How to get a free hotel upgrade: 7 tips that actually work
London and New York, it’s become normal for new hotels to charge starting rates exceeding $1,000 per night—with suites often going for at least twice as much. This makes a free hotel upgrade one of today’s most valuable and coveted travel perks.
While you can do certain things to maximize your odds of getting upgraded, hanging your hopes on a free pass to the penthouse suite will almost always prove fruitless—unless you’re a high roller on the casino floor at a Las Vegas hotspot. At hotels with few suites, an upgrade might mean a better view or a room on a higher floor. In others, bumping room categories could range from gaining a few square feet to acquiring additional bedrooms.
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Here are seven things you can do to boost your chances of an upgrade. We can promise that they work, but we can’t guarantee exactly what they’ll get you.
Jump the loyalty line
Airline and hotel loyalty programs are designed to dangle the proverbial carrot to keep your business. The higher tier of loyalty status you hold—or the more you spend with a hotel company—the more likely you are to get upgraded. That will shock nobody.
It’s also possible to cut to the front of the (loyalty) line. Several credit cards offer elite hotel status the minute your application is approved. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is king in this capacity: It awards top-tier diamond status in exchange for the $450 annual fee. Other generous cards include the $695-per-year Platinum Card from American Express, which extends gold-tier status with both Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors—a particularly generous double whammy. At $250 per year, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express and Marriott Bonvoy
