Hotel loyalty programs, such as Marriott Bonvoy, offer frequent guests the promise of room upgrades when available at check-in. However, securing these upgrades can often be challenging. The sheer number of elite members—many of whom achieve Platinum status simply by holding a premium credit card—creates stiff competition. On top of that, some hotels employ tactics to avoid granting upgrades altogether.
### Why Hotels Resist Upgrades
In a recent discussion, I explored the reasons why certain hotel general managers deliberately withhold upgrades, even when suites are unoccupied. These decisions are often driven by business considerations:
– **Cost of Cleaning:** Larger rooms, like suites, are more expensive to clean. To save on housekeeping expenses, hotels may prefer to leave suites empty rather than upgrade guests.
– **Late Check-Out Challenges:** Suites are limited in number, and when a guest utilizes late check-out privileges (e.g., staying until 4 p.m.), it complicates the availability of the suite for the next guest checking in that same day.
### A Common Tactic: Delaying Suite Cleaning
One method hotels use to sidestep offering upgrades while remaining compliant with loyalty program rules is to delay cleaning suites until they are booked by paying guests. For a suite to be considered “available” for an upgrade, it must meet two criteria: it must be unbooked for the entire length of the guest’s stay, and it must be cleaned and inspected at the time of check-in. By not cleaning suites in advance, hotels can claim they are unavailable for upgrades.
A housekeeping manager shared insights into this practice on Reddit, explaining how it works in practice:
> “I’m a housekeeping manager in NYC. Right now, we are under 50% occupancy. A lot of our housekeepers are on layoff. We clean as many rooms as we can with the room attendants we have. Being under 50%, we don’t have to rush to clean the whole hotel and just bring in enough staff to cover arrivals and a bit more. Whatever dirty rooms are left are rolled over to the following day. Front desk always lets us know if specific suites/rooms are needed so we can assign them to be cleaned.”
In essence, suites that aren’t booked by paying guests are skipped during the cleaning process, making them unavailable for upgrades. If a paying guest books a suite, the front desk notifies housekeeping, and the room is cleaned. This explains why suites may still appear available for paid bookings online but are not offered as upgrades to loyalty members.
### Real-Life Examples
This tactic isn’t limited to one hotel chain. A Hyatt guest recently shared a similar experience at the Grand Hyatt Washington DC:
> “This just happened to me last month. They claimed no upgrades were available while still selling the suites online. The front desk manager finally admitted it wasn’t available because it wasn’t cleaned yet. I was checking in after 6 p.m.”
### How to Push Back
One strategy I frequently use is checking online to see if suites are available for paid bookings right before I check in. If a suite is listed as available, I can challenge the front desk when they claim no upgrades are offered. While this approach has worked for me in the past, it’s worth noting that hotels technically aren’t breaking the rules. They can argue that a suite is available for sale but not for an upgrade because it hasn’t been cleaned and inspected at the time of check-in.
### The Bigger Picture
Ultimately, some hotels have adopted this strategy to avoid offering upgrades while cutting housekeeping costs. By not cleaning suites until they are booked by paying guests, they reduce expenses and sidestep loyalty program obligations. For frequent travelers, this can be a frustrating reality, but understanding these tactics can help you navigate the system and advocate for the benefits you’ve earned.
Source: viewfromthewing.com