Anyone who has flown with elite status on a US airline knows the upgrade list: you open the app and see exactly where you stand. Marriott Bonvoy is now testing something similar for hotel rooms. A new page in the Marriott Bonvoy app shows eligible elite members their position in line for a complimentary upgrade, along with an estimate of how many upgrades are available, before they check in.
Marriott frames this as a response to member feedback, saying members want more visibility into how complimentary upgrades work. Until now, upgrades have been a black box: you either got one at the front desk or you didn’t, with little sense of why.
Key details
- What you see: A “Complimentary Upgrade Status” screen in the app showing the estimated number of upgrades available for your dates and room type, and your current position in the queue. Members who have seen it report that their position can move up or down before arrival.
- Who gets it: Eligible elite members. The Points Guy reports it’s for Gold Elite and above, though other outlets haven’t spelled out the exact tiers.
- Where: A small number of hotels for now. Marriott plans to expand to more than 250 hotels in the US and Canada by early November 2026.
- Notifications: Members are told one day before arrival if a complimentary upgrade has been confirmed.
- Nightly Upgrade Awards: Upgrades booked with Nightly Upgrade Awards (formerly Suite Night Awards) are processed first and aren’t reflected in the numbers shown.
- Not disclosed: Marriott hasn’t published how it ranks members in the queue or which room types count as an “upgrade” (a higher floor versus a suite, for example).
In the same announcement, Marriott also previewed a new Marriott Bonvoy Lounge concept with upgraded food and drink and dedicated staff, launching in February 2027 at about 100 hotels in Asia-Pacific, with more hotels in Greater China joining in 2027. That’s less relevant for most US travelers, at least for now.
Who this affects and what to do
This matters most to Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador members, for whom suite upgrades are a headline benefit, but Gold members may see it too. There’s nothing to sign up for. If you have an upcoming stay at a US or Canadian Marriott:
- Use the app. Check your reservation in the Marriott Bonvoy app in the days before arrival, especially once you’re eligible for mobile check-in.
- Treat it as a forecast. If the screen shows zero upgrades available, it’s a useful heads-up that your odds are low, and a reason to consider applying a Nightly Upgrade Award or paying for a better room if it matters to you.
- Still ask politely. Hotels keep control over room assignments and which rooms go into the upgrade pool, so a friendly request at check-in can still help.
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Our take
More transparency is good news. Knowing in advance that you’re unlikely to be upgraded is more useful than finding out at the front desk after a long travel day, and a visible list may nudge hotels to apply the rules more consistently.
But there are real limits. A list doesn’t create more upgrade inventory, and Marriott dropped its promise of the “best available room” for elites in 2025, so hotels still decide which rooms are offered. The ranking formula isn’t public, and the screen doesn’t tell you what kind of upgrade you’d get. Some observers also suspect a system like this could eventually make it easier for Marriott to sell upgrades in advance, which would shrink the pool for elites. That hasn’t been announced, but it’s worth watching.
This is a beta, so the design, eligible tiers and hotel list could all change before or after the wider rollout.
Source: The Points Guy, One Mile at a Time, View from the Wing; Marriott Bonvoy Lounge page.
