How We Get a Better Hotel Room Every Time (9 Tricks That Work)
A few weeks ago, we visited Miami on our way to the Cayman Islands. We stopped at a Hyatt hotel for a few days, and we were pleasantly surprised to hear that they upgraded us to a better room.
The room was beautiful, of course, and we were so grateful to get the experience. I thought to myself, “wow, this is one of the best hotels we’ve been to!”
That was until we stopped at that same hotel on the way home from the Cayman Islands. During that time, the hotel was sold out and we (unfortunately) didn’t get upgraded. And the room they gave us was.. meh.
The difference in these rooms was so stark and it reminded me why we try to get hotel room upgrades every time we travel.
To date, we get upgraded about 70% of the time that we travel by following the tricks I’ve listed below:
1. Book Direct, Not Through A Third-Party Site
Whether you’re a frequent traveler or someone who enjoys an annual trip, you should be working toward status with a hotel brand because well.. it’s completely free and you get amazing perks.
Some hotel companies will give you free nights, others will give you room upgrades, and you can even get complimentary treats, drinks, breakfast, and more.
But the worst way to grow your status with a hotel (this is true for airlines as well) is by using third-party websites like Expedia or Booking.com
Don’t get me wrong.. it’s nice to be able to see ALL of the hotels in a single location, and you might save like $5 a night on your hotel, but you’ll be giving up a lot in return.
The biggest thing you’re giving up is your shot at an upgrade.
The hotel is paying a commission on your room, so they’re making less money on you than they are on the person who booked direct, and when there’s one nice room left and two of you want it, you’re not going to be the one who gets it.
You’re also giving up price matching. Every major hotel chain has a best rate guarantee, so if you book direct and then find the same room cheaper somewhere else within 24 hours, you can send it to them and they’ll match it.
Hilton and Marriott even knock another 25% off on top of that.
So you weren’t really saving that $5 to begin with, and you could have had all the perks too.
And then, of course, customer support. Since you didn’t book through the hotel, the hotel can’t do much for you. You’ll need to reach out to the third party site, which I can tell you is a pain in the butt. We’re talkin’ sitting on hold for hours and lots of frustrating.
And finally, when you book with a third-party site, your reservation will have zero flexibility. What I mean is that a hotel will usually work with you on a cancellation window or an early checkout if you booked with them directly, but when a third-party site owns your reservation, the front desk can’t do anything about it.
2. Get status the shortcut way
I keep saying status, but I want to back up for a second in case this is new to you.
“Status” is the hotel’s way of ranking how loyal you are. Every big chain has tiers, and the higher you go the better they treat you, so a top tier member would get free breakfast, late checkout, and first dibs on nicer rooms.
Signing up is free, and you should be doing it even if you only travel once a year.
But most people don’t think about status because it does require you to stay in the brand’s hotels for a certain number of nights per year.
And if you’re someone that doesn’t travel THAT often, this might seem pointless to you. But don’t write it off yet.
How Many Nights For Hotel Status (Top Tier)
- Hyatt Globalist: 60 nights a year
**Hyatt is widely considered the best status out there.
- Marriott Platinum: 50 nights
- Hilton Diamond: 50 nights
- IHG Platinum: 40 nights
Okay, so we can agree that no one is spending 50 nights a year in one hotel brand unless you travel full-time or for your job. And you travel that much, you likely don’t need my post.
Getting Status The Much Easier Way
But there are shortcuts.
A few credit cards will give you status, meaning they don’t require you to stay ANY nights.
- The Hilton Aspire card (Amex): This card gives you Diamond status, which is Hilton’s TOP tier, and they give it to you immediately.
The annual fee is high, but it comes with a free night certificate to be used at any resort or hotel (we’re talkin’ Bora Bora resorts here), and a lot of points.
- The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant: This card will give you Platinum status plus 25 elite nights every year. It’s also a high fee card, but Platinum status will get you as many suite upgrades and 4pm late checkout as you’d like.
- The IHG Premier card: This card gives you Platinum status for $99 a year, which is probably the best deal on this whole list if you stay at Holiday Inns and Kimptons.
Hyatt is the odd one here because they are more stingy. They will not give you Globalist status, but they do give you free elite night credits each year, plus more for spending on the card.
🚨 Important Note: Only open travel cards if you pay them off in full every month. An annual fee is worth nothing to you if you are racking up interest on the credit card each month.
Another quick tip is to pick ONE chain and stick with it. We go for Hyatt, but have also stuck with Hilton in previous years.
3. Email the hotel right after you book
This is one my favorite tricks because it takes a few extra minutes and it works the majority of the time.
As soon as you book your stay at a hotel, find the email address for that specific property. Note that htis is NOT the chain’s customer service email. It should be the front desk or concierge at the specific hotel you’re staying at. It’s usually on the property’s page or on your confirmation email.
You can also do a quick Google search to find a good email address.
From there, send a quick and friendly email.
When you’re doing this, include your confirmation number and tell them you’ll be staying at their hotel for a specific reason. Something special.
Note that I don’t lie when I write these emails. I think in general lying will backfire on you in the long run. But if you’re genuinely staying there for something special (even if it’s your birthday month), I’d let them know.
Here’s what I usually send:
Hi there! Mike and I are so excited for our stay with you on [dates], confirmation number [XXXXX]. We’re celebrating [reason], and it’s our first time in [city]. If you happen to have any complimentary upgrades or celebration amenities available during our stay, we would absolutely love that. If not, no worries at all, we’re just really looking forward to being there. My [chain] member number is [XXXXX]. Thank you so much!
It’s short and easy.
I also encourage you to always add the snippet about “if not, no worries at all” because nobody wants to give upgrades to demanding or rude guests. Be kind and you’ll likely receive kindness back.
