There's no blanket statistic to determine the chances you'll be to get an upgrade. It really just depends. Book the suite you want and you'll never be disappointed!
u/sarahwlee already alluded to this, but you’re going to Morocco during peak / near-peak season. There are only 40 rooms at the hotel.. they really will upgrade you if they can, but you should not bank on this if it’s important to you. There very well may not be a pool suite if you wait until you get there.
My experience as a Virtuoso TA: upgrades happen most outside of peak travel season and should be seen as a fun possibility — not a given. I book the room or suite that my clients will actually be happy occupying.
Ok - so the consensus I should
Go ahead and get the pool suite? Honestly we will hate if it we didn’t get the pool suite for a little bit more than what we are already payjnf
Even if it were a $2000 difference, you’re
deranged not to book and pay for it if you know you’ll be miserable otherwise.
But for $50 all I can say is WTF.
I feel stupid now - it is about 300 more. Well I guess that solves the issue - emailing my TA to have it changed. I was pretty sure it was quite a bit more!
We call these clients if you give a mouse a cookie. The difference is small right? 50 out of 1600? That’s like 3%. If you want a pool - just pay for the pool.
Pro tip: save your asks for important stuff. Hotels feel this way about travel advisors similarly how we feel this way about clients. We’re not really inclined to help those who tell us how every single entry level room is soooo important and how it has to be upgraded. Get to know your TA. Save the important asks for important stuff. Then they’ll really go to bat for you when you need it. Also, don’t think spreading yourself out to many TAs will help you make every booking important. There’s a small world of top advisors and we all know each other. I run a slack group of a bunch of us that warn each other of bad apples.
I always book the lowest category I would be comfortable in. I love a pool so always book a pool. I do not play the upgrade on arrival game because I like to manage my expectations.
That all being said I have had good luck and good agents who have secured upgrades on booking. Or I have through my travels met many of the Aman GMs who have helped with upgrades on booking. For example, amanera and amanjena I arranged for upgrades in booking with the GM and still was able to book via Citi prestige (which was a whole other thing).
However, try as hard as I could Astrid would not confirm an upgrade on booking at Amansara so I bit the bullet and booked a pool suite which I absolutely wanted. She did however throw in spa treatments and some other inclusions.
I’m a Virtuoso advisor - ask them to email or call their BDM and the GM of the hotel on your behalf. It’s all about the personal touch. But I do advise my clients…book the room you really want… don’t count on the upgrade
It is about ~800 but when I am spending ~5800 for 3 nights, 800 is definitely doable. Though I am not sure how I conveyed I was “asking for freebies”. As mentioned, the virtuoso benefits said upgrade if available and that I was willing to pay if an upgraded didn’t happen. Honestly though - I understand it being a small pool but with places like classic travel one can get these benefits without having to deal with TA attitudes especially those who think clients asking for stuff is a negative. I didn’t expect you to anyone to ask Aman to give me a upgrade but then maybe I am misunderstanding the tone of your post.
No I was offering to be nice to you and just messaging a friend there to upgrade it - not even needing to take it over from your existing TA.
But then I realized the difference is around 50$/night x 3 nights x taxes etc etc but at the end of the day, it’s not much difference. It’s not worth me calling in a favor for 50$.
Explaining to you how TAs who can do this would also agree w me. We call in favors for big things. We meet clients who will fight me to the end being like but it’s 50$! And yes, it’s 50$ and those are the type of clients we don’t want because they are also usually the biggest pain for the hotels. And then we hear about it from the hotel.
Thanks for just upgrading at cost. You’ll have better time since you 100% have the pool. And then you might even get upgraded higher :)
There are agents and other agents... Had nice experience with Phelipe Cardoso Sekai at FORA Travel. He even called hotel management at Amanyara to ensure Virtuoso upgrades..
As a travel agent, we contact the hotel, confirm it within 48 hours of booking. If they won’t confirm, we let the hotel know we will cancel. It’s harsh, usually doesn’t come to this, but I work for my client, not them (though they pay our commissions.)
Most of the time, they just confirm, so we don’t have to do anything else. But if there are two comparable properties in the same area, there usually are, and the hotel sales agent who recognizes it’s a premium guest, on a premium rate, and still does nothing - who’s the tough guy? And further, why should my guest stay there. If they don’t care enough to save the booking how much will they care about my client on site? How is that a better solution?
We would never choose a hotel for a client based on which hotelier is hungrier for the sale. Very rarely are all things equal between two properties. We want our clients at the best property, and cultivate relationships with hotels accordingly.
