Marriott Begins Using Automated Complimentary Upgrades Before Guests Arrive

In a move that should hopefully make the check-in process easier for Marriott’s elites — and front desk staff — the hotel giant will start using a process called Automated Complimentary Upgrades (ACU) as of today, July 14.

Previously, guests waited to see what upgrades were available at check-in when they arrived at the hotel, and this new process should let them know in advance. However, it still requires some manual effort from hotel staff.

Here’s how the new Automated Complimentary Upgrade system works at Marriott Bonvoy properties.

Previous Marriott Bonvoy Upgrade System

Guests with Marriott Bonvoy elite status are still eligible for upgrades at check-in based on availability. That won’t change.

In the old system, guests had to ask about upgrades only after they arrived at the hotel. Many elite members would check the app just before arrival, pretending to make a new reservation to see which suites or premium rooms were available. In theory, those options should have been offered to them as upgrades.

Guests with Bonvoy elite status who didn’t want to wait for check-in time could attach Nightly Upgrade Awards to their reservation to potentially receive an upgrade days in advance, assuming rooms were available. And these awards are still available. These awards begin to clear 3 or 5 days before check-in, depending on which Marriott hotel brand you’re staying at.

Marriott Moves to Automated Complimentary Upgrades

In positive news, Marriott hotels will start upgrading guests automatically — and before they arrive at the hotel to check in. This is according to documents about the process shared on Reddit.

First, the system will attempt to approve Nightly Upgrade Awards, starting 5 days before the guest’s arrival. This process will start 3 days before arrival at Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and EDITION properties.

At 3 p.m. on the day before check-in, Marriott’s new Automated Complimentary Upgrade system will start assigning room upgrades based on elite status and room types available.

This process isn’t perfect because hotel staff still have to assign rooms from the available upgrades and confirm the new room for each guest after the system makes its selection. Thus, hotels remembering to assign the rooms available for upgrades to this ACU system will be the key factor.

Final Thoughts

It remains to be seen how well the new system will work in practice, but — in theory — Bonvoy members should get notifications about their upgrades even before arriving at a hotel. That’s thanks to Marriott’s new Automated Complimentary Upgrades system. Hopefully, the technology can take some guesswork out of the check-in process.