In theory, Marriott Bonvoy has a really generous upgrade policy for elite member, whereby Bonvoy Platinum members and above receive space available suite upgrades. However, as any frequent Marriott guest can attest to, suite upgrades are often few and far between.
While some hotels play games with upgrading guests, in many cases the lack of upgrades is simply due to the sheer number of elite members Bonvoy has, which makes it hard to deliver on those benefits. Along those lines, here are some interesting insights into how Marriott priorities upgrades.
In this post:
How Marriott Bonvoy prioritizes room upgrades
View from the Wing flags a Reddit post from a Marriott employee, explaining how front desk agents go about assigning room types and prioritizing upgrades. Publicly, Marriott doesn’t really acknowledge how it prioritizes upgrades, with all elite members eligible for upgrades having the same priority, in theory.
Therefore many people may wonder if upgrades are just at the discretion of the front desk, if it’s based on the time that you check-in, or if there’s some algorithm. Here’s what one Marriott employee explains:
The algorithm in GXP (Guest Experiences platform) arranges all guests arriving for each particular day and gives us insights about them one of which is an upgrade dashboard. The dashboard arranges guests arriving that day on an internal points system as to who are the most “valuable” guests to upgrade. Associates at the FD typically just run down that list after NUAs are awarded until upgrades are gone.
So to be clear, Nightly Upgrade Awards are prioritized first (since they clear in advance), and then there’s some sort of internal points system that’s used to rank the priority for upgrades on the day of arrival.
The person was then asked some follow-up questions regarding to what extent this is controlled by the property vs. centrally, and if check-in time matters. Here’s the answer to that:
Yes the upgrade score is wholly outside of the property’s control. The algorithm is complex and proprietary but it’s comprised of spend, status, # of nights etc. GXP gives us a ranked list every day of guests checking in and it’s a great tool to objectively assign upgrades and take the guesswork out of it.
Generally speaking most properties of moderate size and up have a designated person (e.g. Rooms Controller) who reviews all these insights each morning and balances inventory with upgrades. It would be highly unusual for an associate at the FD to then go in and override or “take someone else’s upgrade.” I always get a chuckle when I see others post their grievances about upgrades.
Arrival time usually only plays a factor in smaller properties. For limited room types like suites the Rooms Controller might put in the upgrade by changing the room type but not assigning a room, however if you arrive to early and a suite is not ready it could be given to someone else if you need to check in early.
Lack of transparency with upgrades frustrates people
Based on the above, it seems clear that Bonvoy Ambassador members clear upgrades first, followed by Bonvoy Titanium members, followed by Bonvoy Platinum members. However, beyond that, it’s a bit of a mystery:
- How does Bonvoy lifetime elite status factor into this? Does a lifetime Platinum clear ahead of a non-lifetime Platinum, or does a lifetime Platinum member earning Ambassador status clear before a non-lifetime member earning Ambassador status?
- To what extent does elite nights earned in a particular year factor into upgrade priority?
- For luxury properties, presumably a Marriott STARS booking (or other booking through a program offering an upgrade) would clear ahead of an equivalent booking not booked that way, right?
I think what causes frustration among so many elite members is the complete lack of transparency when it comes to how upgrades are processed. For example, at US airlines, elite members are generally eligible for complimentary upgrades. The upgrade list is really transparent, showing where on the list you are, how many seats are available, etc.
Admittedly I understand why that level of transparency isn’t practical for hotels, since there’s so much more at play, and many factors to consider. However, Marriott doesn’t even publicly acknowledge that a higher tier elite members gets higher upgrade priority than a lower tier elite member.
We’ve seen a trend whereby an increasing number of hotels have started posting signs with how many elite members are checking in on a particular day. While many people find that to be tacky, I at least appreciate that this offers a little bit of transparency into the process. Like, if half of the rooms are occupied with members who have Bonvoy Platinum status and above, it’s not surprising that upgrades may be limited.
Bottom line
Marriott isn’t very transparent about how elite upgrades are prioritized, so it’s interesting to get some insights from someone working the front desk at a hotel. Marriott reportedly has an internal system that automatically ranks upgrade priority for guests checking in on a particular day.
Hotels apparently generally follow this as they work their way through assigning rooms. This also explains why you might check into a hotel and still see lots of suites for sale, but not be assigned such an upgrade. With how inflated elite ranks are, it’s rare for there to be more available suites than elite members eligible for upgrades.
