Yeah, I've gotten probably 50% upgrades just by asking politely, especially if there's some type of problem that's out of the front desk persons control.

Oh the pool is closed for renovations "hey, I know it's not your fault the pool is closed but we chose this hotel for the pool, since it's closed is there any chance of an upgrade to our room, if not I totally understand"

The policy is that Upgrades will be given when available. That means employees go through the system the day of and assign upgrades based on a ranking system from corporate. If the hotel is sold out you do not get an upgrade. If you are not high enough on the list of priority you do not get an upgrade. Asking does not help. Not saying I agree with this policy but this is how it is.

The policy says it's based on availability, not on whose request the reception worker liked the most.

An upgrade is indeed to pay for a cheaper room and get something better, that's the definition of the word that Marriott advertises.

Hey this just got me upgraded to a top floor corner king room (no suites) thanks!

“May I have 1 free upgrade kind sir “ make sure eyes are a little watery & hands out

It always annoys me so much when people purchase the cheapest room and then are so furious that an upgrade is not available. I work at a location which is mostly business travelers - they are literally all platinum or above. We have like 8 rooms which are “upgrades”. If u really want to that bad then just book it and stop being a baby 😭

This was my favorite thing to do when I worked at the front desk, even if it was rare. We only comp upgraded to the largest suites on sold out nights. The check in shift is full of negative interactions but the right combination of a nice guest with the hotel being sold out can make for a moment that actually makes someone happy. Thanks for being kind, as that shift is rough!

It’s just not that hard to be nice! I recently got a welcome email from the Desert Springs in Palm Desert where I would be staying for one night.

I wrote back thanking them for the greeting and letting them know we have medical supplies in the car and requesting early check in due to heat.

Not only did they accommodate the request, on the same email we were upgraded to a room with a better view and by an elevator (which was what we in particular needed due to said medical supplies).

I replied thanking the person for his kindness and when we got there the porter brought two luggage carts full of dialysis supplies up to our room and unloaded them by himself (thanks Mike - you’re amazing).

Just be nice to people. That’s really the secret here. And to life too ;)

Edit - and we would be leaving by 8 am next day. We told front desk staff this at check in. If you give them info everyone wins - sometimes you need extra time on one end or the other and sometimes it doesn’t matter.

Did similar last time and got upgraded to a suite.

Maybe your Bonvoy standing never makes the cut. If there’s 47 guests vying for the property’s 2 vacant suites, your chances aren’t good.

I mean status is probably #1. Booking direct. A lot of hotels will oversell there standard room types and upgrade those with status or who have paid more. I wouldn’t say time of check in matters a ton but if anything I’d say earlier. Less ppl checked in and more potential options in theory. Also it’s everyone’s bday honeymoon or anniversary blah blah. FD staff have heard it all

Book direct. If the hotel is part of a chain and you are a member of the loyalty program and the v higher level you are will help.

Thanks for the tips everyone! I’ll be traveling a lot for work and I’ve been staying at Sandman and Marriott brands the most.

At my hotel we upgrade people in the morning if we have the availability and send emails to the people we’ve upgraded. Doesn’t matter what time you check-in. If someone wants a high floor at the end of the hall I can’t upgrade them and accommodate their requests. My hotel has two king suites and two queen suites on each floor and they’re all by the elevator. It’s annoying but we can only do so much. If you check in and ask for an upgrade and we haven’t upgraded you already, it’s either 1. we’ve run out of upgrades and already sent those guests emails and I’m not going to take the upgrade they were promised away or 2. I cannot upgrade you and accommodate all your requests, It’s either an upgrade by the elevators or top floor at the end of the hall where it’s quiet. At my hotel there’s not really a better way for someone to get an upgrade. Maybe if you call a week before your arrival I can put in an upgrade request. Idk hope that helps.

We tend to get upgrades at hotels where we have status or are booked by our Virtuoso agent.

You can always ask, but expect to pay an upcharge at that point.

I've only had luck in really busy hotels in vacation destinations -- Vegas, Palm Springs, etc. Although check in is 3pm, often the cleaners are still working furiously to get enough rooms ready for the night. A *good* front desk agent knows this and will try to manage the rooms if they see their available clean rooms number dwindling.

Let's look at a scenario: I have 100 reservations coming in, and 10 clean standard rooms at 3pm. By 3:45, I have 5 clean rooms. By 4:00, I have 3 clean rooms. The next couple of people who have one-night reservations for standard rooms are getting upgraded if there's room:

• I don't have to disappoint a customer by saying their room isn't ready AN HOUR after check-in.
• I am making someone happy & that could lead to a good review.
• It's easier to justify to my manager that I upgraded a one-night reso for room management than to wait until someone is throwing a fit at the front desk and I have to upgrade or partially comp a 7-night reservation.
• It's easier to sell a standard room than a premium room, so the hotel might end up making more money.

Again, it depends on your agent. Years ago, when I worked in hotels, there were agents who would click the "assign room" button and never, ever move anyone from their assigned room.

Edit: Forgot status members. Always upgrade your status members first!

I recommend offering to pay money. Say how much would it cost to upgrade to a suite of available. The good faith gesture is more likely to yield complimentary upgrade. If not, they’ll give you a price and you just say to rich for my blood, but thank you.

Just know if you booked through a 3rd party it will always usually be a no.

Book through the companies website and make sure you are a rewards member.

Make sure you're a rewards member for all the chains before booking since they're more likely to say yes if you are. I've occasionally asked for an upgrade, & it sometimes works, & I always ask for an hour late check out, & it works for that 99.9% of the time.

