Excellent thanks! It is a straight points redemption. Instead of redeeming more points for upgrade, I want to upgrade to club with cash. I find the upgrade can be low cost eg:30 bucks a night. What I think I will do is call SPG like you suggested and find out what options are available
Assuming you are a gold or platinum SPG member, they will likely put you on the club floor even without a request (assuming it's a well run hotel and there is availability). Otherwise, I don't believe you can upgrade to club with points, as those are typically still considered a regular room. What you should ask for is the 'specialty select' upgrade, which is the next upgrade. Depending on the category of the hotel this upgrade varies in point cost - for example, a cat 4 (or is it 5?) hotel would be 1,500 points per night. These upgrades are normally to the next available class beyond a regular room... Junior Suite, etc. Some hotels consider larger rooms and perhaps with a better view to be in this category...it all depends where you go. I always call SPG to inquire what room category is considered select when I'm interested in an upgrade. It's the best value for points in terms of upgrade.
I've upgraded at several hotels in Italy last year to larger rooms with great views, and at several US based hotels over the years. It's usually worth it. At the Westin Whistler, I've upgraded several times to their loft suites, which are fantastic. I wish I could say the same about the Westin Mammoth (where I'll be in a few weeks!) but they consider the same studio size room to qualify for the upgrade only with a mountain view. It's up to the hotel how to classify the rooms, so you'll get better value in some than others.