What do you make of how Marriott reportedly prioritizes upgrades?
As Ambassador I have hight priority. I stay 80 ish nights a year in each of 2 properties. I generally get the upgrade. Often it is not reflected by the description in the app. But I get the better room
It seems likely that the order on the list is defined by Marriott, but what a hotel does with that is a separate matter.
I do wonder from conflicting anecdotes about even within the USA, whether that is between different hotel ownerships/management.
Another reason why it would be good if the Management Company had to be displayed as prominently as the brand before booking.
Perhaps someone can set up a user-populated database of which companies manage which hotels?
Bloated number of elites is only an issue in the US. I’m Bonvoy Gold and get upgraded to club suites, rooms with a runway view, etc… about 1 in 3 times in Europe. The US is without doubt the lowest value travel destination in the world, any way you look at it.
Titanium here. The real message here is to go where you're valued. I do most of my Marriott stays, and I can't think of a time when I *wasn't* upgraded. I've even been given the presidential suite before. This is a European/American problem.
Ambassador here. Average nightly spend over the last two years is about $800/night. 200+ eqns a year. Checked in to a Westin resort. Just booked a cheap room because I'm Casper come morning. No upgrades for me despite plenty of higher level rooms for sale on the app.
That guest experience software seems to be not so good.
Book the room you want. Anything else is dependent on so many factors. There is a huge difference between a suite at a lower branded hotel versus a resort which vastly differs in product and price. Also. During slower times a resort may be busy with group guests and oversell their entry room category forcing upgrades. To one person point if you give. A longer stay an upgrade it takes away from room revenue.
And yet you keep throwing money at them? I am a Lifetime Globalist with Hyatt and can assure you I get decent (not view) upgrades 80% of the time at mid to top level properties.
Yes, I still also attain with Bonvoy and am a Lifetime Titanium, mostly due to to the footprint. But after some years as Ambassador I gave up caring other than there being no other choice. It's a lost cause.
But, hey, you do you....
The take-home message is to have no expectations of an upgrade, no matter what your status.
I don't see where it states a higher status member would get upgraded before a lower one. I can see that being "generally" the case, but a Platinum who didn't get any Marriott ccs, and qualified doing 60 or 70 nights mostly at RC Reserves, and dropping tens of thousands in just incidentals, would potentially be higher in the algorithm than Titanium (or even potentially Ambassadors), depending on how spend is weighted compared to everything else.
If someone is spending "tens of thousands" at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties they probably don't care about points or elite status.
Titanium this year and have been platinum in the past and I very rarely get an upgrade if I do not ask at check in. Ive had several Suite upgrade requests go to waste as well. For me only benefit to being higher status is banking points and late check out
Ambassador here. It is really rarely that I do not get an upgrade. (i do not travel much in the USA). I think this year 54 paid nights already. I think maximum of 3-4 without upgrade. Actually 4 more but I checkedin early and could change to a suite in the afternoon but I said give to someone else. I was alone and only sleeping in the room. Also; most of the time; I see upgrades already in the app a day before sometimes two already.
What’s your definition of an upgrade? A “high floor room” (which Marriott likes to tout in the US) doesn’t count.
We've been Titanium for 6 to 7 years. Our upgrade experience is consistently awesome with Luxury or our International travel in London, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Koh Samui Thailand, Hobart Tasmania and Auckland. Less upgrades but not bad in the USA and Canada - Whistler, Redding, California = Presidential Suite, Albuquerque - unbelievable upgrade, San Francisco, NYC, SeaTac, Denver and others. But we've also had disappointments and absolutely incomprehensible experiences at the front desk. The...
We've been Titanium for 6 to 7 years. Our upgrade experience is consistently awesome with Luxury or our International travel in London, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Koh Samui Thailand, Hobart Tasmania and Auckland. Less upgrades but not bad in the USA and Canada - Whistler, Redding, California = Presidential Suite, Albuquerque - unbelievable upgrade, San Francisco, NYC, SeaTac, Denver and others. But we've also had disappointments and absolutely incomprehensible experiences at the front desk. The other inconsistency is submitting Suite Awards in advance and getting no upgrade and arriving at the hotel and receiving a upgrade. Go figure??!!
This may be well known but my experience as a Plat is night and day when I stay outside the US vs domestic.
This year:
I've had 4 (ex-US) stays and have been upgraded to a suite at every one. Nothing applied in advance, these were comp at check in. All were Luxury Collection properties.
