How to get a hotel upgrade

MOST travellers dream of getting a hotel upgrade but just how hard is it? Here’s what you need to do to snag that room with a view.

Glasses of wine with an ice bucket on a balcony at sunset

THERE are numerous ways to score a premium room without having to pay for the upgrade. It often requires a mix of skill, emotional intelligence and a considerable amount of luck.

For any traveller looking for a hotel upgrade, TFE Hotels have revealed their five tips for getting that room with a view.

1. Book during the low season

Being smart about the date, time and room you purchase can entitle you to an upgrade, without doing any extra work. Choose to book a room during the off-peak season when rooms are likely to be available. Hotels are often fully booked over weekends; especially when there’s a big event or concert in town.

Arrive late in the afternoon — between 3pm and 5pm is ideal — when reception has a better idea of what rooms are likely to stay empty overnight. As a result, you may just be bumped up to a more superior room.

Want that room with a view? This is what you need to do.

2. Use your manners

Manners accompanied with a smile can go a long way to make someone feel happy to help. Greet hotel team members as soon as you arrive and use your charm to stand out from other guests.

Hotel receptionists deal with travellers on a day-to-day basis so being that one person who made their day, with a compliment or witty line, could earn you some brownie points.

Yep, sucking up helps.

3. Join a loyalty program

Flattery doesn’t always get you far, sometimes it comes down to customer status. Most hotels offer benefits for loyal customers. Joining a hotel’s loyalty program and e-news database, depending on the status you have attained, may entitle you to a room upgrade.

4. Advocate your special occasion

Drop a special occasion such as an engagement or a birthday into the conversation. But don’t just blurt it out of nowhere; casually talk about it mid-chat. This way hotel teams will feel you are a genuine customer and be more inclined to go above and beyond to make sure you have a special stay.

Be subtle but let them know you’ve just got engaged.

5. Be a frequent visitor and review your stay

Sometimes it’s simply a case of who you know. The more times you stay at a hotel the more familiar you will become to hotel receptionists. Your details are often stored in the system too — so they can tell when you last visited.

To make sure you are acknowledged as a frequent stayer, be friendly and get to know one or two receptionists or better yet the hotel manager, so you are recognised on your return.

Let them know about how great the stay was and that you will be back. And most importantly — write a review!

Leaving a happy guest review on the likes of Trip Advisor, is one of the best ways to ensure you become known to a hotel team and it also spreads positive feedback to other potential guests. You scratch their back and they’ll scratch yours.