The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
June 15, 2025 • 13 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
There are several strategies to secure a hotel room upgrade, including holding elite status in hotel loyalty programs, using upgrade certificates or booking through select travel programs.
Booking an upgraded room type directly or staying during low-occupancy periods can also increase the likelihood of receiving a better room.
Some programs and memberships offer guaranteed upgrades, while others provide upgrades only when available at check-in.
Politely requesting an upgrade at check-in may be effective, but outcomes vary based on hotel policies and availability.
What to consider
Upgrade certificates and confirmable suite awards differ by hotel loyalty program, with varying eligibility, booking windows and participating brands.
Some travel agent and premium booking programs offer upgrades, but many are only space-available rather than guaranteed.
Paying for an upgrade or contacting the hotel directly can sometimes secure a better room, but rates and availability may fluctuate.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of how each major hotel loyalty program and booking channel handles upgrades, including specific tips for maximizing your chances.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Over the years, I've stayed in some undesirable rooms. From tiny rooms with little besides a bed to windowless rooms with no natural lighting, the base room type at some hotels isn't where you'd ideally like to stay.
I only book room types I'd be happy enough staying in these days, as then any upgrade I get is a bonus. But, even if you don't need it, an upgrade can be nice. So, here are seven ways you can get a hotel room upgrade.
Have hotel elite status
One perk of many tiers of hotel elite status is upgraded room types. Even though I maintain high tiers of elite status with all the hotel loyalty programs I actively use, I usually don't get upgraded to suites. But, I can often leverage my status to get a room on a higher floor, with more space or a better view.
SOFIE DELAUW/GETTY IMAGES
Each hotel loyalty program handles room upgrades differently. Some, such as World of Hyatt, offer high-tier elite members the "best room available" at check-in (potentially with some exclusions, such as suites or club-access rooms), while others say elite members can be upgraded but don't provide any guarantee or guidance on the quality of the upgrade.
So, it's important to understand the benefits of your hotel elite status. Then, if a property doesn't upgrade you when your elite benefits say it can, should or must, you can employ a tactic described later in this story: Ask politely for an upgrade.
While upgrades due to elite status are often unpredictable, using an upgrade certificate can guarantee you an upgraded room type. Best of all, World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards all offer upgrade certificates. Here's how these upgrade certificates work in each program.
D3SIGN/GETTY IMAGES
You can earn club-access awards and suite upgrade awards through the Hyatt Milestone Rewards program. These awards, which you can also gift to other Hyatt members if you don't want to use them for your stays, let you upgrade stays of up to seven nights at booking. You can use these awards on most stays, although some Hyatt brands don't participate.
Hyatt club-access and suite upgrade awards are now easy to use online. I redeemed a suite upgrade award to secure a 344-square-foot family loft at booking instead of a 193-square-foot standard room at Story Hotel Signalfabriken (one of my favorite Category 1 Hyatt hotels) earlier this year.
Marriott Bonvoy isn't as generous as World of Hyatt with its upgrade certificates, as you must redeem a Nightly Upgrade Award per night of the stay you want to upgrade. So, a five-night stay would require five Nightly Upgrade Awards. You can choose Nightly Upgrade Awards as Marriott Annual Choice Benefits when you reach select milestones each year. Unfortunately, you'll only find out if your Nightly Upgrade Awards clear at most five days before arrival (at most three days before arrival for Edition, Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties), and some Marriott brands and properties don't participate in Nightly Upgrade Awards.
Suite at the JW Marriott Hotel Bogota. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
You can also earn confirmable suite upgrades through the IHG Milestone Rewards program. If upgrade space is available when you call IHG within 14 days of arrival (but at least 24 hours before check-in), each upgrade can confirm an entry-level suite (or premium room if a suite is unavailable) for up to five nights. However, remember that only some rates — including Best Flexible, Member Discount and Reward Night — are eligible for these upgrades.
Another guaranteed way to get a hotel room upgrade is to upgrade yourself by booking an upgraded room type. I almost didn't include this as a way to get an upgrade, but it's worth mentioning since some upgraded room types may be available for the same price, especially if you're redeeming hotel points for your stay.
For example, on some dates at the Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa, you can book a sunrise overwater villa for the same number of points per night as a beach villa. I did this on my last stay at this property, and then the hotel upgraded me to a sunset overwater villa as a Marriott Titanium Elite member.
MARRIOTT BONVOY
Choice Privileges is also well known for letting members book several room types for the same number of points. For example, earlier this year I stayed at the F6, Ascend Hotel Collection in Helsinki and snagged a deluxe room for the same number of points a much smaller standard room would have cost me. Now, you can still book a superior room for the same number of points as a standard room on many dates.