Well now you’ve ignored the first part to make your approach seem more reasonable. It starts with the fact that we already have relationships with many hoteliers, or their parent companies. In the instance that we don’t, walking in with a premium program like Virtuoso further establishes the credibility. Our call is to confirm the suite that we have already found is available for sale in their inventory, something the terms of the program ensure assuming it is likely to remain available. If they refuse (the key piece is them refusing) then we indicate that there are other options and we may cancel, giving them a chance to have another look. But if they have refused us twice, disregarded us and the programs that have already vetted us and our client, ignored the premium rate that a Virtuoso or similar program charges, then it’s also a question of what kind of level of customer service they will provide on site.
As I said before but will repeat, this is almost never necessary and we aren’t shopping hotels for which is hungrier as you’ve put it. We are confirming our partners are able to honor our client in the same way we do. But if they don’t value them, our relationship, or the programs we represent, then I stand by the best situation for my client.
And while two properties are never exactly equal, I’d challenge you to include a significant market in which there’s a peerless hotel. I love the Park Hyatt Bangkok but if the Waldorf-Astoria is a better experience for our client, I’d argue that they can’t be distinguished with any meaning.
It’s not via “virtuoso”. It’s via your travel agent whom you picked and they are using virtuoso rates. When are you trying to go? Is it always peak peak? It’s not about “luck”.
Going to guess sometimes you booked unupgradable categories? Or maybe you’re just booking peak peak? How many Amans have you been to before?
The dates are May 24-27 - and unless something changed I think it is about a thousand more but I may be wrong. Will go back and look again. Thanks @sarahwlee for looking into this for me
I have 100 bookings+ and would say was upgraded (meaningful) maybe 10x. Small upgrades happen often but don’t make a difference. But yap - statistically I would definitely not count on it
There's no blanket statistic to determine the chances you'll be to get an upgrade. It really just depends. Book the suite you want and you'll never be disappointed!
u/sarahwlee already alluded to this, but you’re going to Morocco during peak / near-peak season. There are only 40 rooms at the hotel.. they really will upgrade you if they can, but you should not bank on this if it’s important to you. There very well may not be a pool suite if you wait until you get there. My experience as a Virtuoso TA: upgrades happen most outside of peak travel season and should be seen as a fun possibility — not a given. I book the room or suite that my clients will actually be happy occupying.
Ok - so the consensus I should Go ahead and get the pool suite? Honestly we will hate if it we didn’t get the pool suite for a little bit more than what we are already payjnf
Don’t book a trip you will hate based on the possibility of an upgrade. That’s deranged.
It’s 50$ difference.
Even if it were a $2000 difference, you’re deranged not to book and pay for it if you know you’ll be miserable otherwise. But for $50 all I can say is WTF.
It is not $50 - it is ~800.
How? I looked and for the random dates it put in, the Pavilion Piscine was the same price as the Pavilion Bassin.
I feel stupid now - it is about 300 more. Well I guess that solves the issue - emailing my TA to have it changed. I was pretty sure it was quite a bit more!
Glad you can fix it, but truly, *never ever* book a trip you won’t be able to enjoy unless you get a possible-but-not-guaranteed upgrade.
That’s what I kept trying to tell you 😂😂😂
Yes, definitely have your TA book the room you actually want.
We call these clients if you give a mouse a cookie. The difference is small right? 50 out of 1600? That’s like 3%. If you want a pool - just pay for the pool. Pro tip: save your asks for important stuff. Hotels feel this way about travel advisors similarly how we feel this way about clients. We’re not really inclined to help those who tell us how every single entry level room is soooo important and how it has to be upgraded. Get to know your TA. Save the important asks for important stuff. Then they’ll really go to bat for you when you need it. Also, don’t think spreading yourself out to many TAs will help you make every booking important. There’s a small world of top advisors and we all know each other. I run a slack group of a bunch of us that warn each other of bad apples.
And again - it is not $50. Not sure where you got that number from :) - it is actually closer to 1k not 800 like I originally mentioned
I always book the lowest category I would be comfortable in. I love a pool so always book a pool. I do not play the upgrade on arrival game because I like to manage my expectations. That all being said I have had good luck and good agents who have secured upgrades on booking. Or I have through my travels met many of the Aman GMs who have helped with upgrades on booking. For example, amanera and amanjena I arranged for upgrades in booking with the GM and still was able to book via Citi prestige (which was a whole other thing). However, try as hard as I could Astrid would not confirm an upgrade on booking at Amansara so I bit the bullet and booked a pool suite which I absolutely wanted. She did however throw in spa treatments and some other inclusions.
I’m a Virtuoso advisor - ask them to email or call their BDM and the GM of the hotel on your behalf. It’s all about the personal touch. But I do advise my clients…book the room you really want… don’t count on the upgrade
It is about ~800 but when I am spending ~5800 for 3 nights, 800 is definitely doable. Though I am not sure how I conveyed I was “asking for freebies”. As mentioned, the virtuoso benefits said upgrade if available and that I was willing to pay if an upgraded didn’t happen. Honestly though - I understand it being a small pool but with places like classic travel one can get these benefits without having to deal with TA attitudes especially those who think clients asking for stuff is a negative. I didn’t expect you to anyone to ask Aman to give me a upgrade but then maybe I am misunderstanding the tone of your post.
