Last year, Marriott made some changes to the Suite Nightly Upgrade Awards that it awards as a choice benefit for elite members upon hitting 50 and 75 qualifying nights within a membership year.
Overall, the changes were a mixed bag, but there was one that was universally unpopular: hotels would notify guests about their upgrade status three days prior to check-in, two days later than the five-day window that had previously existed. Given that Hyatt’s upgrade awards can be processed at booking and IHG’s can be applied up to 14 days before check-in, Marriott’s 5-day policy was already industry-lagging. Did they really need to allow two more days for the hotel to ignore the request?
Today, Loyalty Lobby flagged an about-face from Marriott in latest release of the Bonvoy terms and conditions:
(5) Nightly Upgrade Award use is based upon availability of the requested suite or Premium Room. Checking for availability begins as early as five (5) days before arrival (effective December 2024, for all brands except for EDITION, the Ritz-Carlton, and the St. Regis where fulfillment will begin at three (3) days prior to arrival).
It looks like now we’re back to the previous 5-day upgrade clearance window…with the exception of EDITION, Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties, because no one will ever confuse “Bonvoy” with “simple.”
Quick Thoughts
This is a undoubtedly positive news, but it’s a pretty minor change in reality. Hotels don’t necessarily HAVE to clear your upgrade at any given point, regardless of what the official window is. I almost never get a notification when the window first opens. It’s usually ~1-2 days out.
That said, at least Marriott’s telling us there’s a chance.
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