Travel Deal of the Day (Nov. 23, 2006)

Have you ever wondered why there are always people who say they paid for the cheapest room at a hotel but ended up getting the best room with the best view? How did they do that? Well, knock on wood, I have been very lucky to be one of those people. There are some easy things you can do to increase your chances of getting a great room upgrade at hotels.

Deal:
Getting a free room upgrade at a hotel is actually pretty easy. It basically comes down to being kind and being savvy.

How:
1) First off, before even making a reservation at a hotel, investigate the hotel’s frequent guest club. Join the club! Most frequent guest clubs are free. And the hotel will be much more likely to give you an upgrade if you are a member of a frequent guest club. In fact, many of the frequent guest clubs have as a published benefit a free room upgrade based on availability.

2) When making the reservation, be very, very kind to the reservation agent. You are much more likely to receive a better room if you are kind. The agents have an incredible amount of discretion to give you a great room. Especially if you frequent that hotel, it is very helpful to develop a rapport with the agent – they will get to know your preferences and be more likely to upgrade you or give you the best room available. Remember when making the reservation to indicate to the reservation agent that you are a frequent guest club member.

3) Monitor the website of the hotel and the frequent guest program you are a part of to see about any specials. You may see that free room upgrades are available or discounts are available to allow you to pay for a lower priced room or even the same rate but in a better room.

4) On the day before check in, call, email or fax the front desk manager to remind them that you are coming and about any special occasion. The hotel usually pre-blocks its rooms the night before the day of arrival. You want to be pre-blocked into the best possible room. (This is why, even if you check in early in the day, the hotels may not have the best rooms available…they were pre-blocked the night before.)

5) At check-in, ask for any frequent guest upgrades or any upgrades based on some special occasion.

6) Always think about developing a rapport with the hotel employees, especially if you are a frequent guest. I have met incredibly nice people working at hotels, and they very much appreciated when you tell them when they do a great job. On top of this, they will remember you the next time you visit and will be more likely to give you a room upgrade on your next visit.