Starting today, Marriott Bonvoy debuts its optional benefit of Nightly Upgrade Awards (NUA). Previously, it was known as the Suite Night Awards (SNA).

When Platinum or Titanium members reach 50 or 75 elite nights, they have the choice of a special benefit. One of them is 5 free upgrades.

Then, after booking a room, members can exchange these upgrades for certain higher-level room types, free of charge. Even if the room you initially booked is the smallest or cheapest in the hotel!

However, this upgrade request is never guaranteed and depends on room availability. It can be accepted or refused by the hotel, without giving any reason. You can use it when you pay for the room in points or cash.

Here are the other changes for 2024:

• These certificates will be redeemable at five additional Marriott Bonvoy brands, where they were not previously available: Ritz-Carlton, Protea, Element and Aloft ;
• Around 20% more accessible rooms and suites than before;
• Upgrades will be known up to 3 days in advance, instead of 5 days under the old system.

In other words, as the name change suggests, these certificates will be redeemable for upgrades to superior rooms, rather than being limited to suites only.

So, if you can’t get an upgrade to a suite when all the suites are already booked, you’ll have a better chance of at least getting an upgrade to a higher category. The same goes for hotels that don’t offer suites, but do offer certain room categories that are more spacious.

For customers with Platinum status and above, it is possible to get an upgrade without even requesting it, but this is not likely to be confirmed before check-in if a certificate has not been used.