The other day I wrote about how bad so much online travel advice has become. Basically, media has increasingly shifted to short form video content, and this creates a system that rewards bad advice. People want “secrets airlines don’t want you to know,” when in reality, those claims are typically either obvious, exaggerated, or outright fabricated.
Anyway, that brings me to a whole different topic that I see online all the time, which I’d like to chime in on, and I’m curious to hear how others feel.
The top secret tip to scoring hotel upgrades, apparently
So I can’t count the number of times lately that I’ve seen people suggest that there’s this incredible tip to scoring free hotel upgrades, as if they’re exposing some secret. Take the below Instagram video, as an example, which has the following caption:
Hotels are masters at reading guests — and there’s one subtle clue they use to decide if you’re likely to accept upsells. The clue? How uncertain or indecisive you act at check-in.
If you hesitate when asked about upgrades
If you say things like “whatever’s fine”
If you look rushed, flustered, or distracted
That signals: you’re easier to persuade.
What pros do instead:
Arrive prepared: know what’s included in your booking
Ask confidently: “Are there any complimentary upgrades available?”
Stay decisive — staff respect clarity, and it makes you harder to upsell Confidence = better treatment. Hesitation = higher bill.
Save this before your next hotel stay — it could save you serious money
Like I said, I’m not trying to call out this one person, but I see advice along these lines constantly. If anything, the above is one of the milder versions. Other posts have something along the lines of “the secret phrase to use every time you check into a hotel,” or something along those lines. And then that phrase is “can I get a complimentary upgrade?” And then they want you to save that post for the future and subscribe for more tips, as if asking for something for free is some brilliant, nuanced hack.
Is there any point in asking for free hotel upgrades?
I don’t want to suggest that asking for an upgrade at hotel check-in is a terrible idea, or anything. However, I’m not sure it’s much of a hack, and personally, I’m not sure it’s the best approach either.
To state the obvious, I think the best way to get an upgrade is to actually be eligible for an upgrade. So have hotel elite status, book through a program that offers a complimentary upgrade as a benefit, etc. Then of course ask for an upgrade, because it’s a benefit you’re entitled to (though be realistic). However, the reason I’m writing about this is because I think the topic of asking for free hotel upgrades is interesting, more broadly.
The advice is to act confidently, and then ask for something for free that you’re not entitled to. And that “staff respect clarity,” though I’m not sure how exactly clarity fits into asking for something for free. A few thoughts on that:
- If you’re staying at a hotel belonging to one of the major groups, odds are that there’s a massive list of people entitled to upgrades, so getting a good upgrade just for free and just because is unlikely
- Front desk associates will often embellish upgrades or talk up attributes of a room, so if you’re insistent on a complimentary upgrade, you might just get that kind of lip service
- Conceptually, personally I think it’s almost a little obnoxious to directly ask for something you’re not entitled to, and to make the request so confidently
So again, we all have different approaches, but I’ve spent a night (or a couple thousand) in hotels, and I typically take the opposite approach, even if I’m eligible for an upgrade. I tend to think that front desk associates deal with confident, entitled, and demanding people, all day long.
Personally, I think the best way to maximize odds of an upgrade is to just be super polite to them, and be as charming as possible. And rather than being confident, I actually think it’s better to be a bit sheepish — at least that’s the approach I take (admittedly I’d like to think I’m a pretty self-aware introvert, which might be why). I do pretty well with front desk associates, because they don’t think I’m a total jerk (well, maybe except at the former Aegon Mykonos).
If I were angling for an upgrade, I’d also phrase the request differently. I wouldn’t ask if they have complimentary upgrades, but instead, I’d approach it a bit more slyly. Like, at airport hotels, airport view rooms are typically considered more premium, since people like the view. I’d ask “hey, I’m a huge aviation geek, do you by any chance have any rooms available with a good view of the airport? That would make my day…”
To me that feels less entitled, because a hotel guest reasonably might not even realize that such a view costs extra, so to me, it seems less entitled than essentially saying “hey, I want something for nothing, and I’m confident.”
Bottom line
There’s nothing wrong with trying to make your hotel stay as good as possible, and to ask about the possibility of an upgrade. However, I’m increasingly seeing advice out there about confidently and directly asking for a complimentary upgrade every single time you check into a hotel (when not otherwise entitled to one).
I’m not saying that’s terrible advice, but personally, I don’t think that’s some brilliant hack. And while everyone has a different personality, it’s also not how I’d choose to approach asking for an upgrade. But hey, to each their own. If you’re going to ask for something for nothing, I actually think it’s better to not act confidently, and to maybe be a little more specific or deliberate with what you ask for (while of course being reasonable). But that’s just me…
Where do you stand on this hotel upgrade advice?
