Hotels Posting Signs With Number Of Elite Guests: Useful, Tacky, Or Both?

There’s potentially lots of value to having hotel elite status. However, there’s no denying that elite ranks have swelled quite a bit over the years, especially with some programs making it easy to earn top tier status with a credit card.

The way I view it, hotel elite status is still valuable for the guaranteed benefits, like complimentary breakfast, executive lounge access, late check-out, etc. However, I try to manage my expectations when it comes to complimentary upgrades, given the amount of competition for those.

Along those lines, I’d like to talk about a trend we’re increasingly seeing at some hotels, as I’m curious whether people view this as a positive or negative…

Hotels being transparent about the number of elite guests

We’ve seen a trend whereby more hotels have started to post signs at the check-in desk that state how many elite members are staying at the hotel at the moment:

• This seems to be most common at Marriott Bonvoy properties, but we’ve also seen this at some other brands
• Sometimes the sign lists the number of elite members checking in that day, other times it lists the total number of elite guests currently staying, and sometimes it lists both
• The sign is usually phrased in a way that comes across as friendly, about how happy the hotel is to welcome all of its loyal elite members; sometimes there’s also a reminder about how certain elite perks are subject to availability
• Generally these signs don’t seem to be provided by corporate, as each is different, and is done on a property level

At this point, only a very small percentage of hotels seem to have these kinds of signs. However, it does seem like this concept is spreading, slowly but surely.

I find these signs to be useful, but also sort of tacky

These kinds of signs get quite some reactions from frequent hotel guests, with people generally being in one of two camps:

• Some people view these signs as being helpful in terms of managing expectations; honestly, the signs are a reminder that we’re not that special, even if the loyalty program tries to tell us that we are
• Some people find these signs to be insulting; they think that this is essentially a way for hotels to tell us that we shouldn’t expect a whole lot

So, would it be helpful if hotels consistently had these kinds of signs? I would actually like to see that, but I don’t think it’ll ever happen.

For one, it’s not in the interest of the hotel group (rather than the individual property) to have these kinds of signs. Hotel loyalty programs want to sell you on the concept of elite status being really special, and it being something that’s worth going out of your way to earn.

When you find out that half of the guests at a hotel have a high elite tier that entitles them to space available suite upgrades, it kind of makes status something that’s not worth striving for in the same way. It reminds me of the “Come Fly With Me” clip where someone buys a speedy boarding pass, only to find out that every person on the flight has purchased the same priority boarding option.

That being said, I do think these kinds of signs are genuinely useful in helping people manage expectations. Personally, I’d actually like to see more of these, as it’s good to know where you stand.

For example, there are all kinds of elite members who are technically eligible for space available suite upgrades. Historically, the approach that many people have taken is that if they’ve seen standard suites available for sale on a hotel’s website for the day of arrival, they’ve requested an upgrade to that suite.

However, if you know that 50% of the guests at a hotel have the same status as you, maybe it puts us in our place a bit as to where we really stand.

The number of elite members at a hotel varies wildly based on the location, day of week, time of year, specific hotel, etc., and I think that’s something that many people don’t appreciate. And frankly there is no way we could appreciate it without signs like this. It’s similar to how many airlines publish the upgrade waitlist, which is useful for knowing where you stand.

I of course hope that hotels do everything they can to take care of elite guests, but if you don’t get a suite upgrade, it’s nice to know that it’s not because the hotel is being stingy, but rather because there are 100 other people with the same status as you, or maybe even higher status.

That being said, I also think these signs are kind of tacky. When you’re a customer somewhere, you don’t expect that you’re so openly compared to other customers. Of course every business has some customers that it values more than others, but you expect that comparison to happen in the background, and not so openly.

If you’re celebrating your honeymoon and are spending $2K per night to stay at a Ritz-Carlton without elite status, it doesn’t feel great to see a sign welcoming all elite members, and showing just how far the “totem pole” you are.

Bottom line

We’re seeing an increasing number of hotels that are posting signs at the check-in desk sharing how many elite guests are staying. People seem to have different reactions to these signs.

Personally I find these signs to be useful, especially when a hotel program’s elite perks are on a space available basis, so are very much competitive. At the same time, I do think openly “comparing” your customers in this way is a bit tacky. Still, on balance I consider it to be a positive, and would love to see more hotels do this.

What do you stand on these “transparent” signs from hotels — do you find them useful, insulting, or what?