How to get a hotel upgrade, Free

 

It was 1996, I was turning 21 and leaving my juvenile delinquent years and exchanging them for legal "of age" status. I booked a room in Reno, Nv. expecting to have my first bout with adult fun. What I didn't expect was to head east and find a closure at the Donner Summit. My small group of four decided to attempt to find another road using a map, and we had success.

However, as we approached a "road closed" sign we pulled over to the right shoulder debating if we should proceed when a white van passed by us and a half a second later passed that sign that had been staring us down with a fury. Like any group of anticipating young adults, we decided to follow. 

After 8 hours of detoured driving, seeing whole towns flooded, driving through water up to the floor boards of the 8 inch lifted Ford Bronco that we were traveling in, washed out roads, and stressful travels we arrived in Reno to find a flood rushing through the streets in the city. Fortunately we made it safely. And while I was telling the story to the person working at the desk with the hotel we had reservations at, they took my reservation for a standard room and placed me in a beautiful executive suite with a huge king size bed complete with jacuzzi tub, and a  wonderful view of the whole city. 

In 2009, these upgrades are few and far between. But don't worry just yet, I have a few tips on how t it is possible to get that free room upgrade. 

• Staying only one night, coming in late and traveling when there’s a conference in town make it easier to give someone an upgrade. Short stays and late arrivals free up the staff to move people around, traveling during major events makes it more likely all of the smaller rooms will be occupied, allowing the management to offer the top suites as an alternative to relocating guests to another hotel.
• They want to keep their guests happy, they can be under booked but if a guest comes in and is really pleasant while obviously exhausted, they might give you a room with a better view or a bigger bed.
• Guests celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, or who just need a little extra room can often get an upgrade by mentioning their situation.
• make sure you are considerate and pleasant to the staff, then they are more likely to remember you. hotels are big on customer loyalty.
• Just ask. If you're nice and explain why you're hoping for an upgrade, if a hotel has it available to give, they often will.
• The later in the day you check in, the more likely you are to get it.
• If all else fails, and the free route is leading to a dead end, offer to pay $20 extra dollars  to see what you can get. Often enough the person behind the desk will upgrade you and simply ask for a thank you.