I have just had a rather difficult experience when trying to upgrade a points reservation. All I wanted was to book a 5 night stay on points, then upgrade it to a better room using points or cash. Not an unreasonable request you would think. But, when making the reservation I could find no facility to upgrade on the reservation page on the screen. I ended up having to contact Marriott Rewards, who directed me to the hotel. After a lot of messing around, and several phone calls and emails, I was eventually given a price for the upgrade and told there was no option at that hotel to upgrade using points. I did get my reservation sorted out after several days, but my questions are as follows.
1. As Marriott say that some hotels offer points upgrades, why cannot ALL hotels offer points upgrades at the time of booking?
2. As I can choose points/cash for a normal points redemption reservation, why isn't the facility there on the booking screen for points/cash upgrades as well?
3. I totally understand that points redemptions are for the lowest room category, but I know I am not alone in wanting to ensure that I secure a higher category room at the same time as booking. I am quite prepared to pay, so why does Marriott make this so difficult?
Josh hasn't replied as he promised to a similar question on another thread. Can Marriott please give me a proper explanation now?