "right" that every program's T&C gives them! Moreover, the claim that inventories for "upgrade are the same as for sale" is a misinterpretation. The inventories for upgrades are much less, which is why usually one can still book suites even though a property says no suite upgrades are available. It is just like how "no black out dates" is misinterpreted. It does mean that if "a standard room is available for booking with cash, it is also available for booking with points." It is simply the dates for redeeming standard awards that are not "blacked out" and not standard award inventories. See the difference? The only awards that I am aware that have the very same inventories as revenue rooms' are Hilton's "premium" awards (like "any time" airline awards), which is why they cost so much and are much more dynamically priced, in synchrony with revenue room rates.
Q.E.D
That is because so-called 'confirmed' suite upgrades, just 4 of them, are not "guaranteed" at all. I routinely clear twice as many 'complimentary' suite upgrades yearly, which is why claims of the purported 'supremacy' of just 4 upgrades that members have to go through hoops to confirm are quite silly to me.
G'day.
Hyatt Globalist here. Can confirm this is true and a royal pain in the ass. Drives me nuts…but don’t get me started on the Hyatt Regency Club Access Awards…had nine total left since COVID started and there is only one place in the continental US (Hyatt in Tennesse- want to say Regency Nashville), that still has a regency club. Yes, we get breakfast for free, but the award is useless. The suite upgrade must become more efficient.
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Ck Guest
February 12, 2022, 1:47 pm
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CoopDawg Guest
February 13, 2022, 2:54 am
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1 more replyThey credited folks 500 to 2500 points per award, sorry you missed that post
The Hyatt Regency Club is Open at Resort World near JFK. Beautiful stay with globalist recognition.
Once again, mediocre bloggers who don’t have the Hilton suite upgrade rules laminated and printed on a 3x5 index card mislead people about the merits of Hilton and Hyatt.
I not ONLY have suite upgrades for me and my giraffe at Hilton properties, but a helicopter landing pad for those American Idol contestants I host in my suite! Now does Hyatt do that? I think not!
G’day!
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UA-NYC Guest
February 13, 2022, 8:24 am
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DCS Diamond
February 13, 2022, 10:32 am
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1 more replyBut CDS! Surely you must realize that you live in an alternate Hilton universe where you receive benefits not specified in the TCs that literally no one else ever realizes right? And that Diamonds galore get kicked out of their rooms regularly at 12pm.
If only you had a blog catering to ones of readers where you could endlessly and repeatedly expound upon the superiority of this program…and leave this one.
LOL - They are tripping all over each other, unable to compete!
Hey, @UA-NYC, are you dyslexic or something? You just addressed "CDS", clearly a fake "DCS", as they sound just crude and stupid as you invariably do.
Come on, you guys, you can do better than that!
This is fun!
when you use a hyatt suite upgrade and it's confirmed via the concierge/rep, is the reservation supposed to update reflecting the suite that you are booked in or will the reservation still show the original room that you have booked?
asking because I applied a suite upgrade for a stay later this year via the hyatt concierge who confirmed it and i see that one of my suite upgrades has been redeemed but my reservation still shows the original room that i've booked.
Paid stays update to show the suite upgrade.
Award stays do not update. The hotel should block the suite for you, but it will not update the reservation.
Once I become a Hilton Diamond member I will be more demanding. Hotels are not at 100% occupancy and I don’t stay at luxury brands as of yet. Also my stays are almost always only 1 or 2 nights. My advice is show up to the hotel , be polite , persistent , and stay at the front desk. Don’t take no for an answer. Eventually if you get to calling the hotel brands Diamond...
Once I become a Hilton Diamond member I will be more demanding. Hotels are not at 100% occupancy and I don’t stay at luxury brands as of yet. Also my stays are almost always only 1 or 2 nights. My advice is show up to the hotel , be polite , persistent , and stay at the front desk. Don’t take no for an answer. Eventually if you get to calling the hotel brands Diamond level desk and managers are standing around it creates a scene at the front desk. They will cave in and give you your suite. Very important don’t lose your temper as long as you can do that you’re going to get what you want. The giraffe needs to wait outside in the car or go for a smoke.