I've had 5 stays within the US this year, and received a suite upgrade on precisely none.
My first year Titanium and the upgrades are significantly better and more frequent than platinum. I honestly didn’t expect many upgrades as a platinum, hopefully this trend continues as Titanium.
Reading yet another post about how overcrowded Marriott status is makes me yet again wonder if the people who still swear by it and torture themselves to get Elite Titanium (or whatever it is called) every year might actually be suffering from insanity.
Upgrades are subjective. The favorite room at the favorite hotel in Tokyo is a dowgrade due to the unrefurbished nature of the room category. Status provides leverage to negotiate the desired room. Travel is solo so the size of the room isn't as important as the view.
Never mind upgrades. I would like to start by being offered the room type I booked! I booked a premier skyline view room at a Marriott in San Francisco and the hotel assigned me a terrible room — low floor, noisy, nothing premier about it. Had to personally complain to the front desk to get what I had booked and paid for. Deceptive business practices.
IMO, any property run by White Properties could care less about your Bonvoy status and will leave suites unoccupied even on a non-busy Sunday night. They are the worst mananged, stingy franchise I have experienced with Marriott as a 10 year Amassador and lifetime Titanium.
It seems likely that the order on the list is defined by Marriott, but what a hotel does with that is a separate matter.
I do wonder from conflicting anecdotes about even within the USA, whether that is between different hotel ownerships/management.
Another reason why it would be good if the Management Company had to be displayed as prominently as the brand before booking.
Perhaps someone can set up a user-populated database of which companies manage which hotels?
It is completely property-dependent. I was Ambassador for a number of years. I had an insane upgrade for which I am eternally grateful. Then, on more than one occasion, I had a manager say, "We're not simply going to give you a suite." This inconsistency that drove me away from Marriott. With lifetime status and a mountain of points, I only use certain Marriott properties for redemptions but nothing more. They'll be fine without me.
That’s the Marriott design at most, not a ranking of their properties, in my opinion:
Be a new guest (higher chance of receiving a survey) or a very loyal customer (return visits matter).
Communicate in advance as soon as the chat opens.
Act slightly like a "Karen" during check-in.
Length of stay matters ( well used too) in the past if an elite was staying more than 4 days they would be less likely to get upgraded than another elite staying 1 or 2 nights.
This is correct.
I have no data to back this up, but I would bet upgrades are much more idiosyncratic than what is purported here. I also totally disagree that arrival time doesn't matter. It's a huge factor in which room you end up getting.
Surely, mathematically, someone booking a Best Flexible Rate direct with Marriott is more valuable (literally) than someone booking via a programme like STARS, which has more perks and commission to a middle-person? Simply by how much more profit stays with Marriott? And therefore the algorithm pushes them up the list from a value perspective?
Ben, as an ambassador yourself you should noticed from the night before your upgrade at a lot of properties specially outside of the US. They run the system the previous night and allocate the rooms that way. I can always tell the day before.
Yes franchise properties can see it but it is ultimately the property’s discretion who is awarded upgrades. There is no mandate to comply with it. GXP also places upgrade priority on members with status who had a poor prior stay (regardless if at the property or not). Best way if you need to confirm an upgrade if you have status is to book (and pay for) the room type you want. Second best (if you...
Yes franchise properties can see it but it is ultimately the property’s discretion who is awarded upgrades. There is no mandate to comply with it. GXP also places upgrade priority on members with status who had a poor prior stay (regardless if at the property or not). Best way if you need to confirm an upgrade if you have status is to book (and pay for) the room type you want. Second best (if you have status) is direct outreach to the GM (find them on LinkedIn) with subtle reference that you will post generous review of hotel. Outside of that, you’re at the rooms controller’s mercy.
I stopped receiving upgrades when I became a lifetime platinum. Still traveling just as much. Weird.
Ditto here. Haven't seen a suite upgrade in several years.
All of my domestic (U.S.) travel is for business, and since I travel alone, suite upgrades aren't a priority—they simply offer more space than I need. I would much prefer upgrades that grant lounge or concierge level access, which provide more practical value during work trips.
Of course, if I were traveling for personal relaxation—say, to a beach resort—that would be a different story, and a suite upgrade would certainly be appreciated.
Of course, we don't know if this is across the board or whether it's limited to Marriott-managed properties. Can all properties, including franchised or licensed properties, worldwide see this purported upgrade list? And are hotels required to follow it?