No matter how much we have to spend, most travellers share the same quiet ambition: to squeeze as much value and luxury out of the trip as possible. We all want those flight deals that feel like a personal victory, especially when the money saved can be channelled into something indulgent like upgrading to premium, business, or even first class. And when it comes to hotels, nothing beats the joy of being handed keys to a room that’s bigger, brighter, or just a little more special than expected. Upgrades make us feel appreciated, pampered, and instantly more excited about the journey ahead.

If you’re already floating between first‑class cabins and penthouse suites, this won’t be your playbook. But if you love making your travel budget work harder—and enjoy that little buzz you get from a room upgrade—then you’re in exactly the right place.

TRAVEL TIPS TO GET UPGRADES & MORE LUXURY FOR LESS

Choose your dates carefully

Travel in ‘shoulder season’ rather than at peak dates. This could be a week or two before, so you get the same weather but without the peak prices. Hotels may be more inclined to offer upgrades or promotional rates in this period.

Change your destinations

Maybe go to Vietnam this year instead of Thailand. Zanzibar instead of Mauritius. You can experience an amazing new place you hadn’t thought of and get that 5star hotel right on a stunning beach for half the price.

Look for brand new hotels

There is something quite special about staying in a brand new luxury hotel. State of the art facilities, all shiny and untouched. Brand new suites and bedding, never been used. New hotel openings also usually offer reduced rates. You can grab a real bargain before the room rates jump up when the hotel becomes more established after a season.

Fly midweek

Most people want to fly at the weekend due to work and school but if you can fly midweek you will find flight prices are significantly lower. If you have to fly at weekends then Sundays are usually cheaper than Saturdays,

Book flights at the right time

The general rule for travel in peak school holiday periods, is book as soon as you can. There are no late deals for peak periods these days and you will just end up paying more if you leave it. Flights on most scheduled airlines are released around 11-12 months in advance. Get in early to secure the best deals.

If you are travelling outside peak dates and especially if you are flexible on where and when you want to go, you can leave it until much later to book. A rough guide would be to book around 3-4 months in advance for long-haul and 6-8 weeks in advance for short-haul. Or look out for regular sales throughout the year.

Choose indirect flights

Adding a short stop  en-route to your destination can dramatically reduce your flight costs. Direct flights can sometimes be double the cost of a flight that has a short stop and plane change. Sometimes the stops are only for an hour or so and you don’t have to check your bags or passport again, so are pretty seamless. Maybe use the money you save to upgrade the flights to business or first class.

You could even stop for a couple of nights and add a city stopover and still save money. This is great for long haul destinations and adding a new destination makes your trip even more special.

Fly from a different airport

Do you always fly from Gatwick? Maybe check out prices from Heathrow or Luton. If you normally fly from Birmingham, can you get to Manchester easily? If the extra drive isn’t too much hassle you could take advantage of better flights and lower fares, depending on where you are going.

Book an open-jaw flight

Are you going to two or more places? Open-Jaw fares can save you money. You have probably not heard of that but it basically means you book a flight from the UK to your first destination. Then a flight back from a different airport back to the UK, with the same airline. You generally get a similar price to a straight return flight. Then you just add a one way flight in between the two places in the middle of your holiday. This means you can use different airlines and separate tickets and this usually brings costs down. If that’s confusing, your travel agent will know all about this and will do this anyway as standard.

Split your cabin class

So you want to fly to the Caribbean or USA but want a flat bed so you can sleep. Business class flights with flat beds may be out of your budget but did you know you can split class and fly out economy and back business? The fare will be much lower than business both ways. The flights out are usually day flights anyway and the flights back are overnight. So maybe you only need that flat bed for the night-time flight?

THE BEST WAYS TO GET A HOTEL UPGRADE

When you book your room..

If your hotel stay is for a special occasion, make sure you tell your travel agent to inform the hotel. If you are booking direct then advice the hotel yourself. Get that logged into their system when you book. You can ask if they have any complimentary upgrades available, although I would not be too pushy at this point.

Midweek or Sunday check-in is less busy, when upgrades are more likely. Busy Fridays and Saturdays are not so good. If it’s a business hotel then Sundays are best.

If your hotel has one, join their loyalty or points program. Even if you don’t plan to stay there or at one of their hotels again they do offer more priority to loyalty members when it comes to upgrades.

When you arrive at the hotel to check-in..

If you can, check in at 3.30-5pm when rooms have been allocated. There is more chance of upgrades then. Don’t check it late at night, as the night staff will have less power to offer upgrades.

Be polite & friendly and dress well.

Remind them it’s a special occasion and you are very excited about their hotel and your stay there.

Don’t jump in and start asking for upgrades immediately. Use the staff names and try to build a rapport.

Once you have built your rapport and its all going well just politely say – if you have any complimentary upgrades available, I would love to take advantage.

Other ways to get an upgrade..

Other ways would be to ask your travel agent about automatic upgrades. Many hotels or tour operators run promotions throughout the year where you can get a free upgrade when you book. These could be room upgrades or board upgrades. Simply find your destination and ask your travel agent what hotels there are offering upgrades. Or give them your travel dates and see where the best upgrades would be for that period.

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