How to Use Points for Upgraded Hotel Rooms and Suites
Practical strategies for getting a better room — whether you're using points, elite status, or just knowing what to ask for.
There's a particular kind of delight that comes from opening a hotel room door and finding something better than what you expected. A balcony you didn't know about. A sitting area where you'd imagined a desk. A bathtub with a view of the city instead of the parking lot.
Upgrades are one of the most satisfying parts of the points-and-loyalty world. And the good news is that they're more accessible than most people realize — you don't need to be a platinum-level frequent flyer or spend six figures on a credit card. You just need to understand how upgrades work, when to ask, and which strategies actually move the needle.
Here's what this guide covers: how hotel upgrades happen behind the scenes, the specific tools you can use to increase your chances, when to spend points on a better room, and when to simply ask.
Let's get into it.
How hotel upgrades actually work (behind the front desk)
Before we talk about strategies, it helps to understand the system. Hotels don't hand out upgrades randomly, and they don't do it purely out of kindness — though kindness sometimes plays a role. Upgrades happen because of math, loyalty, and inventory management.
Here's the basic reality: hotels have a fixed number of rooms in various categories — standard, deluxe, suites, and so on. On any given night, some of those rooms will be empty. An empty suite earns the hotel nothing. But if they move a loyal guest from a standard room to that empty suite, they've done two things: they've made a guest happy (loyalty retained), and they've freed up a standard room that could potentially be sold to a walk-in or late booking.
That's why loyalty status matters so much for upgrades. The hotel isn't giving you something for free — they're making a business decision. And when you understand that, you can position yourself more effectively.
Strategy 1: Use elite status to earn complimentary upgrades
This is the most reliable path to better rooms. Every major hotel loyalty program offers complimentary upgrades to members who have earned elite status — and some offer it earlier than you might think.
What each program offers
Marriott Bonvoy:
- Gold Elite (25 nights per year): Room upgrades including rooms with enhanced views, higher floors, and corner rooms. Does not include suites.
- Platinum Elite (50 nights per year): Upgrades to suites, subject to availability. This is the level where you start seeing genuinely transformative upgrades.
- Shortcut: The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex card grants automatic Platinum Elite status with the $650 annual fee.
Hilton Honors:
- Gold (20 nights or 40,000 base points): Room upgrades to the best available room at check-in, including suites when available. Hilton is notably generous here — their Gold status delivers upgrades more consistently than most programs at similar levels.
- Diamond (30 nights or 60,000 base points): All Gold benefits plus executive lounge access.
- Shortcut: The Hilton Honors Amex Surpass card ($150 annual fee) grants automatic Gold status. The Hilton Aspire card ($450 annual fee) grants Diamond.
Hyatt (World of Hyatt):
- Discoverist (10 nights): Upgrades within the standard room category (better view, higher floor).
- Explorist (30 nights): Upgrades to the best available standard room, including premium views.
- Globalist (60 nights): Confirmed suite upgrades when available. Globalist is considered one of the most valuable top-tier statuses in the industry.
- Shortcut: The World of Hyatt credit card grants automatic Discoverist status and 5 qualifying nights per year toward higher tiers.
IHG One Rewards:
- Gold Elite (20 nights): Room upgrades when available.
- Platinum Elite (40 nights): Guaranteed room type plus upgrades to better rooms and sometimes suites.
- Shortcut: The IHG One Rewards Premier card ($99 annual fee) grants automatic Platinum Elite status.
The practical takeaway
If you hold the right credit card, you can often start at a mid-tier elite level without staying a single night. That alone gets you into the upgrade conversation. From there, every stay builds toward the next tier.
A candid note: Complimentary upgrades are never guaranteed (except at certain levels with Hyatt Globalist). "Subject to availability" means exactly what it says. But when you check in as an elite member, the front desk agent sees your status in their system. And more often than not, if a better room is sitting empty, it goes to you.
Strategy 2: Book with points and choose a better room category
Here's a strategy that many travelers overlook entirely: instead of booking the cheapest room and hoping for an upgrade, book a better room from the start — using points.
The logic is simple. When you book with cash, the price difference between a standard room and a suite can be $200 to $500 per night. That's a significant jump. But when you book with points, the gap is often much smaller in relative terms.
Real examples of the points-to-upgrade math
Marriott example — San Diego:
- Standard King room: 35,000 points per night
- Junior Suite: 45,000 points per night
- Upgrade cost in points: 10,000 points (worth roughly $7 to $9 in real value)
- Upgrade cost in cash: $180 per night
You'd spend an additional 10,000 points — a modest amount — and get a room that would cost $180 more in cash. That's an excellent use of points.