Another important note.. Don’t panic if they don’t write back. I’d say we get a reply maybe a third of the time, and we’ve been upgraded plenty of times. They might be just adding a note to your reservation and moving on.
4. Give them a real reason
A bit more info from the recommendation above.. you’ll want to give the hotel a real reason that you deserve an upgrade.
But what counts as a “real reason”?
Here are a few things I’d consider a great opportunity for reaching out to the hotel:
- Anniversary
- Birthday
- Honeymoon
- Graduation
- New baby
- First anniversary trip since your baby was born
But you don’t need a SUPER special occasion. You just need something that’s true.
Other things might include your first time visiting the city or your first time staying at that brand. Or you’re coming back to the hotel because you love it so much. Maybe you’re traveling with a kid and needing space to spread out.
Again, no need to invent something fake. Hotels tend to get a LOT of those requests, so being honest matters. Not to mention, I feel it’s your enthusiasm that really comes through when you’re writing it. And when you’re faking it, you can’t be that enthusiastic.
Pro-Tip: If you can be specific about which room you want, I’d do it. Look at the property’s room types before you send the email. Something like, “we’d love the corner king suite if it’s available, but any suite would make our trip incredible.”
5. Break long stays into shorter ones
When a hotel gives you an upgrade, they’re giving up the chance to sell the room you’re staying in. So a one or two night upgrade might not be a big deal. But if you’re staying for 3+ days, that adds up for them, and they genuinely might not have the availability.
Therefore, shorter stays get upgraded way more often.
Obviously you shouldn’t restructure your entire trip just for this, but if you have a long stay, consider booking it as two separate stays on two separate reservations.
That will give you two shots at an upgrade instead of one. And if you get bumped up on the first booking, you can just ask the front test to stay in your current room for the second reservation, and most of the time they will say yes.
You can also tell them that you’re happy to switch rooms mid-stay if something opens up. That makes an upgrade much easier to accommodate.
6. Follow up two or three days before you arrive
The first email you sent after you booked the stay is planting the seed. But a few days out, the hotel will have a much better understanding of how the hotel occupancy looks.
They can see which suites are likely not going to sell and that’s your opportunity to get that upgrade.
Marriott’s app has a chat feature that turns on two days before your stay and it’s a great resource. Hilton and Hyatt have chat and text at some properties, too. Use this to communicate with your hotel, it makes it much much easier.
You’ll keep things light and kind. Just confirm that they got your first email and repeat your reason. If you want, you can add in one new detail if you have one.
The reason the chat works so well is that you’re usually talking to someone directly and someone that’s at the front desk at that time. That person has much more access to assigning you to a better room.
7. Go when nobody else is going
I know this trick isn’t always possible for people that are on a specific schedule, but if you can be flexible with your travels, visit hotels when fewer people will be at them.
Because you can hold the best status in the world and it means nothing if every suite is sold out.
Off-season and midweek travel are the single most underrated upgrade trick. Spending a Tuesday night in a hotel is not going to be nearly as packed or difficult to get an upgrade as a Saturday night during peak wedding season.
We tend to travel off-season anyway because we save so much money, we run into fewer people, and it’s usually more pleasant. Sure, the weather can be unpredictable in some places, but the upgrades more than make up for a cloudy day or an afternoon rain shower.
We’ve been to French Polynesia twice and both times we visited we stayed at an overwater bungalow using travel points. And during both stays, we were upgraded from the most basic overwater bungalow to fancy schmancy overwater bungalows because we went during October when few other travelers tend to go.
8. Check in late (and tell them you’re coming)
If you are looking for a hotel room upgrade, these two steps make it quite easy. First, make sure you check in to the hotel late (if possible).
Try to set up your flights to arrive later in the evening because the front desk can see what rooms are left. If there’s an empty suite and you ask politely, you will likely get that upgrade.
Apart from that, you should also let the hotel know you’re arriving late. Hotels do release rooms when guests don’t show up, and you don’t want them giving up your space to someone else.
9. ask at the front desk
There are people on Reddit with top tier status complaining they never get upgraded, and when somebody asks if they requested one, the answer is that they were too shy to ask.
Wha wha whaaaaat? All it takes is one simple question.
But you have to ask.
Of course, be nice about it. The front desk deals with a lot of people having a bad day, and somebody who walks up cheerful and pleasant is going to be a relief for them.
Then you can say something like, “We’re so excited to be here. We’re celebrating [reason] and I sent a note ahead of time hoping for an upgrade. Is there anything available?”
Pro Tip: Check the app before you get to the front desk. If you can see that suites are still bookable for that night, you can politely mention that. “I noticed the junior suite looks available in the app, is there any chance we could be moved there?”
Sometimes the answer is that it’s not available as an elite upgrade, and sometimes they go ask a manager. Either way it’s definitely worth a shot.
A bonus one: if something goes wrong, say so
I want to start this by saying that making up an excuse or being overly picky just to get an upgrade will likely backfire on you in the long run.
But if something is legitimately wrong, a broken shower, a benefit that didn’t get honored, a booking mess on their end, bring it to a manager calmly and ask what they can do to make it right. Then mention that a better room would go a long way.
Good managers want you leaving happy and a lot of them will move you to a better room.
Again, don’t manufacture complaints. It’s a junky way to move through the world. But it’s completely fair to ask for a fix if applicable.
The Wrap-Up
You will not get upgraded every time, but we do some variation of these 9 tricks each time we stay at hotels or resorts and we get upgraded about 70% of the time.
Sometimes we get a suite or a higher floor with a better view. We’ve even gotten validated parking or free breakfast. And our favorite is the free plate of desserts they send up – yum yum yum after a long travel day.
So give these a shot. You might not be able to accomplish all 9 of them, but they are worth incorporating into your hotel booking routine.