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Brodie Guest
February 12, 2022, 11:24 am
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Gaurav Community Ambassador
February 12, 2022, 1:02 pm
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1 more replyWho TF wants to do that?
Pretty sure that's a riff on DCS
Concierge has no problems doing it in my experience, might just be the easiest way to go?
I have been lucky with contacting the hotel directly! Then they will call corporate on my behalf. Only PH Vienna has actually deducted a suite upgrade award. The others upgraded to a suite(above standard suite) without deducting an award from my account. But PH gave a suite to both of my rooms using only one award!
Damn it! My giraffe and I have been staying at Marriotts for years. Never a single upgrade. Hilton, here we come!
Once I tried to contact Waldorf Maldives via Hilton diamond desk, the hotel will never answer Hilton’s call. While still on the phone with Hilton, I used my husband’s phone to call Waldorf Maldives, and they picked up immediately…. It was so bizarre.
Eventually the agent decided to call the Conrad Maldives and have them transfer us to the WA.
my guess is Magma Santorini?
I much prefer the Hyatt method as you know you have a suite confirmed in advice. With Marriott upgrades you have to wait until a few days before the reservation to find out and you still may not get the upgrade.
My experiences are similar with international properties. The process of the Hyatt rep having to call the property, including domestic properties, to be rather clunky and time consuming.
I had two different experiences:
The PH Kyoto made me call back in the morning there due to time differences. As you can imagine I was on them like a hawk to get that suite upgrade.
The PH vendome told me they would mark the suite on my booking and would confirm it in several hours when they could reach them; I didn’t have to call back.
Seems pretty variable…YMMV
Not to disappoint you (tongue in cheek), but in comments to other articles on this site and others, I have come across a fair number of Hilton Diamond members (including Lifetime Diamond members) who have said that they have never received a single suite upgrade at any Hilton property . . . ever. One such member had been with Hilton 20+ years. Others have said only a handful over decades. Eventually, they say they ask...
Not to disappoint you (tongue in cheek), but in comments to other articles on this site and others, I have come across a fair number of Hilton Diamond members (including Lifetime Diamond members) who have said that they have never received a single suite upgrade at any Hilton property . . . ever. One such member had been with Hilton 20+ years. Others have said only a handful over decades. Eventually, they say they ask themselves why they waited so long to make a change.
In the hope of sparing others of the frustration, I have been quite vocal on this site and others as an anti-hotel loyalty program evangelist based on my experience as a Marriott Ambassador. In a conversation with Nick on another site, I agreed that there are a couple properties that are good about upgrades and tier benefits. And, yes, one is thankful for them. But, it is dysfunctional for a member -- enslaved to the notion of tier status -- to cling to a hotel loyalty program when fulfillment of stated benefits (including upgrades) is the exception.
If I can help spare even one person from years of frustration, I'll be happy.
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Stanley Guest
February 12, 2022, 9:41 am
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Azamaraal Guest
February 12, 2022, 8:42 pm
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1 more replyIt is probably they never stayed at Hilton properties in Asia?
Sorry. Long term Diamond. Europe/Asia/Some Africa "always" get a suite. Obviously not every time but definitely expected. Only occasionally in NA.
Suites at Conrad Bali in the suites wing are amazing. You should see the President Suite in Chongqing. The suites in the Castle in Budapest over the water .. ah to die for. All suites at Rangali. Even some suites in Hamptons - the Spokane Hampton has a couple of great suites (hotel was...
Sorry. Long term Diamond. Europe/Asia/Some Africa "always" get a suite. Obviously not every time but definitely expected. Only occasionally in NA.
Suites at Conrad Bali in the suites wing are amazing. You should see the President Suite in Chongqing. The suites in the Castle in Budapest over the water .. ah to die for. All suites at Rangali. Even some suites in Hamptons - the Spokane Hampton has a couple of great suites (hotel was once a resort but rebranded).
OTOH - my one and only memorable suite upgrade with Marriott was the JW Marriott in Bucharest which totally shocked the life out of a poor Silver level. I was expecting a back room and was put on the Exec floor in a suite. So rare that I cannot ever forget.