Hilton example — Charleston:
- Standard room: 50,000 points per night
- Room with a garden view and balcony: 60,000 points per night
- Upgrade cost in points: 10,000 points (worth roughly $5 to $6)
- Upgrade cost in cash: $120 per night
Hyatt example — Maui:
- Standard room: 25,000 points per night
- Ocean-view room: 30,000 points per night
- Upgrade cost in points: 5,000 points (worth roughly $8 to $10)
- Upgrade cost in cash: $250 per night
The pattern is clear: the point premium for a better room is often far smaller than the cash premium. When you're spending points, upgrading at the time of booking is frequently the smartest move.
How to do it
When you're booking a points stay through any hotel loyalty program's website:
- Search for your dates and destination.
- Look at all available room types, not just the cheapest option.
- Compare the points price for the standard room versus the next level up.
- If the difference is modest — say, 5,000 to 15,000 points — book the better room.
You'll walk in with a confirmed upgrade rather than hoping for one at check-in.
Strategy 3: Use suite night awards and upgrade certificates
Several hotel programs offer a specific tool designed for exactly this purpose: certificates or awards that you can apply to an existing reservation to confirm a suite upgrade in advance.
Marriott Suite Night Awards (SNAs)
If you're a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member or above (including those who earn it through the Bonvoy Brilliant card), you receive Suite Night Awards annually — typically five per year.
Here's how they work:
- You book a standard room (with points or cash).
- Before your stay, you submit a Suite Night Award request through the Marriott app or website.
- You select up to three suite preferences (king suite, corner suite, etc.).
- Five days before check-in, Marriott's system either confirms or denies the upgrade.
What to know: SNAs work at most Marriott properties but have blackout restrictions at some premium resorts and Ritz-Carlton locations. They also don't apply during peak periods at certain hotels. The confirmation comes five days before arrival, so you'll know in advance whether you got the upgrade.
Practical tip: Use SNAs for special occasions rather than routine stays. A confirmed suite for an anniversary trip or birthday celebration is exactly the kind of moment that makes the loyalty investment worthwhile.
Hilton upgrade certificates
Hilton doesn't have a formal suite upgrade certificate system like Marriott, but they offer something valuable: Diamond members receive complimentary space-available upgrades to the best room in the house, including suites. This happens at check-in and is remarkably consistent.
Additionally, Hilton sometimes offers targeted promotions that include suite upgrade certificates as a bonus for completing a certain number of stays.
Hyatt Guest of Honor and Suite upgrades
Hyatt Globalist members receive four confirmed suite upgrade awards per year. These can be applied to any standard room booking and are confirmed in advance — no guesswork involved.
What makes Hyatt's version special is the Guest of Honor benefit. Globalist members can book a room for someone else — a family member, a friend — and transfer their elite benefits to that reservation. This means your adult children or travel companions can receive the same suite upgrade treatment even when you're not traveling with them.
Strategy 4: Ask politely at check-in
This one feels almost too simple. But it works more often than you'd expect.
When you arrive at the hotel and approach the front desk, after providing your name and confirmation number, ask this:
"Are there any complimentary upgrades available for my stay?"
That's it. No elaborate story. No pressure. Just a polite, direct question.
Here's why it works. Front desk agents have discretion. They can see the hotel's occupancy in real time, and they know which rooms are sitting empty. If the hotel is at 70% capacity and there are suites available, moving you up costs the hotel nothing — and it earns goodwill.
When this works best
- Midweek stays (Tuesday and Wednesday nights have the lowest occupancy at most hotels)
- Off-season travel (the emptier the hotel, the more flexibility the agent has)
- Longer stays (if you're staying three or more nights, the hotel is more motivated to keep you happy)
- When you have any level of elite status (the agent sees this in the system and it gives them justification for the upgrade)
- When you've booked directly through the hotel (not through a third-party site — the hotel has more flexibility with direct bookings)
When this rarely works
- Sold-out nights (there simply isn't a room to upgrade you to)
- Peak season at resort properties (every room is accounted for)
- When you've booked through Expedia, Booking.com, or similar (third-party bookings often receive the lowest priority for upgrades)
A word about the "twenty-dollar trick"
You may have heard about slipping a $20 bill inside your ID when you check in at a hotel, particularly in Las Vegas. This practice — sometimes called "the twenty-dollar trick" — does exist, and some travelers swear by it.
