Tips on upgrading a room at check in

[reneeh63]

Have any of you had luck at snagging a better room at check in? Like arriving extra early? Slipping the clerk some cash? Is this easier to do at some chains or locations than others?

 

[Animorph]

We've snagged better rooms a couple of times, but both were because the hotel ran out of the room type we had reserved. So maybe arrive late?

 

[Aerides]

- Be a member of their preferred thingy club, and use that chain more often
- Have some special request (not near elevator, quiet floor, not ground, not high, whatever, as this limits their selection). A clerk is going to be more inclined to upgrade you to a better room that has a king because you wanted a king, than because you want an upgrade
- Ask what it would cost for a suite or something, then grimace a little and say, oh sadly no, thanks, they might throw you a bone a little.. "well let's see what I CAN do for you then..."
- Be super super nice
- Don't be in a hurry, and don't try this if there's a line of people (i know, hard to manage that one).

Arriving late may backfire on a busy day may work, but you risk getting a worse room as they start to run out, or no room.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Our successes that easily come to mind are trips to Vegas.
Once we got upgraded to a suite at after arriving late and they had run out of the category of room we booked.
The other times we were just nice to the clerk and chatty and asked if we could get a complimentary upgrade to a high floor overlooking the strip which was like a $20-50/night upgrade IIRC. Once, they even threw in line passes to the buffet. We did tip them after they were able to secure us the upgrade though.

The guidance I would give is (similar to Aerides):
Be nice to the front desk clerk.
Try to be specific on the upgrade that you are looking for (try to know the room types).
Book off the hotel site vs Expedia, Booking, Hotels, Agoda, etc.
Be part of their loyalty program

 

[Souschef]

+1 on loyalty programs
We were booked into a Holiday Inn in London, and the room was so small we could not turn around! I went and spoke to the desk clerk, and showed my Holiday Inn card.
She upgraded us to a better room, but it was 25 pounds more. BUT it came with breakfast, which would have been 20 pounds for the 2 of us.

 

[ivinsfan]

Our successes that easily come to mind are trips to Vegas.
Once we got upgraded to a suite at after arriving late and they had run out of the category of room we booked.
The other times we were just nice to the clerk and chatty and asked if we could get a complimentary upgrade to a high floor overlooking the strip which was like a $20-50/night upgrade IIRC. Once, they even threw in line passes to the buffet. We did tip them after they were able to secure us the upgrade though.

The guidance I would give is (similar to Aerides):
Be nice to the front desk clerk.
Try to be specific on the upgrade that you are looking for (try to know the room types).
Book off the hotel site vs Expedia, Booking, Hotels, Agoda, etc.
Be part of their loyalty program

I feel like Vegas is a different animal. We often meet family there as it is a good partway stop for many of us. Have your check in info or app open and ask about a better room with some tip money showing in your hand.

 

[audreyh1]

We have only occasionally been upgraded. I usually go ahead and book the type of room I want.

 

[reneeh63]

As a matter of fact, I am getting ready to head to Vegas next week - at the Venetian. Before at the Bellagio I specifically wanted to see the fountains so I was more than willing to pay for what I considered near constant "in-room entertainment". I know there is nothing comparable regarding the Venetian but a higher floor or slightly bigger room...any other extra amenities would be great!

 

[Scuba]

I usually ask for a high floor when I book the reservation online, on the hotel’s website. If you book through a third party site at a big discount (Hotwire, Priceline, etc), they have no incentive to upgrade you. I think being very polite and nice and NOT demanding is key.

 

[Ronstar]

We've slipped desk clerks in Las Vegas some cash and they have responded with room upgrades / perks

 

[Aerides]

Once we got upgraded to a suite at after arriving late and they had run out of the category of room we booked.

I worked afternoons/evenings at a hotel front desk when first out of school. A westin, nice place. Late arrivals on a busy night was almost a lottery. We were hoping for no-shows because, like planes, we always overbooked a few. I gave away an awesome suite to the last lucky guest, then "walked" the next one in line. (a walk means no rooms, we're driving you across town to the only other place we could find, and guess what, it's not as nice, because all the nice places were booked too).

When I'm arriving late by plan, I note my reservation. When it's by delay, I call the front desk when my flight lands or whatever, to let them know I'm for sure coming, because that clerk might be facing those same decisions and I don't want to be walked.

Looking for Vegas tips on hotels would almost need another thread, totally different animal to normal hotels.

 

[RunningBum]

A Hampton Inn I stayed at last year let me choose my room a day in advance, as an HHonors member. Maybe this is standard now. I hope so. It was very nice for me because I was staying 2 nights, before a marathon, and planning on hanging out in the hotel and resting the day before the race, watching college football. I looked at the room map and oriented it to a google satellite view and picked a room at the end of a hall away from an elevator (less noise), not looking into the sun (so I could have the curtains open during the day), and the end further from the interstate (less noise). It worked out well.

Reading TripAdvisor's room tips is another way to ask for what are probably better rooms.

I haven't tried asking for an upgrade.

