When you have elite status with a hotel chain, one of your most coveted benefits is often the upgrade. Maybe it’s just to a better view, which matters a lot at a beach resort. Or perhaps it’s to a suite where you can enjoy spending more time in your room or spread out with your family.
Either way you’re getting a lot more room for the money, and possibly getting to indulge in something you wouldn’t otherwise be in a position to pay for.
That’s the promise anyway, but upgrades can be hard,
- when hotels are full
- when there are a lot of elite members at a property
- when the hotel chain doesn’t make its independently-owned locations follow the rules
Members often think that the upgrade ‘just happens’. Hotels look over who is arriving that day, see their top status members, and give them the best rooms. And sometimes that happens!
Suite at Las Alcobas, Mexico City
Guests also can be bashful. They don’t want to ask for something they don’t deserve, or get met by a check-in agent who doesn’t see the merit in their ask. They take what they’re assigned, and they’re either delighted or they grumble about it. But most people don’t do anything about it.
There are all kinds of things you can do to improve your chances of an upgrade, from communicating with the hotel in advance, to letting them know you’re unhappy with the room you’ve been assigned to once you get there, to slipping the check-in clerk some cash if you’re staying in Las Vegas (or sometimes elsewhere).
The simplest thing you can do, though, is ask about upgrades. Do not assume that you have been upgraded and certainly do not assume you’ve been given the best possible room that you’re entitled to under a program’s benefits. And you do often have to ask.
Here’s a note from the General Manager of an IHG hotel property, explaining why a Diamond elite member was not upgraded even though there were better rooms available: the member did not ask.
[Y]ou are entitled to a complimentary upgrade based on availably and request. If our valued members do not request an upgrade at check-in, we assume they are happy with the choice they have made for their rooming needs at the time of booking.
This hotel’s policy is not to upgrade guests unless they request an upgrade at check-in.
Some guests will check inventory for sale for their dates right before they check in to have an idea of what rooms are still being sold, and therefore what they should be eligible to get upgraded into. At many chains the top upgrade is the lowest level of suite. But there may not be a need to take this step (which can lead to conflict with property claiming that the chain’s website is selling rooms they don’t actually have etc).
All you need to do is ask whether there are any upgrades available? Whether they might be able to extend a further upgrade to a platinum titanium diamond elite? And if it makes you more comfortable, offer a good reason for the upgrade: ‘I’ve heard such great things about this property and was really looking forward to relaxing in a nice big room with a view’ or some such. But just ask. The worst they can say is no.
Totally agree – Lifetime Titanium w Marriott and Diamond w Hilton (only Platinum IHG and Exporist Hyatt so rarely get upgrades but I still ask). Sometimes I get notice I’ve been upgraded or confirmation a suite upgrade request w Marriott has been filled but often times I don’t hear anything. I always ask if there happens to be an upgrade available for a xxxxxxxxxxx (e.g., Diamond) member. I either get (1) we have already upgraded you, (2) let me see and then they give me some type of upgrade if only a better view or (3) get told nothing is available which I fully understand especially on a multi night stay when they hope to sell the room. I thank them for checking and never demand an upgrade or pout if I don’t get one. While I understand, and appreciate, the business requirements to sell the room if possible I also make sure I at least make the request because you never get things you don’t ask for.
Totally agree. And it reminds me of something you often say: “If you can’t tell it’s an upgrade, you didn’t get upgraded.”
I don’t consider high floor, executive level (I already get lounge access), etc., to be upgrades.
My aunt, who has no status, at check-in, always makes small talk with the person working. Then, after there’s a rapport, she will say, “this is for you”, slip them a bill ($20-$50 depending) and more often than not, she gets a better room/ upgrade. I’ve seen it countless times at hotels all over. It does work!
Nice general rule but there are plenty of times where it’s not the right approach. For instance, last month I stayed at the Hyatt Place Krakow. Even as a Globalist, suite upgrades are not offered in the rare instances where suites exist at a Hyatt Place. Upon check in I was informed that my standing preferences had all been proactively addressed and my room awaited. As I suspected, my room had been upgraded but there wasn’t much difference. I trusted that since the hotel had done everything else right they would do their best with upgrades as well, and I was correct. Sometimes it’s not worth looking crass by asking for something you’re not likely to get.
I feel like most check-in agents are trained to tell you that as an elite member you’ve been upgraded to [insert deluxe, superior, club, city view, etc room here] to preempt the question. You then have to ask the follow-up, do you have a SUITE, if that’s what you’re really looking for. It’s mildly annoying as I always feel like it’s interpreted as a DYKWIA request, but entirely possible that only the people who ask will receive. I try to keep my tone entirely friendly/inquisitive as opposed to implying that it’s something I’m entitled to.
