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Value of eStandby upgrades at time of hotel booking

by Ric Garrido
January 7, 2015
5 Comments
1224 Views

Presidential Suite for $62 per night got my attention when I saw the eStandby Upgrade offer for Radisson Salt Lake City Downtown. King Whirlpool tub for $15 extra per night. No thanks. I get those regularly in hotel rooms and rarely take a bath. Extra $25 for free breakfast and one drink per night. No thanks. I’ll bring my own beer and I can’t justify a $25 breakfast when traveling solo.

Now that Presidential Suite is something I am willing to gamble on and pay if I win the upgrade lottery.

I’ll let you know how it all works out in the end.

Nor1 eStandby Upgrades

There is a Silicon Valley company in Santa Clara, California called Nor1. Their registered trademark is “Upgrade your life.” Nor1 operates the eStandby Upgrade software technology to offer upgrade upsells to customers after they complete a hotel booking. Nor1 data shows hotels upsell their rooms at a better rate using eStandby Upgrade. The hotel benefits and the customer benefits from an upgrade for less than the room rate price for the upgraded room originally charged when booking the hotel.

Many of the major hotel chains use eStandby Upgrade.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, IHG, Fairmont, Hilton, Hyatt, Kimpton, Kempinski and others.

Analysis of eStandby Upgrade offers in Hyatt and Carlson.

The Presidential Suite upgrade offer is one I have in eStandby mode. What makes this offer especially enticing is my reservation at Radisson Salt Lake City Downtown is a points reservation for two nights using 28,000 Club Carlson points. $62 + 14,000 Club Carlson points for the Presidential Suite is a gamble I am willing to take.

Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego eStandby Upgrade

Last month I received eStandby Upgrade offers when I booked the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego during the Christmas holiday week.

San Diego Bay View $25 per night. There are not many rooms in the 1,625 room hotel without a San Diego Bay view.

Corner King $31 per night. This looks like a good upgrade offer. Not really a big savings at $9 per night.

10am Early check-in $34 one time payment. If you really need it.

$58 for 4pm late check-out. Unlikely. Check your bags at the desk and have a $58 lunch meal or harbor cruise.

$122 extra per night for 780 square feet Conference Suite or $230 extra per night for a Grand Suite.

As a Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond elite, I used one of four confirmed suite upgrades and our stay was booked into a Conference Suite within minutes of making our reservation for Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.

Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond members receive four suite upgrade certificates annually good through February of following year. They are valid for an upgrade on a hotel stay for up to 7 nights. This can be an incredible value for Hyatt stays.

I know the precise value for my suite upgrade certificate based on my eStandby Upgrade offer of $122 per night for the room I upgraded for free.

My paid room rate for Manchester Grand Hyatt was $112 per night and we stayed in a Conference Suite.

Loyalty Traveler – On the Waterfront at Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego (December 30, 2014).

Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam Saved $20 per night and will earn 40,000 bonus points.

After my booking today at Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam using the JANSAL January Winter Sale offer to book a three night stay at this hotel, I received an instant upgrade offer for my reservation.

Loyalty Traveler – Park Plaza Europe January Sale, book by Jan 7 for stays to April 12, 2015 (Jan 2, 2015).

I booked a 55 EUR ($66) Superior room and upgraded to an Executive room for an extra 20 EUR per night. My experience at Radisson Blu hotels in London during our November trip revealed Superior rooms can be quite cramped. Since we are staying three nights, the extra space will be welcome. The final rate of 75 EUR per night is $91 per night.

The rate for an Executive room without the Park Plaza promotional offer was 92 EUR per night for a prepaid, fully nonrefundable rate. I saved 51 EUR ($20 per night) on the regular rate for an Executive room for our stay taking advantage of the instant upgrade offer.

Best of all is the 3-night stay in Amsterdam is eligible for the Club Carlson 30,000 bonus points with the Extend Your Stay offer. Be sure to check your email inbox for another Club Carlson 10,000 bonus points. Many Club Carlson members, including me, received a Club Carlson email offer for 10,000 bonus points as an incentive to register for Extend Your Stay promotion by January 12, 2015 and complete an eligible 2-night or longer stay during the promotion. I had already registered for Club Carlson Extend Your Stay before I received the 10,000 points email offer. I already have three Extend Your Stay bonus points eligible reservations booked at Carlson Rezidor hotels.

Loyalty Traveler – Club Carlson Jan 12 to March 29, 2015 stays earn 15K for 2 nights, 30K for 3 nights (Jan 5, 2015)

2015 is getting a fast-track hotel start in my travels. Best of all are the low cost upgraded room opportunities I am finding as I book hotels in the places I will be visiting this winter.

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5 Comments

Simon Lant January 7, 2015

The PP Vondelpark in Amsterdam is one of my go-to locations. The business rooms are bigger, but not so different in furnishing to the superior. Usually you are in the adjacent building to reception and this is far quieter (aside from the odd tram bell or inbound AMS flight). Watch out for the strange glass shell bathrooms – not so private… Interestingly the Business rooms have a Nespresso machine but no Kettle and the Superior rooms have a kettle but no Nespresso – depends on your beverage preferences I guess… Interestingly the difference in BAR between Superior and Business is 20 EUR and the estandby is also 20 EUR so I guess it comes down to guaranteed room type… for the Saver (pre-paid, no cancellation) rates, I guess it makes a bit more sense as you outlined.
On a separate note, the best eStandby I have picked up was at Radisson Austin from City Side Room to Business Class room for 0 USD, best of all it was on an award stay, win all round.
Patrick January 8, 2015

How could a person receive upgrade offer from Nor1?
Simon Lant January 9, 2015

@Patrick, when you complete a booking and are shown the confirmation screen (also often appears on the confirmation email) you will see a banner which looks a lot like an advert for the eStandby upgrades, click it and see what you like to select.
It isn’t on all properties and bookings (might be related to rate or something?
Ric Garrido January 9, 2015

@Patrick – the images showing upgrade offers in this post are the actual Nor1 eStandby Upgrade offers I received after completing bookings for the lowest priced flexible cancellation rooms available at the hotels at the time I booked.

Upgrade offers tend to be for larger hotels with a variety of room types.

As soon as my credit card was entered and the room reservation completed, the next screen that appears is the eStandby Upgrade offers.
Charles Clarke January 10, 2015

What will you do with all that extra space. I thought this was just a night on your way to/from Park City without Kelley.

I was upgraded to a nice suite at the Crown Plaza in Denver and barely made use of the bedroom, much less the sitting area. I’ve have to be planning on having a party in the suite to need a dining room and wet bar.

I have used a hotel’s whirlpool tub a time or two, but only with my girlfriend. Doesn’t seem worth it otherwise.