Our honest assessment: it works inconsistently, primarily at Las Vegas properties, and it can feel awkward for both you and the front desk agent. If you're comfortable with it, it's a relatively low-cost gamble. But elite status, direct booking, and a polite request are all more reliable — and more dignified — approaches.
Strategy 5: Book during promotional periods
Hotels regularly run promotions that effectively give you an upgrade for the same price — or close to it. Knowing when these happen can make a significant difference.
Points advance sales
Several times per year, hotel programs offer bonus points on purchased points. If you're planning a trip and need a few extra thousand points to book a suite instead of a standard room, buying points during a sale can be remarkably cost-effective.
Example: IHG frequently sells points at 0.5 cents per point during promotions. If you need 15,000 additional points to book a suite instead of a standard room, that's $75 — often a fraction of what the cash upgrade would cost.
Double and triple points promotions
Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG all run quarterly promotions that offer double or triple points on stays. Timing your travel to coincide with these promotions means you earn your next upgrade faster.
Practical approach: Register for every promotion when it launches (they usually require registration through the loyalty program's website or app). There's no downside to registering, and you'll automatically earn the bonus if you happen to stay during the promotional period.
Off-peak pricing on award nights
Most hotel programs now use dynamic pricing for award nights, meaning the points cost varies by demand. Booking during off-peak periods often means you can get a suite for fewer points than a standard room would cost during peak season.
A Marriott suite in Rome that costs 70,000 points per night in June might cost 40,000 points per night in November. That November suite is both better and cheaper. This is where flexibility — something many travelers over 55 have in abundance — becomes your greatest asset.
Strategy 6: Use connecting rooms and creative bookings
Here's an approach that works especially well for multigenerational travel or couples who simply want more space.
Instead of booking one expensive suite, consider booking two connecting standard rooms on points. At many hotel programs, two standard rooms cost fewer points than one suite — and you end up with more space, two bathrooms, and the flexibility to close the door when you want privacy.
Example: At a Hilton property, a standard room might cost 40,000 points per night and a suite might cost 80,000. Two connecting standard rooms would cost 80,000 points total — the same as the suite — but you'd get two beds, two bathrooms, a separate space for grandchildren, and twice the closet space.
When booking, call the hotel directly (not just the loyalty program's central reservations) and request connecting rooms. Mention that you'd like them noted on both reservations. Hotels are generally happy to accommodate this request when they can.
When is an upgrade actually worth the points?
Not every upgrade is created equal. Before spending additional points to book a better room, ask yourself three questions:
1. How much time will you spend in the room? If you're traveling to a city where you'll be out exploring from morning to night, the difference between a standard room and a suite may not matter much. But if you're on a beach vacation or a slow-travel retreat where the room is your home base, a better room changes the entire experience.
2. What specifically is better about the upgraded room? "Upgraded" can mean many things. A higher floor with a better view is nice but may not be worth 20,000 extra points. A separate living area where you can read while your partner sleeps — that might be worth every point.
Look at the hotel's website or call to ask specifically what the upgraded room includes. Square footage, balcony, bathtub versus shower, view orientation — these details help you decide.
3. What's the cash value of the upgrade? Compare the points cost of the upgrade to what you'd pay in cash. If spending 10,000 additional points saves you $200 per night in cash, that's an excellent return on those points. If spending 30,000 additional points saves you $50, the math doesn't work.
A real scenario: Turning a good trip into a great one
Susan had been planning a trip to Savannah with three of her closest friends. She'd booked a standard room at a Hyatt property for 15,000 points per night — four nights, 60,000 points total.
When she checked the suite option, it was 25,000 points per night — 100,000 for four nights. An additional 40,000 points for a room with a living area, a pullout sofa, and a small dining table where the four friends could spread out in the evenings with a bottle of wine.
Susan had 140,000 Hyatt points from her credit card sign-up bonus and normal spending. The suite was an easy yes. Four evenings of laughter in a room that felt like a home rather than a hotel — that's what points are for.
The bottom line
Hotel upgrades aren't reserved for the ultra-wealthy or the ultra-frequent. They're available to anyone who understands how the system works and uses a few straightforward strategies: earn elite status (even through a credit card), compare points costs at booking, ask politely at check-in, and time your travel when hotels have flexibility.
The best part is that you don't need to do all of these things at once. Start with one — even if it's just asking at the front desk next time you check in. See what happens.
You might be surprised by what's waiting behind that door.
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