A travel expert has claimed that the time you check-in at a hotel could help determine whether you get a free room upgrade. Kate Berski, a writer and travel enthusiast, revealed some of her best hotel hacks on on TikTok, @Help_im_30ish, promising her followers that these could "save you money and hopefully get you a free upgrade as well".
The travel pro claims that her tricks work "80% of the time". Her biggest tip? Not checking in too early. Kate explained that the later she arrives at the check-in desk, the more likely she is to be given a better room.
She added: "That's because they know they're not gonna sell it so they might as well give you a better experience. So if you can, the later you go, the more chances of a free upgrade." Another tidbit from Kate for bagging a free upgrade is to sign up to a hotel’s loyalty scheme where you’ll be rewarded with freebies, upgrades, discounts and other perks when you visit a brand's properties.
As for saving money, she recommended calling the hotel directly to try and get the best rates. (It's worth noting that booking direct online can also be useful, as hotels often have exclusive offers and discounts on their websites). People were quick to praise the useful info, and Kate obliged when they had follow-up questions.
One commenter asked: "How do you ask politely for a upgrade & how do you know it’ll be complimentary?" She replied: "Tricky! You could politely find fault with your current room and ask to move. Mention a special occasion can also be good. Or just directly asking!"
It's not the only hotel hack that has caught the social media crowd's attention. Earlier this year, cabin crew member Esther who flies with KLM, issued a stark warning for holidaymakers.
In a short TikTok clip, the Dutch flight attendant urged hotel guests to "always" throw a bottle of water under the bed when first entering a hotel room, to "check that no one is under the bed without looking".
The idea is that if the bottle "doesn't come out of the other side", then you may want to investigate further, by getting a member of staff or a fellow traveller in your group to look into it with you. However if the bottle does pop out on the other side of the room, you can carry on as normal.
Meanwhile fellow flight attendant Demi Bonita, revealed she has a sneaky hack to check if someone's been in your hotel room while you've been out. The airline worker suggested putting the 'do not disturb' card between the door and wall, "so you can notice if someone has been in your room". When you come back later in the day, if the card is still in the same place then chances are nobody has been in your room.
Do you have any great hacks for getting free upgrades? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com.
