Do you have any trips coming up for an anniversary, birthday, or any other special day? I have a hotel travel trick that might make your stay even better!
If you are traveling for a special occasion, or even if you aren’t, but you would like to see if you could get upgraded to a better room (more space, a better view, etc), you can simply send an email and ask for it!
Don’t get me wrong, I am completely fine with a basic room, but if the hotel is willing to give me something better, I will definitely take it!
I’ve tried this trick a few times and have almost always gotten an upgrade! The first time I tried this, I did have Hyatt Explorist status and all of the times after that I have had Hyatt Globalist status. But it never hurts to ask! Here are just a few of the upgrades I’ve gotten:
- In Kauai, we were upgraded from a standard room to a partial ocean-view room. We were also given snacks, sparkling cider, and wine.
- In San Antonio, we were upgraded from 2 standard rooms to a Premier Regency Suite. The suite was HUGE!
- At the Hyatt House by Disneyland, we were upgraded to a top floor suite. Hyatt Place and Hyatt Houses typically don’t offer upgrades (no matter your status), but this specific one will often give these out.
- At Hotel Kansas City, we were upgraded from a standard room to a loft suite and had a welcome gift of sparkling cider, snacks, dominos, and an insulated water bottle.
Let me explain how it works:
Step 1: Find the name of the GM or a contact person for the specific hotel where you are staying. Google works great for this!
Step 2: Find the email of the GM or contact person. Hyatt tip- if you can find the name of the GM, their address is typically firstname.lastname@hyatt.com.
Step 3: Compose a nice email letting your contact person know that you are excited about your upcoming stay and why are you taking the trip. You can either ask them directly for an upgrade or just say that anything they could do to enhance your stay would be greatly appreciated. Be sure to include your name (that the room is booked under), your hotel rewards number (sign up for the rewards program at the hotel chain if you haven’t done so), and your status with the hotel group if you have it.
That’s it! I feel like it is always worth a shot to upgrade your stay. The worst thing that they will say is “no.”
Upgrade Tips:
- Send the email about around a week or a few days before your stay. The hotel will only be able to upgrade you if they have the space/rooms available. The hotel won’t know their availability until it gets closer to your stay, so it is recommended to wait until that time frame.
- Be nice! This should be a given, but you aren’t likely to get upgraded if you are demanding it.
- Upgrades are more likely to happen if you have some sort of status with the hotel, but it isn’t a necessity.
- Upgrades are more likely to be available at hotels that are of a higher category or tier. I will ask for an upgrade at a Hyatt Regency or Grand Hyatt because there are a variety of room types and sizes and these hotels. I won’t ask for an upgrade at a Hyatt Place because all rooms are basically the same. 🙂
Sample email #1
“Good Afternoon,
My husband and I are staying at the ___________ next week from ___________. We are beyond excited for our stay! We are celebrating our _____ anniversary, but this is actually a make-up trip from the pandemic. This was going to be a special trip a couple of years ago as we celebrated our ______ anniversary and both turning 40. Needless to say, we have been waiting for this trip for a long time! I wanted to ask if it would be at all possible for a free room upgrade if you happen to have anything available on those days. I think it would be an awesome way to surprise my husband. Honestly, anything you could do to make our trip extra special would be much appreciated. My Hyatt Rewards # is __________. We look forward to seeing you at this time next week!”
Sample email #2
“Good Evening,
My husband and I are staying at the _______________ next weekend from __________. We are beyond excited for our stay! I have Globalist status and we are celebrating our ________ anniversary. My husband and I were going to just come ourselves, but we will visit family while in town, so my daughter and mother are now coming with us. I wanted to reach out to see if we could make sure and get our rooms close to one another. Both rooms are booked under my name. If there is anything else you could do to help make this weekend special for us, I’d greatly appreciate it! We have visited San Antonio before, but this is our first time at your hotel. It looks beautiful! My Hyatt Rewards # is _________. We look forward to seeing you later this week. Thank you!
Final Thoughts
You may not always get a response when you send an email. A couple of the times I emailed the hotel, I got a response back. A couple of times I did not get a response, but was still upgraded. If you don’t get an upgrade, don’t be too disappointed, as it doesn’t always happen. I have had really good luck because it is common with a higher tier Hyatt status, but I have also known people to get upgraded or at least have gotten some kind of welcoming gift by just asking….especially if it is for a special occasion. Also, keep in mind that the nicer the hotel, the better chances there are for upgrades. At the same time, if you are traveling during a busy season, there may not be anything available for an upgrade.
