Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What are room types and bed configurations?
Room types and bed configurations are the labels a hotel uses to describe what a room contains — its category, its bed or beds, and how many guests it sleeps — such as standard, superior, deluxe, twin, double, king, queen or suite. The labels belong to each brand and often to each individual property, so the same word can describe different space, different beds and different occupancy limits at two hotels, and hotel groups also use category words as brand names: IHG Hotels & Resorts groups Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and Holiday Inn Club Vacations as its Suites Collection. [2]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Category words rank rooms against each other inside one property; across brands and countries they carry no fixed size, bed or occupancy limit.
- A suite is a product line as well as a grade: IHG Hotels & Resorts sells Atwell Suites as an all-suite brand and treats Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites as its dedicated extended-stay brands, and it says other brands in the group also offer suites. [2]
- The bed you are guaranteed is the one attached to the rate; upgrades are separate. Marriott Bonvoy members can trade points or cash for a larger suite at select hotels and resorts, and Gold Elite members and above can request a Nightly Upgrade Award after booking. [5]
- Extra guests and extra rooms have their own rules: Marriott Bonvoy members can earn on up to two additional guest rooms with the same dates as their own, and at Atlantis an award stay covers the standard room rate and room tax only. [3]
What do standard, superior and deluxe mean on a hotel booking page?
These words describe a room's place on one property's own list, not a measurement. The usual convention runs from an entry category — often called standard, classic or simply the lead room type — up through superior and deluxe to suites and named specialty rooms. Within a single hotel the ladder is normally consistent, so a deluxe room is a step above a superior one at that address.
Across hotels the ladder does not transfer. Whether a deluxe room is larger, higher up, quieter, better furnished or simply in a different part of the building is a decision each property makes, and the same word at a hotel nearby can describe something else. National and brand naming adds another layer: what one group sells as a standard room another may call a classic room or a deluxe room, because the label belongs to that brand's own vocabulary rather than to a shared definition.
Groups also use category words for brands and collections rather than for a measured room grade. IHG Hotels & Resorts lists Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and Holiday Inn Club Vacations as its Suites Collection and describes that collection with choices such as full kitchens, separate bedrooms, guest social hours and outdoor shared spaces. [2] The same brand page says many other brands in the group offer suites, naming InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Kimpton, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts and select Holiday Inn properties. [2]
How are bed configuration and maximum occupancy set?
Bed configuration is the part of a room description that says what you will sleep on. A twin room is normally two separate single beds; a double room is one bed intended for two people; king and queen describe the width of a single large bed; a suite adds at least one living space to the sleeping area. These are conventions of the trade rather than regulated definitions, so the exact bed in a given room comes from the property's own description rather than from the category name.
Maximum occupancy is a separate number, set by the property and written into the rate as the number of guests the price covers. Above that number the hotel may permit an additional guest or an extra bed for a charge — the subject of hotel extra person charge — or decline the booking. Because occupancy is attached to the room rather than to the label, two rooms sold under the same category name at the same hotel can carry different limits.
Loyalty terms tend to follow the room, not the category. Under the Marriott Bonvoy programme rules, updated October 2026, a member's Qualifying Charges include charges on their own guest room and on up to two additional guest rooms with the same check-in and check-out dates, provided the member stays in one of the reserved rooms as the registered guest, gives their membership number and pays. [3] At all-inclusive properties designated by Marriott, extra-person charges on paid stays at a Qualifying Rate count as Qualifying Charges for earning. [3] At Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas, a non-branded participating property with limited participation, an Award Redemption Stay covers the standard room rate and room tax only; extra-person charges, resort fees, service charges and other property charges are the member's responsibility. [3]
What does "suite" mean at IHG Hotels & Resorts?
At IHG the word works at two levels. As a collection, the Suites Collection brings together Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and Holiday Inn Club Vacations, presented around full kitchens, separate bedrooms, guest social hours and shared outdoor spaces. [2] Within it, Atwell Suites is presented as an all-suite brand, while Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites are described as the group's dedicated extended-stay brands. [2] At brand level, IHG says several other brands also offer suites, naming InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Kimpton, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts and select Holiday Inn properties. [2]
The consequence for a booker is that "suite" is a product line as much as a rank. At an all-suite or extended-stay property the suite may be the ordinary room you are sold, with a kitchen and a separate bedroom as part of the package; at a full-service hotel it is one category among several. The label alone therefore says nothing about size, view or floor.
How do upgrades relate to the room category you booked?
An upgrade is a separate transaction laid over a booking rather than a property of the category itself. Marriott Bonvoy lists Room Upgrades, where members trade points (point upgrades) or cash (paid upgrades) for a better view or larger suite; these are available at select hotels and resorts and are applied during booking. [5] Members at Gold Elite and above have a second route: after booking, they can request a Nightly Upgrade Award from the Confirmation or Reservation Details page. [5]
Because both routes sit outside the room rate, the bed configuration and occupancy you hold are the ones attached to the rate you paid for, and an upgrade changes them only once it is applied or confirmed. It is worth reading the room description attached to the rate rather than the lead photograph, since a picture illustrates the category as a whole. Where the need is two linked rooms rather than one larger one, see connecting rooms; for the upgrade side, see suite upgrade.
Exceptions and limits
- A suite can be the entry product. Atwell Suites is positioned as an all-suite brand and Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites as dedicated extended-stay brands in the IHG Hotels & Resorts portfolio, so a suite there is the ordinary room type rather than an upgrade. [2]
- Upgrades are not universal. Marriott Bonvoy Room Upgrades are available at select hotels and resorts, [5] and the Nightly Upgrade Award route is limited to Gold Elite members and above. [5]
- Award stays and extra guests. At Atlantis the award covers the standard room rate and room tax only, leaving extra-person charges, resort fees and service charges to the member. [3]
- Additional rooms need matching dates. The Marriott Bonvoy allowance for up to two additional guest rooms applies only where the check-in and check-out dates match those of the member's own room. [3]
- Children and extra guests. Where the question is how many people a room may hold rather than which category to book, see hotel family stay policies, children and extra guests.
Frequently asked questions
Does "suite" mean the same thing at every hotel brand?
No. IHG Hotels & Resorts uses the word as a collection name for Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and says other brands in the group, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Kimpton, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts and select Holiday Inn properties, also offer suites. [2]
Can I earn points on more than one room?
Marriott Bonvoy members can earn on their own guest room plus up to two additional guest rooms with the same check-in and check-out dates, provided they stay in one of the reserved rooms as the registered guest, give their membership number and pay the charges. [3]
Are extra-person charges included in an award stay?
At Atlantis, a non-branded Marriott Bonvoy participating property with limited participation, an Award Redemption Stay covers the standard room rate and room tax only; extra-person charges, resort fees, service charges and other property charges are the member's responsibility. [3]
Can I pay to move up to a larger room or suite?
Marriott Bonvoy members can trade points (point upgrades) or cash (paid upgrades) for a better view or larger suite at select hotels and resorts, and the award is applied during booking. [5]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Room naming at other hotel groups, including Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, Accor ALL and Wyndham Rewards, is not covered here; see the glossary for related terms.
- IHG Hotels & Resorts brands and collections, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- Redeem Marriott Bonvoy points, upgrades and awards, checked 18 October 2026