How do you get a free hotel upgrade? You use my hotel upgrade email template! But in practice, how often does it really work?
Well, on a recent trip to Thailand I decided to test it out for myself and ask for three free room upgrades at three different hotels. Here’s how I got on.
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What is this free hotel upgrade email template?
If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know about my free hotel upgrade template. In fact, it’s pretty much the most viewed page on here!
It’s a few paragraphs that you can edit and email to your hotel, to see if there’s any chance they’ll give you a free upgrade when you stay.
I get messages almost daily telling me that it’s worked for you.
Obviously this makes me THRILLED as I just love to see you guys getting an extra special room for a grand total of zero extra pounds!
How often does it work?
I get messages almost every day from you lot saying it’s worked for you.
Sometimes it’s major upgrades to suites, whilst other times it’s a bottle of fizz or free breakfast on the hotel. Whatever the perk is, it costs you all a grand total of zero pounds. And that’s what I love to hear!
Should I expect an upgrade if I use this email?
Here’s the thing – no one owes you an upgrade and so I recommend asking the question and then trying to forget about it. If it happens, it’s simply a lovely bonus!
And in terms of its success rate – well. That’s exactly what I’m about to test out in Thailand.
Free Hotel Upgrade Attempt Attempt #1: Maison Hotel Bangkok
What I booked
Maison Hotel Bangkok
Deluxe King
£56 a night
The hotel
The first hotel I tried to get us a free room upgrade at was the Maison Hotel Bangkok. I chose this hotel because it’s just off Sukhumvit Road, which is great for getting around. You’re right by the BTS Skytrain at Nana and the area itself has plenty of places to eat, drink and go out. Plus, if you love your shopping, you’re just 1 stop from Terminal 21 where there’s a huge mall with a super cheap food hall!
Maison Hotel Bangkok is a fairly new hotel so it feels very spick and span, and there’s a gym, a pool and even a spa if you want to relax with a treatment or two. There are also three restaurants, one of which has an epic breakfast buffet.
The upgrade email
I found the name of the hotel’s general manager on LinkedIn and sent off my email template, tweaking it with details about how nice the hotel looked and also how James and I were celebrating our 15 year anniversary that is coming up!
The result
There had been no mention of a room upgrade at check in, and when we opened the door we saw… That it was the room we had booked. However, the person on reception did mention they’d seen our email and so added breakfast onto our booking for free! This was worth £26 in total so we’re absolutely chalking that up as a massive win a great start to the upgrade series.
Plus, the breakfast was amazing!
Free Hotel Upgrade Attempt #2: Travelodge Nimman, Chiang Mai
What I booked
Travelodge Nimman, Chiang Mai
Standard Room
£28 a night
The hotel
The second hotel we tried for an upgrade at was Travelodge Nimman in Chiang Mai. This hotel is near Nimmanhemin Road, a really nice area where you’ll find lots of artisan coffee houses, independent boutiques for shopping and loads of places to eat too.
The cool thing about this hotel was the golf buggies – they were complimentary and took you around the property to and from your room, as well as into Nimman itself. There’s also a rooftop pool here – which is lush, especially when it’s hot and humid and you need to cool off. Ooh, and the rooms all have air con too.
The upgrade email
Again, I managed to find the name of the general manager on LinkedIn and wrote the email to them ‘and Team’. It was in a very similar vein to the previous!
The result
Once again, nothing was said at the reception desk but knowing that I’d booked a twin room – it was the cheapest option okay! – I knew we’d been upgraded as soon as we walked in because I saw a double bed there!! And in fact, we had been upgraded three grades up from the basic twin room to the standard premium room which was worth £48! Woohoo!
When are you more likely to get a free upgrade?
There are a few factors that could make it more likely for you to secure that room free upgrade…
Time of year
During low season, hotels typically have fewer bookings. So with more rooms available, you’re more likely to succeed with getting an upgrade.
Day of the week
Hotels will generally have fewer bookings on weekdays, leaving those all important empty rooms that you could snag an upgrade for. Sunday is the ‘best’ day for many hotels, as the tourists have left and the business travellers haven’t arrived yet.
Type of hotel
A hotel that has a reputation for great customer service is a good bet for an upgrade request. Check reviews and ratings to see.
Problem in the room
If something is amiss when you get to your room, you’re within your rights to ask to move – and you never know, you could luck out with a better one! Only do this if something is genuinely not right, like if something is missing or broken.
Free Hotel Upgrade Attempt #3: Pimalai Resort and Spa
What I booked
Pimalai Resort and Spa, Koh Lanta
Deluxe Room
£102 a night
The hotel
Pimmalai Resort is a gorgeous hotel on the island of Koh Lanta. We actually stayed here back in 2019, and loved it so much, we just HAD to come back since we were on the island. Included in the price is an amazing breakfast each morning and also a speedboat transfer from Krabi airport.
Last time we stayed, I secured an absolutely banging upgrade from a deluxe room to a one bedroom pool villa by simply asking, so I knew it was possible!
The upgrade email
Following a similar strategy to the emails before, we emailed three days ahead of time. But this time we made sure to tell them that we were return guests and dropped in that we had loved the upgrade last time…
The result
Again – nothing was said at reception and so we headed off to our room with our fingers crossed. However it was not to be this time! Having said this, the deluxe room – which is the most affordable room in the resort – is absolutely amazing and well worth the £102 a night. There was a huge cosy bed, balcony, free-standing bath and they had decorated the bed for us and left us a Happy Anniversary cake!!
Also, I did go a bit mad… and decided to book an upgrade for our last night. I simply went to the front desk and asked how much it would cost, knowing that if I had paid outright for the one bedroom pool villa it would have cost £384.
Instead, I was offered to pay £201 to upgrade, which when you add it to the price I’d already paid for a standard room, meant that I was able to nab the very fancy room for £303. It may not be free, but at least it was a significant saving of around 20%!
In loads of countries – including Thailand – a private villa as nice as this one would cost thousands of pounds – a night!! So for a little dose of holiday luxury, it felt like a smart move to splurge on an upgrade in an independent, family-run hotel like this where your money goes a lot further than the big name brands. Plus, the hotel let us check in to our villa very early – right after breakfast – and we secured a late checkout on the last day at 4pm, so we definitely got our money’s worth!
Why Not Try To Get A Free Hotel Upgrade On Your Next Trip?
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little insight into my blagging skills – and how one of my hacks has worked for me on one of my own trips! Hopefully, this shows you that it’s always worth asking for a free hotel room upgrade, because there’s always a possibility it could happen.
Even if you get refused, it’s not a reason to stop asking – there’s a good chance that every so often your request will be successful. My hit rate on this trip for example was one in three – which I’d say isn’t bad at all.
Plus it’s worth considering that, if they can’t give you a free room upgrade, they might just offer you another freebie instead, like breakfast or spa access. And just remember – no-one owes you a free hotel upgrade, so be gracious and polite even if you get turned down.