 

[audreyh1]

A Hampton Inn I stayed at last year let me choose my room a day in advance, as an HHonors member. Maybe this is standard now. I hope so. It was very nice for me because I was staying 2 nights, before a marathon, and planning on hanging out in the hotel and resting the day before the race, watching college football. I looked at the room map and oriented it to a google satellite view and picked a room at the end of a hall away from an elevator (less noise), not looking into the sun (so I could have the curtains open during the day), and the end further from the interstate (less noise). It worked out well.

Reading TripAdvisor's room tips is another way to ask for what are probably better rooms.

I haven't tried asking for an upgrade.

This is good to know. New perk?

 

[braumeister]

A Hampton Inn I stayed at last year let me choose my room a day in advance, as an HHonors member. Maybe this is standard now. .

I've been doing that for a long time. I think most Hiltons let you do that through their app on your phone. I also like getting the digital key that way so I don't even have to go near the front desk - just go straight to my room and unlock it with my phone.

I believe Marriott is starting to follow suit with this as well.

 

[audreyh1]

I've been doing that for a long time. I think most Hiltons let you do that through their app on your phone. I also like getting the digital key that way so I don't even have to go near the front desk - just go straight to my room and unlock it with my phone.

I believe Marriott is starting to follow suit with this as well.

Gosh, I guess I’ve been out of the loop on this. Is it a early (online) check-in benefit?

 

[braumeister]

No, not at all. I think it may require making the reservation through Hilton (online or through the app).

 

[Chuckanut]

I’ve been told that smaller hotels may save upgrades for people who book direct and not through a service like Expedia. The services take a big chunk of cash.

 

[calmloki]

Heh. Some years ago we stayed at an old non-chain hotel on the Oregon coast. It was ok, but greatly improved once we changed light bulbs, shifting decent matching wattage incandescents from wall sconces to the bedside lamps and the blue cast twist fluorescents to some unused location. Shifted some furniture around to better suit the views and our wishes and put down a big Navajo rug we had bought on the trip. Nice upgrades, no problem. We did change the furniture back when we left with our rug.

 

[ivinsfan]

I’ve been told that smaller hotels may save upgrades for people who book direct and not through a service like Expedia. The services take a big chunk of cash.

The small family owned hotel we like on the beach in Mexico mentioned in passing once that Expedia clipped them for almost 30% of the nightly rental.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Lifetime Marriott Titanium here, which required 750 nights and 10 years at their highest level (which used to be called Platinum). To achieve Titanium (w/o lifetime requires 75 nights in a calendar year. You can get 15 of those nights by credit card, but that still leaves 60 body in bed nights.) When I worked for Mega-Corp, I was also Hilton Diamond along with some other programs.

While the programs vary, they try to:
1) Sell the upgraded rooms (e.g. suites)
2) Reward those travelers who return to that specific property frequently. (I would sometimes get fruit baskets, a bottle of wine, etc from a property I was at every week or so.)
3) Upgrade those with high status in their rewards programs. In fact, some of the programs have statements such as "We’ll do our best to upgrade your room (including Select Suites), based on availability at check-in. Upgrades are subject to availability identified by each hotel and limited to your personal guest room. " (This is Marriott's statement for the Titanium level.) The reality varies greatly by property on how well they strive to achieve this. In addition, some properties have a lot of upgraded rooms, while some might only have one or two suites.

Over the years, I've had some nice upgrades and plenty of run of the mill rooms. I would estimate I have over 1000 nights between the various chains. When I left mega-corp, sometimes I would get people asking me if I intended to travel a lot. Um, NO. (I do travel some, e.g. a few weeks a year worth plus some nights here and there.)

One thing I've noticed is that the probability of an upgrade is more with a shorter stay. This makes sense in that putting you in a suite has less potential cost impact to the property (in terms of not being able to rent it at a higher charge) for a one night stay versus a whole week.

 

[audreyh1]

No, not at all. I think it may require making the reservation through Hilton (online or through the app).

Oh I always reserved directly with Hilton , but never discovered these perks.

 

[braumeister]

You should explore the Hilton app. It's quite good.

 

[audreyh1]

The small family owned hotel we like on the beach in Mexico mentioned in passing once that Expedia clipped them for almost 30% of the nightly rental.

Ouch!

I usually reserve directly because it avoids a middle man which can create more hassle if things aren’t right. “I’m sorry, we don’t have that reservation.......” And in case of overbooking, direct reservations often get priority.

 

[ivinsfan]

Oh I always reserved directly with Hilton , but never discovered these perks.

I think you do need to use the App and it's a pretty good well functioning app.

 

[ivinsfan]

Ouch!

I usually reserve directly because it avoids a middle man which can create more hassle if things aren’t right. “I’m sorry, we don’t have that reservation.......” And in case of overbooking, direct reservations often get priority.

I've noticed this property continues to use Expedia but seems to limit room such as one room in each category. A little trolling for new guests without overselling the discounted rooms. In an awkward situation we traveled to the property off season and got a fantastic rate on Expedia. A guest who traveled there yearly for over 20 years heard four of us talking about how cheaply we booked and marched right to the front desk to ask for a rate adjustment.