Guests will experience an upgrade when the Hyatt Centric Sacramento hotel walks you to Motel 6 in Woodland, California, near the Sacramento Airport or the Econo Lodge Woodland near I-5 in the historic district. In addition, you will enjoy a better value because you will not get screwed by paying the compulsory, bogus Hyatt Centric Sacramento “Historical Commitment Fee” and save on additional tax.
Excellent
Always ‘ASK” but don’t demand something you aren’t entitled to or that is not available. As a front agent manager for a IHG property I have no problem whats so ever helping those that ask and are entitled to upgrades but the big thing here is to know what you are entitled to and not demand upgrades that you don’t qualify for or that are not available. I have had too many guests who come over and ‘demand’ and upgrade saying they are ABC member and status but whose status does not qualify them for what they want. Always feel free to ‘ask’ but please know that what you are entitled to.
This won’t happen where I go to all inclusive resorts in Mexico. You will be paying a lot more money for an upgrade. Maybe in a small resort in the USA. It depends on the demand and supply.
However I pick the exact room or suite I want with the Hilton app & I wouldn’t welcome an auto-upgrade and with some Hilton brands there aren’t many upgrade possibilities anyway. Still, yes, why not ask, if you’re just accepting a default room or suite assignment otherwise?
100% agree. It’s amazing how far a request and 10 or 20 bucks has gotten me over the years.
I have cut up my IHG Chase card, transferred all of my point to my airline points and won’t use an IHG hotel ever again. I checked into the Holiday Inn Kensington Station last December. The upgrade room wasn’t available until the next day. That’s OK…I understand. But then my “upgrade” room had a sink that was stopped up, a phone with most of the buttons pried off and the HVAC wasn’t working properly. COOOLLLDDDDD. I swiped a little portable heater that was “abandoned” in the hallway. That took some of the edge off. I politely complained 4 times during the 3 nights I was there. “We’ll get someone right away…” Yeah…right..NADA. They then had the gaul to charge me full price for the room. I asked to speak to the manager but…as always…”He’s in a meeting.” I would have waited until hell froze over but my taxi was waiting to take me to Heathrow. I was given “1/4 rate of my stay in points” extra to make up for it. WORTHLESS. I fought…I lost as Chase wouldn’t back me up even with pictures to prove my issues. IHG wouldn’t answer my polite business letters but had some lackey email me. I figured that I would use up my points and forget IHG. The points are worthless. I tried several hotels…some in “Podunk, Nowhere” but, “…no rooms available at that price.” BUH BYE IHG. Never again!
Upgrades are a concern of the bloggers/grammars/influencers (hah) – in the real business travel world: meh.
The vast majority of the time an upgrade is completely irrelevant to my stay. It’s just more space I’m not going to use. I’m travelling for business: give me a good bed, a quiet & dark at night room, good internet and a good shower. That should be in the basic room. I don’t need a living room or a view.
I’ll use the points I earn from my business trips and redeem them for nicer rooms if I need to when I’m leisure travel.
For years, I have advising this very strategy, which has enabled me to sleep in suites when everyone else was complaining about how they have never been offered a suite upgrade as a HH Diamond. Duh! Except in Asia, the unspoken rule seems to be that suite upgrades should not be offered proactively.
Though the chances of my being proactively upgraded to suites have gone up dramatically since I became a HH LT Diamond, I still push the envelope, like I did a week ago at Embassy Suites Chicago Magnificent Mile, an all-suites property where upgrades to “premium” suites are not even a HH Diamond benefit. I requested an free upgrade to a “King Corner Premium Suite” that I had been offered to upgrade with money and the response was: “We do have a king corner premium suite available but it is on a lower floor than your current standard suite.” I took the upgrade and it was great (better view, actually).
@Bob “Upgrades are a concern of the bloggers/grammars/influencers (hah) – in the real business travel world: meh.”
Not all stays are business stays.
I do not much care about a suite when traveling for business (though sometimes I’ll have trips where I do spend a lot of time working from a room, or want space to gather with folks).
However I love that my business travel funds travel with my wife and daughter and there the extra space means a great deal.
“I’ll use the points I earn from my business trips and redeem them for nicer rooms if I need to when I’m leisure travel.”
Tell that to IHG One Rewards.
As a Hyatt Discoverist I’ve been upgraded a couple times; both without asking. At a Hyatt Centric, on a free award night, upgraded to a suite, and they sent up a fruit tray also! At a Hyatt Regency, I was told I was upgraded to a better room, which turned out to be a two room suite. I called the front desk before unpacking just to be sure it was a *complementary* upgrade!
Yet another example that IHG is a worthless program. Less than a year after creating the breakfast benefit, they’ve watered it down. And they still can’t get properties to do upgrades. At the end of the days, IHG is competing with Choice, Wyndham and Best Western, not Hyatt and Marriott.