When you travel as much as I do, you start to notice what other frequent travelers get up to. How is it that people on the same pay grade as you, working for similar sized companies, keep getting better rooms? Do they have more generous bosses or do they have a trick up their sleeve that gets them the penthouse while you’re on the 2nd floor with a generous view of the parking garage.
1. First to start with the not-free method which became popular in Las Vegas but will work in many other cities as well. Hand the check in clerk a $20 at check-in while asking if there’s a better room available. Typically, hotel room upgrades cost a lot more than $20 so doing this is a way to appeal to the clerk’s generous nature. If it works, you’re in.
2. Complain. This can backfire on you if you are too irritating. However, if you are persistent and reasonable it is hotel policy for many hotels to do anything to make you happy including upgrading your living situation. It’s rarely hard to find something to complain about in a hotel room. Does it smell a little smoky? Do you think you’ve found pet fur in a supposedly pet-free hotel? Is the humidity too high, too low? The trick is to find something you’re genuinely unhappy about and then kindly tell them at the desk. Usually you’ll either get a different room, upgrade, a discount rate, or other incentives to keep you happy.
3. Arrive for check-in late. This can work in your favor in a number of ways, as long as you actually DO have a reservation. First, if you arrive late it’s possible all the cheaper rooms are already sold out. Hotels will often overbook rooms assuming some people won’t turn up, especially if it’s late in the night. If you do show, then they have to give you a room and if only the penthouse is available then that’s what you’ll get. I once recieved a free upgrade from a cheap 1 bed room to a three room dual level suite just because I showed up after midnight and that’s all they had.