How to Get a Free Hotel Upgrade

You have been working hard during the year and now it’s time for your well deserved holidays. You are planning your dream vacations and you want the best bang for your buck on your hotel

You have been working hard during the year and now it’s time for your well deserved holidays.

You are planning your dream vacations and you want the best bang for your buck on your hotel room. Do you know that you can get a free hotel upgrade? Follow these top tips to make the most of your vacation experience.

1. Join a loyalty program

Price is one of the ultimate factors for many people to decide which hotel they will book. If you have subscribed to a brand loyalty program, that is, if you stay with the same hotel chain on a regular basis and you become a member of their rewards program, you have got better chances of getting an upgrade when checking in. Take, for instance, Le Club AccorHotels who already has no fewer than 27 million members! It is totally free, it lets its guests of hotels in the group enjoy advantages and rewards in Sofitel, Pullman, Mercure, Adagio, Thalassa sea & spa hotels and more. This kind of program gives you exclusive pre-sale access, 48 hours before everyone else. You benefit from fast online booking and fast check out. The hit here is you can get a room upgrade to Gold status, subject to availability on arrival. All you have to do is ask them at the front office reception. Most of the time they will not refuse you if there is availability.

2. Stay during the offseason

Hotel prices vary for many reasons – the most common one is high demand and high prices during popular tourist months. Try to stay in the ‘off-peak season’, there is a high probability that hotels will upgrade your room or provide any additional benefits when they have a lot of empty rooms. Off-seasons are not similar in all countries, so all you will have to do is some research on the popular tourist months to make sure to avoid them! During off-peak seasons some hotels often upgrade your meal plan from bed and breakfast or half board to full board or all-inclusive. Foodies will love it!

3. Don’t book a long stay

You are less likely to get an upgrade if you are staying for a week at a hotel. They will not give you freebies if you’re already there for a while. You have a much better chance of getting a nicer hotel room if you are staying for one or two nights.

4. Say it’s your birthday! Or honeymoon, anniversary…

If it is your birthday, say it! They might offer you a free birthday cake or a free dessert at the restaurant or even decorate your room with some flowers. Hotel concierges can give extra perks to guests checking in if they are celebrating something. And it does not have to be a birthday – it can be your wedding anniversary, a bachelor party, a special family reunion or any other special occasion. For dinner, they may offer you the red table and more personalized attention and food. Musicians might play your favorite song. All in all, if it is a special day, and you can show it up at the front office at the moment you check in – for instance your ID card will prove your date of birth, a marriage certificate will show you are on honeymoon, you stand to gain something extra – be it a romantic dinner or champagne in the room.

5. Book a room in the ‘middle category’

Booking the cheapest hotel rates will minimize your chances though. Hotel managers are not likely to give you an upgrade to the penthouse suite, considering you have booked the cheapest room category. That would not be fair toward other guests who have booked better rooms than you. Look for a middle range category room and you’ll have a better chance at getting a free hotel upgrade to that presidential suite!

6. Late check-in

We all want to start our vacations as soon as possible and even trying for a free early check-in by one hour in advance. The trick here is to try to arrive in the evening when the front office will have some cancellations or no-shows that frees up the more luxury rooms. It could also be that the resort oversold your room category, and now they will have no choice but to give you a free hotel upgrade with the ocean-side view. As you see, it pays to be patient at times!

7. Negotiate by email

One last thing you can try if you are not already booking through a booking agent is to negotiate with the reservations office. Always be polite and try to play on words with them. Tell them you have been dreaming of that special holiday at their place. Picture the positive image you have about them and tell them about the good reviews you read. Flatter their work but at the same time try to push a word saying you have only that limited budget and you would far appreciate if they could help you realize your dream of staying at their place. It pays to be a little creative in your lies, but you should appear genuine at all times. This works, I did it twice!

I wish you a nice holiday ahead! For more information and tips, jot down your comments in the section below.

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