The $20 Hotel Upgrade Trick

In the US there is this thing called the ‘$20 hotel upgrade trick’, we’re curious to find out if you’ve ever tried similar and if it has ever worked.

It’s very simple really, you arrive at the reception of your hotel to check in, greet the receptionist as you normally would and then place a $20 (let’s say a £10/£20) note on the desk and say “This is for you. Whatever you can do for me, I’d appreciate it”. You then hope that they won’t take offence and hopefully work their magic to offer you a ‘free’ upgrade to a much more expensive room or some other freebies (generally worth a lot more than the $20 you’ve just tipped them).

It is also known as the $20 Sandwich (as you place the $20 between your ID/Password & your credit/debit card which all rooms ask for).

In the US people have got penthouse suites, wine, ocean view rooms, VIP tickets, cooked breakfasts, champagne so it seems to work but do you think it’s the same in the UK?

We did this in Vegas and got upgraded to a much higher floor (8 higher), giving better views but exactly the same room. Not sure if it was worth it but felt good.

You can see the results from our questioning on Facebook.

You may also like:

• Tipping a Hotel Cleaner £300 ($500)
• How to get a free upgrade to Business or First class
• How to keep ‘your’ parking space free outside your house every time or around town if you don’t have cash