CHOICE HOTELS
So, you may not necessarily need to pay more points or cash to secure an upgraded room type. But you can also redeem more points to book an upgraded room type in some hotel loyalty programs; here are our guides on how to do so:
Another way to get a hotel room upgrade is to book through a program that offers guaranteed or space-available upgrades. I discussed upgrades due to hotel elite status in an earlier section, but this section will focus on programs separate from your elite status that can net you upgrades.
Andaz Seoul Gangnam by Hyatt. KYUNGSUB SHIN/HYATT
InterContinental Ambassador membership provides many perks in exchange for an annual fee of $225 or 45,000 IHG points. One of the most valuable perks for frequent guests at InterContinental properties is a guaranteed one-category room upgrade on eligible paid stays.
If you have select premium travel rewards cards, you may be eligible for complimentary room upgrades when you book through the following programs:
The information for the Centurion, Centurion Business and Capital One Spark Miles for Business has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
You can also get extra perks on stays at select brands if you use a travel agent who can book through special programs. Here's a look at some of these programs and how they might help you get a hotel room upgrade when an agent books you a stay through these programs:
Hilton for Luxury: Complimentary room upgrade, subject to availability at check-in, at most Conrad, LXR or Waldorf Astoria properties
Hyatt Prive: One-category room upgrade (based on availability at the time of booking and confirmed within 24 hours of booking) at select Alila, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Regency, Joie de Vivre, Miraval, Park Hyatt, The Unbound Collection and Thompson properties
Marriott Luminous: Complimentary room upgrade, subject to availability at check-in, at select Autograph Collection, JW Marriott, Le Meridien, Marriott, Renaissance, Tribute Portfolio, W Hotels and Westin properties
Marriott Stars: Complimentary room upgrade, subject to availability at check-in, at Bulgari, Edition, Luxury Collection, Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve and St. Regis properties
Virtuoso: Complimentary room upgrade, subject to availability at check-in
However, it's important to distinguish between guaranteed room upgrades and those only offered on a space-available basis. Getting a confirmed or guaranteed upgrade is much better than hoping there's upgrade space upon arrival.
It's much easier to get a hotel room upgrade based on availability if you stay at a hotel during a low-occupancy period. For example, when I stayed at the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa last year during the low season, I was able to get a space-available upgrade as a Hyatt Globalist member from the beach villa I'd booked with Hyatt points to an overwater villa.
Overwater villa at the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
However, if I'd stayed during a period when the overwater villas were fully booked, the hotel wouldn't have been able to upgrade me. So, especially if you're hoping for a space-available upgrade, traveling during the low season and having top-tier status in a program that offers upgrades to the "best room available" (like World of Hyatt) can make a difference.
You may also want to pay for an upgrade on some stays. Hilton Honors and IHG One Rewards often show upgrade options during the booking process, but you can also contact the hotel after booking to inquire about upgrade rates.
Alila Kothaifaru Maldives. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
I recently spoke to a traveler with a larger family who said he usually books a standard room using points and then contacts the hotel to ask how much it would cost to upgrade to a room accommodating his family. If the upgrade rate is reasonable, he accepts the upgrade cost. But if the upgrade cost isn't reasonable, he either books a second room to accommodate his family or cancels his reservation and tries again at a nearby property.
I've also gotten many upgrade offers at Maldives resorts. For example, ahead of my stay at the Alila Kothaifaru Maldives, the resort sent me an email with offers to upgrade from the beach villa I'd booked with points to a lagoon water villa for $126 per night. I didn't accept the offer and hoped for a space-available upgrade as a Hyatt Globalist traveling in the low season. But the upgrade cost might be well worth paying if staying in a different room type than what you booked is important to you.
Finally, it never hurts to ask nicely about an upgrade at check-in. Especially if you have elite status and the hotel is still selling at least several of the rooms you want, the front desk might give you one.
ANCHIY/GETTY IMAGES
However, be prepared not to get the room type you want. Some front desk agents aren't incentivized to do anything more than is required, even for high-tier elite members. Plus, some hotels have internal policies to only give upgrades when required, to certain room types or to select guests. So, unless you're guaranteed an upgrade based on your elite status or booking method, be ready to accept the room type you booked if the hotel doesn't want to upgrade you.
I've lived out of hotels as a digital nomad for almost eight years. Doing so has let me and my husband earn and maintain high tiers of elite status in all the hotel loyalty programs we care about, so I'm intimately familiar with hotel room upgrades. And I know how relatively rare getting a significant space-available upgrade even as a high-tier elite member can be.
For this reason, I highly value Hyatt suite upgrade awards, IHG confirmable suite upgrades and the InterContinental Ambassador program. After all, these let me confirm a better room well before check-in and, in most cases, well before the cancellation period arrives. Plus, not having to hope for an upgrade upon arrival can relieve stress, especially if you want or need the upgrade to make your stay comfortable.