Amusing repartee with DCS
Maybe they don’t use the same inventory/booking software, that’s why you have to call the hotline. It’s the same for accor
@Ben: Oman?
If so: did you decide to book the extra night for early check-in in the end?
I guess applying a suite upgrade decreases your chances to get an early check-in?
Maybe they are nice and give you a standard room until your suite is ready.
While I prefer instant confirmation and the process should be more automated, especially when there's only one room and I'm waiting to book other plans around this, I never spend time on the phone dealing with this issue. I email my Hyatt Concierge, say I want to book X and apply a confirmed suite upgrade. And there's always the option to DM HyattConcierge on twitter.
This should be more automated but fwiw I rarely...
While I prefer instant confirmation and the process should be more automated, especially when there's only one room and I'm waiting to book other plans around this, I never spend time on the phone dealing with this issue. I email my Hyatt Concierge, say I want to book X and apply a confirmed suite upgrade. And there's always the option to DM HyattConcierge on twitter.
This should be more automated but fwiw I rarely have difficulty confirming suites in the middle of the night local time for a property (indeed I just did one this week).
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Ben Schlappig OMAAT
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6 more replies@ Gary Leff -- I hear you, but I think that probably also reflects that you're often planning travel more in advance than I am? If you're lining up an entire itinerary (including flights and other hotels), and you're not planning that far in advance, it could be worth picking up the phone to be able to secure the room you want, especially if there's only one left. Having to wait 12-24 hours could be the difference between that suite being available and not.
@Ben Schlappig - nah, I think I just hate the phone more than you do :-)
@ Gary Leff -- I'm sorry, but that's literally not possible. ;-)
Same delay problem with Hana Maui with the big time difference & limited staff - manager is simply not there in the middle of the night to confirm!
Vail, Puerto Rico, & Big Sur are other properties I can think of off-hand where the “manager” at the property had to sign-off on with my Concierge. Assigning a greater range of authorization at each property could also help with this problem.
Calling is definitely quicker...
Same delay problem with Hana Maui with the big time difference & limited staff - manager is simply not there in the middle of the night to confirm!
Vail, Puerto Rico, & Big Sur are other properties I can think of off-hand where the “manager” at the property had to sign-off on with my Concierge. Assigning a greater range of authorization at each property could also help with this problem.
Calling is definitely quicker then twitter/email to Concierge for last-minute travel but typically the random rep you get over the phone puts you on a long hold while they try to contact the property (along with the person with enough authority). And if you get tired of waiting, the Upgrade magically finally appears in Activity.
You are so right, Ben, this “system” is antiquated (esp for last-minute travel), but I think a lot of the problem is because properties often don’t update their inventory until early morning so they don’t want to commit a room until absolutely sure they have it. Happens on any given day where the app might show suite availability but only because they haven’t yet updated their inventory system. Why properties will tell you they can’t definitely assign a regular upgrade (non-SNA) until morning of.
I had confirmed an upgrade to vail and magically 2 weeks before it was just a regular room. I was pissed but Hyatt concierge made it up to me with 60k points. This room was for the in-laws so not a big deal. My room was upgraded as per the suite upgrade award
aaahhhh . . . hear the GREAT Gary Leff "support". NOT BAD!
I guess, i can happily say, that i never liked HYATT to begin with and a company so strictly focused on US clients and giving them advantages up there Butt while international Guests suffer from getting any return . . . i pass on that Company. Which would highly count for HYATT.
No nee dto deal with such Suite upgrade issues.
aaahhhh . . . hear the GREAT Gary Leff "support". NOT BAD!
I guess, i can happily say, that i never liked HYATT to begin with and a company so strictly focused on US clients and giving them advantages up there Butt while international Guests suffer from getting any return . . . i pass on that Company. Which would highly count for HYATT.
No nee dto deal with such Suite upgrade issues.
BONVOY does it just fine for me. HILTON, always a luck game, but it's a free on top bonus, so why waste your nerves on such things too much?
I'm with you, Gary. I've never applied a suite upgrade any other way. I'm fortunate to have a great concierge, though.