Front desk here… yes, always communicate the desire! Some people really don’t care either way, so it’s good to know who would appreciate it most. Or put it in the notes! Mentally prepare for the inability, for various reasons. Not saying we pick favorites, but the right approach goes a long way!

I'm Gold thanks to the AMEX surpass card, Back in Fall 2024 (Mid-September to Mid-October), I took a vacation to London and stayed in the Doubletree Hyde Park (2nd time there after September 2022) and originally booked a Queen Room for 28 nights.

Upon checking in, I was pleasantly surprised to get upgraded to a King Suite room with a Park view.

That upgrade was completely unexpected as I hear the hotels don't usually upgrade you if you have a long stay.

The only hint I gave them at all about asking for any upgrades was in my special requests, when I asked to be put in my previous Queen room that I stayed in from 2 years prior if that particular room was still available and I didn't get any Gold Upgrades.

So, maybe that extra request to get upgraded worked, or maybe it was just coincidence that they were going to upgrade me anyway.

Yep, as long as you don’t come off as entitled then they normally accommodate as long as they have availability.

Try doing that in the U.S., lol

I pretty much get upgraded every stay using this method as a diamond member, usually in a Hilton every week

If this is a very very special ocassion, contact with customer care to request the upgrade and make some arrangements. Note that this may take time, and it depends on the property, but they should open a request and the concierge or equal will contact with you. May you request to have something upon arrival like champagne or chocolates, they will be willing to help you and yes, this includes upgrades too

it depends on the hotel as well, are you staying at the top of the food chain or bottom? St Regis/ Luxury collection they might care, elements or residence inn, not so much.

Chances will depend on when and if the hotel already has high occupancy . Reach out a week prior to the date, directly through fd. They can check and if available can upgrade you. Let them know of the occasion. If the upgrade cannot be accommodated the hotel is likely booked up, upgraded rooms are already pre blocked for those that booked and paid for them.

Demonstratively state your status, years of loyalty, and credit score.

Two steps (although some hotels maybe three)

Step one: Within 24 hours of booking, call and ask. Nothing special “hey I have a reservation coming in X. I was checking to see if an upgrade might be available”

Step two: (if needed as they might have already said yes) when the chat options opens up 2 days before arrival “hello I’m coming in a couple days and I’m celebrating Y. Is it possible to have an upgrade please”

Front desk will (if trained properly) either say sure!, unfortunately none are available at this time but I can make a note in your reservation if anything opens, or unfortunately we will not know until day of arrival

Should that last option happen - call on day of arrival

If a no is given in of these steps, accept it and move on. Front desk isn’t saying no to upgrades just to say no

1. Make sure you’re not staying on a busy night, during an event, or on a weekend in a busy area. An off night, like a weekday would make an upgrade more likely.
2. Book direct with the hotel. Do NOT use a third party booking site.
3. If it’s for a special occasion, put that in the reservation notes.
4. Never hurts to call and ask what their policy is on upgrades.
5. Hotel loyalty programs are free. If you travel a decent bit, it would be in your best interest to sign up. Good luck!

I usually book a middle range room, ask on check-in if there are upgrades avail. If avail, I’ll take one and they often do an extra upgrade for free. One thing that has been mentionned by others: be super nice! The amount of wasted/arrogant/entitled/meam people hotel people meet on a daily basis is insane. Just being a proper human being with consideration for others can do wonders. If it does not get you anything, it might cheer up someone having a bad day!

At my hotel we do room upgrades for members but sometimes we can upgrade but not for tips... Might be more rate wise.

Pay for the room you want.

You get what you pay for.

1. Ask the day before or early the day of. Call the hotel and ask.
2. Be flexible on your check-in time. If possible, get there early, ask at the front desk to offer to wait for your suite. Some suites are ready overnight and will be given away early, some need to be cleaned and could be ready later in the day.
3. Be nice. Sugar works a lot better than vinegar.

I'm currently Gold. I never ask and get upgraded a fair amount (but it's never anything really crazy these days). A few years ago as Platinum, I got really nice suite upgrades.

Examples of upgrades as Gold: corner room, upgraded views, etc. At Gaylord Opryland around Christmas last year, I was upgraded from an exterior view to an interior atrium room which typically costs a lot more.

If you are doing a mobile check in, please ask a day or so ahead of time. With the mobile check ins you get checked in as soon as the room is ready and it makes life easier for the front desk if they upgrade you before you are checked in.

when you arrive to a dirty room

platinum/newly titanium here. sometimes I'll ask via the chat a day before or same-day of check-in. majority of the time they'll confirm an upgrade via chat, but I noticed I get upgraded pretty well even if I don't do it so I stopped doing that as much, to not be a bother, unless I was really hoping for an upgrade for a specific hotel (usually luxury hotels).

I never understood this big desire for upgrades. Unless you are traveling with a bunch of kids what does it matter?

To me it's a room, but the upgrade is lounge access for free.

I would wait unless you really want it and are willing to pay.
Are you Diamind? I often get a free upgrade offer about 3-4 days out.

I believe they charge but I need base points so I always go the paid upgrades route

Also does check in before check in time mean less likely for upgrade ?

I had the room upgrades pre check in already visible in the app. A few times just talking in the app checking in was also good practice. Since I moved up from gold actually always got one unless there wasn’t a better room at all in like a moxy hotel.

I have a pretty good track record of checking in on the app, chatting on the app, and stating that I'd appreciate an upgrade if they have one, and being kind. I'm only gold right now but I have been upgraded at each of my last 4 stays.

I find it’s better to stop by the desk

Great question. I think employees have said it doesn’t matter on here.