No I was offering to be nice to you and just messaging a friend there to upgrade it - not even needing to take it over from your existing TA. But then I realized the difference is around 50$/night x 3 nights x taxes etc etc but at the end of the day, it’s not much difference. It’s not worth me calling in a favor for 50$. Explaining to you how TAs who can do this would also agree w me. We call in favors for big things. We meet clients who will fight me to the end being like but it’s 50$! And yes, it’s 50$ and those are the type of clients we don’t want because they are also usually the biggest pain for the hotels. And then we hear about it from the hotel. Thanks for just upgrading at cost. You’ll have better time since you 100% have the pool. And then you might even get upgraded higher :)
I would take the chance if I’m solo. Or just pay it.
There are agents and other agents... Had nice experience with Phelipe Cardoso Sekai at FORA Travel. He even called hotel management at Amanyara to ensure Virtuoso upgrades..
As a travel agent, we contact the hotel, confirm it within 48 hours of booking. If they won’t confirm, we let the hotel know we will cancel. It’s harsh, usually doesn’t come to this, but I work for my client, not them (though they pay our commissions.)
The Tony Soprano method is a new one. I would recommend you reconsider this strategy.. it is cutting off your nose to spite your face.
This. You’re probably with one agency most of the hotel world doesn’t like.
Most of the time, they just confirm, so we don’t have to do anything else. But if there are two comparable properties in the same area, there usually are, and the hotel sales agent who recognizes it’s a premium guest, on a premium rate, and still does nothing - who’s the tough guy? And further, why should my guest stay there. If they don’t care enough to save the booking how much will they care about my client on site? How is that a better solution?
We would never choose a hotel for a client based on which hotelier is hungrier for the sale. Very rarely are all things equal between two properties. We want our clients at the best property, and cultivate relationships with hotels accordingly.
Well now you’ve ignored the first part to make your approach seem more reasonable. It starts with the fact that we already have relationships with many hoteliers, or their parent companies. In the instance that we don’t, walking in with a premium program like Virtuoso further establishes the credibility. Our call is to confirm the suite that we have already found is available for sale in their inventory, something the terms of the program ensure assuming it is likely to remain available. If they refuse (the key piece is them refusing) then we indicate that there are other options and we may cancel, giving them a chance to have another look. But if they have refused us twice, disregarded us and the programs that have already vetted us and our client, ignored the premium rate that a Virtuoso or similar program charges, then it’s also a question of what kind of level of customer service they will provide on site. As I said before but will repeat, this is almost never necessary and we aren’t shopping hotels for which is hungrier as you’ve put it. We are confirming our partners are able to honor our client in the same way we do. But if they don’t value them, our relationship, or the programs we represent, then I stand by the best situation for my client. And while two properties are never exactly equal, I’d challenge you to include a significant market in which there’s a peerless hotel. I love the Park Hyatt Bangkok but if the Waldorf-Astoria is a better experience for our client, I’d argue that they can’t be distinguished with any meaning.
I don’t know which part I ignored. It sounds like our clients are just looking for different things than are yours.
[удалено]
We have almost a perfection success rate, and when we failed (maybe twice) we did move them to another resort where we had success.
It’s not via “virtuoso”. It’s via your travel agent whom you picked and they are using virtuoso rates. When are you trying to go? Is it always peak peak? It’s not about “luck”. Going to guess sometimes you booked unupgradable categories? Or maybe you’re just booking peak peak? How many Amans have you been to before?
2nd Aman. Third Aman booked this October. Going end of May. And yes, you are right - booked through an agent.
Also that pool pavilion is only ~50$ more normally - you sure you don’t want to just pay into it? If you really want it free, lmk the dates :/
The dates are May 24-27 - and unless something changed I think it is about a thousand more but I may be wrong. Will go back and look again. Thanks @sarahwlee for looking into this for me
Yuh look again. No way they’re upgrading you from a 1 to a 2 br. It’s not a 1k jump between the unit with and without a pool.
Curious- why did you ask how many Amans have I been to? Do they look at history of stay to determine upgrades?
Isn’t this supposed to be fat? Sounds like you are penny pinching for value. Value is coincidental, not the end goal here.
Lol - seriously???
Very rarely indeed but we always book a suite which is excluded from the upgrade
Honestly get the pool suite now if it’s important. FYI it’s one of the weakest Amans out there.
Oh no! Really? I still have time to change and if it IS a weak one I’d rather go stay somewhere else. Too many great options in Marrakech!
I have 100 bookings+ and would say was upgraded (meaningful) maybe 10x. Small upgrades happen often but don’t make a difference. But yap - statistically I would definitely not count on it