This is a very simple and easy trick which you might haven’t even thought about it. It’s maybe natural for the Pros in the travel industry.
Let me share this little trick with you on how to increase your chances of a room upgrade drastically. This is not a guarantee and there are a lot of other factors in place as well to actually get these desired upgrades. Some of these factors are your elite status with a hotel or your “relationship” with a hotel. If you are a frequent guest at a hotel, even without elite status, they might also give you better rooms as you give them a lot of revenue. The little trick I want to share with you is also fundamental if you want to actually pay for a suite.
This “trick” works with every hotel out there. No matter if it’s a chain hotel or a local boutique hotel. It works all around the world and can really help you to score an upgrade if used wisely during check-in. Again there is no guarantee that you will get the upgrade, but I guarantee you that your chances will skyrocket if you do this little trick before booking a hotel.
Check for availability. Availability is key. Yes, that’s right. It’s very simple but often overlooked. You might want to just go with the cheapest room anyway and hope to get a complimentary upgrade with your status. Hyatt is pretty generous if it comes to upgrades. They almost always upgrade me when I check-in but also only because they have a better room or suite available.
During the booking process, no matter if in the app or on the web, check if there are any better rooms available at this hotel for the same timeframe. It depends on the room what you can get as an upgrade. Some hotels only have regular rooms and suites, while other properties have standard rooms, junior suites, premier suites, and so on. Some have different versions of the standard room. For example one with a view and one with a bad view. So always check what’s available at the hotel for the time you are planning to stay there.
This also depends very much on when you book. If you book weeks and months in advance, this trick might not be very helpful as they still can sell out. There is also the possibility if they are sold out of certain rooms during your planned stay, that people will cancel and better rooms get available.
This trick works more on a last-minute basis. I usually never book my rooms more than a few days in advance. By a few days I mean two or three days. Sometimes I even book for the same night. The shorter the time between booking and check-in is, the more likely this trick will work.
But even for last-minute bookings this can change if there is any special event going on in the city or a major event like weather is impacting the area and for example, lots of flights get canceled. Some hotel websites and apps, like the ones from Hilton and IHG, show you how many rooms of a certain category they still have available.
Use the “Availability Trick” also during check-in. Get your phone out and check the hotel you are about to check-in, even with a confirmed reservation, again. Enter the same details as you have on your reservation and see if there is still a better room/suite available for purchase. If so, use this to your advantage during check-in. Ask if the hotel has any upgrades available. I sometimes even ask exactly what room I would like to get upgraded too. Remember to be reasonable, don’t believe you have high chances of getting upgraded to a Presidential Suite if you booked the cheapest rooms and the hotel offers smaller suites. You could get lucky, nobody knows but it’s very unlikely.
Back to the upgrade process during check-in. Sometimes the agent will tell you that they are sold out and don’t have any suites available. That’s where you throw your ace in and tell them that you are still able to book the better room/suite online. Yes, there could be some issues with inventory and showing you wrong availability but the systems are that good nowadays that this is rather unlikely.
Both of these tricks helped me to get amazing upgrades to better rooms and suites. Don’t forget to be always polite and don’t try to push your request. This will actually minimize your chances of a complimentary upgrade.
Don’t forget that elite status, the higher the better, really helps with this trick as well. If you have no elite status, chances are rather slim.
This tip is important to remember as many hotels try to get out of offering free upgrades to elite members which they actually should get because of their status. It’s always good to be prepared and this little trick helped me a lot. Guaranteed!
The photos of the suites in this post are all places I stayed before. For some of them I received a complimentary upgrade for others I paid a minor upgrade fee myself.
Peter has a passion for Traveling, Photography, and Geocaching. These are the best ingredients for amazing adventures all over the globe. “Traveling is fun, no matter if you stay in a luxury hotel or travel like a backpacker.” Peter shares his experiences on his Blog www.gatetoadventures.com
Some of Peter’s photos are published on corporate websites, in-flight magazines, travel guides, and much more.
