spg room upgrade rewards

[anitad]

I will be at a starwood property this weekend (using a free weekend award that was earned when I was at the Swan earlier this year!), the Essex House in NYC. I called the SPG number and asked about upgrade possibilities using my points (I am a gold member). I was told that the SPG system showed no club rooms available, so that I could not upgrade using either 750 or 1250 per night points. Can anyone tell me if this is a common situation? Has this happened to anyone trying to secure an upgrade using points prior to checkin (but within the 5 day window)? Has this happened to anyone, then at hotel checkin the upgraded room is available and the points redeemed at that time? I am thinking about calling the Essex House directly and asking if there are club rooms available. I have a return visit to the Swan planned for October and hope to upgrade to club level then. Any suggestions. Thank you.