Tips and Tricks for Getting an Upgrade At A Sold Out Hotel

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and is not equivalent to the services of a licensed lawyer. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help, and does not offer legal services. Third party news articles mentioned on our website do not necessarily reflect the views of the company, or the current services that we offer.

Learn How to Get an Upgrade At A Sold Out Hotel

You've been planning a trip for months and it's finally the day you leave. You've planned everything to perfection, from the time you'll get to the hotel and check-in to memorizing the hotel's loyalty program. You've used the credit card that offers the most points and best benefits , and all that 's left to do is arrive and ask what potential upgrades the hotel has available. The day should be a breeze. Unfortunately, you arrive and find out that the hotel is sold out. All of your time planning feels like it's gone down the drain.

However, you know you can still get an upgrade. Let's talk about before you travel and after you check in.

Ways to Get an Upgrade Before Traveling

The truth is that when a hotel suggests that all rooms are full, they're more than likely not. Most hotels keep a small number of rooms empty, even during the busiest weeks of the year, so that should a guest report that a shower or tub is broken, the safe isn't working, or another issue arises, the hotel has a room available to move them to.

Additionally, hotels will typically keep one or two of the best rooms available in case the owner of the hotel or somebody else higher in operations shows up last minute to stay. These rooms, by industry-standard, are labeled 'out of order' and truly just mean that they're unavailable for sale.

The best ways to get hotel are by doing the following:

Signing up for their loyalty programThis earns you points with each stay and can provide you with elite status, which will encourage staff at the hotel to prioritize care for your stay.
Become a repeat stayer and build rapport with the staffYou'll find that when you're on a first-name basis with some of the hotel's staff, they're likely to give you better deals and be willing to approve an upgrade request.
Call the hotel and speak with a supervisorThis works well when a hotel shows it's sold out online. Be friendly and ask if there are any 'unconfirmed bookings' where a guest hasn't placed a card on file and ask to be put on their waiting list.

Likelihood of Getting an Upgrade After You've Checked In

If you've arrived and already checked in, there are still a few ways you may be able to upgrade hotel rooms. Sometimes hotels may not have a better room with a nicer view available when you initially check-in, but that could change throughout the duration of your stay. Hotel inventory is constantly changing, and it can be beneficial to keep interactions on a positive note with hotel management even after you've checked in.

The truth is that you could still get an upgraded room after checking in by simply alerting management that you'd like to be considered for an upgrade should a guest check out early or not show up at any point during your stay. While unpacking and packing to move rooms isn't ideal, it could still land you an upgraded hotel room for part of your trip.

How to Ask For an Upgrade

If you're a frequent traveler, the likelihood of knowing the ins and outs of a hotel's policies and programs is slightly higher than the average traveler. However, it can still be tricky to ask for an upgraded hotel room. It takes time to build relationships with hotel staff and sometimes the jargon listed in the hotel 's listed program isn't the easiest to understand. This can make figuring out the best way to ask for an upgraded hotel room more frustrating than you'd like.

Fortunately, DoNotPay can help you ask for those upgrades without spending hours learning about their policies and programs. DoNotPay assists with determining whether a hotel is really sold out or not and can help handle everything from room upgrades to special requests for important occasions. Whether you are emailing or calling, DNP will provide you with a hotel room upgrade letter that you can use as a script for requesting an upgrade.

How to Get an Upgrade at a Sold Out Hotel Using DoNotPay:

Trying to get a free upgrade can be hit or miss. DoNotPay can make the process of finding an upgrade at a sold-out hotel much easier. Here are three reasons to consider DoNotPay when navigating hotel upgrades:

  1. Fast --You don't have to spend hours trying to solve the issue
  2. Easy --You don't have to struggle to fill out tedious forms or keep track of all the steps involved in solving your problem
  3. Successful --You can rest assured knowing we'll make the best case for you

If you want to get an upgrade at a sold-out hotel but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 4 easy steps:

  1. Enter the name of the hotel you're staying at, including the location.
  2. Tell us the dates of your stay, who you're staying with, whether it's your first time, and whether you're a loyalty rewards member at the hotel.
  3. Tell us if it's a special occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc.) and any specific upgrades you want to request.
  4. Tell us your current room and confirmation number.

More Upgrades With DoNotPay

Are you staying at a specific hotel or do you want to learn more about hotel secrets? Check out the following DoNotPay guides:

As well, as you prepare for your next adventure, consider DoNotPay for other travel conveniences:

DoNotPay can help with so many tasks that make travel expensive and time- intensive. Leave the logistics to DoNotPay and get started dreaming about your next vacation.

Fight for your rights