Hotel room upgrades/hotel capacity in Maui
 

My husband and I are considering a stay at the Sheraton Maui in October. We normally go to Hawaii in October so we know that it's not very busy that time of year, even when it wasn't a recession, so we would expect this time to not be crowded at all. I've been looking at the hotel rates and there are some specials that offer a guaranteed room category upgrade or in some cases a double category upgrade, like a mountain view upgraded passed a partial ocean view up to an ocean view. The fine print says the rate reflects these upgrades, along with a couple of other freebies. What would you do -- take advantage of this "special" pricing so an upgrade or double upgrade is guaranteed, or do you think if we reserve a mountain view at non-special pricing, there's a good chance we can get an upgrade at check-in, assuming the hotel probably won't be anywhere near full capacity? I've read that hotel capacity is somewhere around 60%.

Has anyone been to the Sheraton Maui or a similar hotel nearby it lately and can comment on how crowded or empty it is, and if you were upgraded?

We have booked Terrace View rooms at the GW and been upgraded to Ocean View on 2 visits now, though on our 2nd visit we had to wait a few hours((O)) for the room to be readied, but it was really worth it. We have also switched from Ocean view condos farther from the beach on Maui, to closer to the beach and this also involved waiting a day or two for the other condo to become available. We are most grateful for the complimentary upgrades.:S-

Whats the difference in price? And would it spoil your trip if you don't buy an upgrade and they don't give you one when you arrived?

With high vacancy factors, some hotels simply close floors or sections, so there may not be that many rooms available for upgrade anyway.

I know the Hilton in Waikiki is at almost 100% occupancy, so it really depends on the hotel.

I would take the sure thing. Then you don't have to worry about it and just enjoy your arrival.

Interesting point about the hotels closing sections. The special deal is about $300 more expensive in total, but maybe that's a small price to pay so that we're not overlooking the hotel parking lot. Thanks to each of you for your input.