There is absolutely nothing wrong with two double beds, a 20-inch TV, a bar of tiny soap, and a DIY coffeemaker that lets you brew your morning joe exactly 12 oz. at a time.

It’s practical. It’s economical. And it’s… well, boring. But that’s hotel booking in a nutshell, most of the time.

Other times, you crave the posh and spacious suite life, complete with 750-thread count sheets and personal butlers. You don’t just want a red carpet; you want a red-carpet experience. It’s one thing to want to indulge in such opulence, even just for a night or long weekend. But it’s another thing altogether to have the means to actually make it happen without breaking the bank.

With some carefully curated hotel booking tips and advice for once you arrive at your hotel, we can help you fake the suite life. (You can trust these pointers; after all, we did show you how to fake flying First Class.) This can take a few different directions when it comes to living it up in hotels. You could work your way up from a standard guest room to an actual suite by wheeling and dealing. Also, you can help transform the standard guest room experience to something a bit more special with a couple of nifty travel hacks.

But before we show you how to upgrade and enhance what can otherwise be a ho-hum work conference in Boise or forgettable wedding stay in Birmingham, let’s take a moment to demystify what exactly it means for a hotel room to be called a suite.

Hotel Booking 101: What’s the Difference Between a Suite and a Standard Room?

Defining a hotel suite is kind of like defining luxury. It’s different from one person to another.

Hotel “suite” is a relative term that very loosely means a room has something extra above and beyond a standard guest room. But there is no governing board or body ensuring a room checks a bunch of boxes. A suite is exactly what a hotel tells you it is. And this varies widely from place to place, as you might imagine.

Take Red Roof Inn, an affordable, no-frills hotel option that is popular with pet owners. Did you know they offered suites? They do, complete with extra space, a mini fridge, and microwave.¹ Nothing too, too extravagant.

Now slide on over to The Willard, an InterContinental four-diamond luxury hotel located in the heart of Washington, D.C. since 1850. Here the standard guest room comes complete with a 47” TV, minibar, robes and lavish Agraria soaps and shampoos. And what happens when you upgrade to an Executive Suite? You get a parlor — yes a parlor — plus two bathrooms, views of Pennsylvania Avenue, marble bath fixtures and more.

See what we mean? The suite experience can run the gamut from a few bonus conveniences to a highly pampered guest experience.²

And we could do this all day. If you want to make the Willard’s offerings appear relatively pedestrian, then compare them to The Katara Suite at the Excelsior Hotel Gallia in Milan. Here guests get private terraces and spa, 24-hour butler service, a conference room, and even bulletproof glass, just in case, all for £17,000 per night.³

Hotel Booking Tips to Fake the Suite Life

You can’t expect to show up at a front desk and simply sweet talk your way to the corner suite. Yes, it could happen (and we’ll tell you how), but it helps to grease the wheels of the Hotel Upgrade Machine.

Those who are most successful at using charm, smarts, smoke and mirrors to win a more comfortable stay begin well before they check in. Here are some hotel booking tips to level up your stay without paying any extra.

• Research, Research, Research. Before you try and make a deal to upgrade or enhance your hotel experience, you should be familiar with the hotel and what’s happening around the property. Know the specific types of suites that are available, be aware of the best view in the building, and become familiar with the hotel’s amenities, from spas to onsite restaurants. Also, know if you’re booking during a peak time for the hotel, whether you’re reserving a room at a boutique hotel on Thanksgiving Day on the Macy’s parade route or a B&B in Bangor Maine during the American Folk Festival. A sizeable occupancy could make it unlikely to get upgraded to a better room for free, but may not keep you from earning later check-out or a preferred room location.⁴
• Flex Your Status. This should be pretty obvious, but hotels want to reward their most loyal guests. In addition to providing tiered rewards and access to special amenities, such as happy hours and preferred floors, being a member of a hotel’s loyalty program can put you in line for random or even automatic room upgrades. So if you’re not a member, and they ask you, take them up on the offer.
• Give Yourself Some Credit. Same drill as above. Credit cards can have relationships with participating hotels that put you in line for room upgrades, as well as benefits including free breakfast, welcome gifts and more.⁵
• Avoid the Aggregators. Remember what we just said about loyalty? Hotels value it even more than guests who don’t request a fresh towel every day. Sites such as Travelocity, Hotels.com, and Booking.com can help you hone in on great prices, but they also send a clear message to the hotel: you’re not staying there because you love the hotel, but because you love the rate you nabbed. They also don’t generate a ton of money for hotels. For those reasons and more, guests who book through these third-party sites are more likely to be given the room with the view of a brick wall — the one that’s a hike-and-half from the elevator and has a mystery stain smack dab in the middle of the carpet. Booking directly with a hotel, whether it’s on the phone or online, will give you a leg up.⁶
• Plan Something Special. Do you have a birthday, anniversary, babymoon or any special occasion planned? Think harder, maybe it’s your cousin’s un-birthday or the third anniversary of your second divorce. We kid a little, and we’re not suggesting you make up a special reason for your trip (wink, wink), but know that some hotels may go out of their way to honor a guest request or simply do something unexpected if so enticed. And if you really are celebrating a big day, be sure to politely follow up once or twice with a phone call or even an email to the property’s general manager.
• Shop Around. No, we’re not talking about comparing room rates. We’re talking about literally shopping… at Costco. No, seriously. Costco Travel now offers discounts up to 30 percent on hotel bookings for luxury accommodations including the Waldorf Astoria and Park Hyatt. Come for the 20-lb. tub of mayo, and leave with a romantic weekend getaway on the books.^7

Insider Advice for Faking the Suite Life

OK, you’re in the hotel, approaching the front desk. What’s your plan? Because right now you’re just an Average Joe or Joanna, with a standard room and not much else. Don’t worry, there are some things you can do to elevate your experience.

• Arrive Early. Or Late. If you have status with a hotel, try arriving early, as in right before check-in time, to earn a perk or room upgrade before the other loyal guests arrive. There are only so many freebies to go around, after all. But there is something to be said for being late as long as a hotel has a vacancy. If you’re the last one to arrive, are cordial and simply ask if any room enhancements or upgrades are available, you may just get lucky.
• The Tipping Point: It’s not a myth. Tipping can make things happen at hotels. A folded up $20 may not get you the penthouse, but if you slip one to whoever is working the front desk, you could be in line for benefits including a room with more square footage or one that was recently renovated. Just be polite and discrete, and have a statement ready to accompany your tip, such as, “Thanks for all your help; if there is anything you can do to elevate our already awesome guest experience, we would be really appreciative.” You could be a few bucks away from a free breakfast, comped minibar or premium movies on the house. Front desk employees are often given some latitude to provide such perks; why shouldn’t it be you who receives them?⁶
• Know What to Ask For… We talked a little about this above, but how can you ask for something if you don’t know what’s available? You know what sounds better than asking to upgrade to a suite? Asking to upgrade to a second-floor Junior Executive Suite. It shows you know the property and have probably stayed there before many times. Similarly, if upgrades aren’t available, be sure to see if there are any specific enhancements the employee may be able to provide, such as a room near the elevator or spa comps. Sometimes, making a comment is better than asking. For example, “Hey, I heard you have a phenomenal breakfast. That’s why we’re staying here. How does it work…”⁶
• Be Assertive, But Not a Pest. A well-timed, well-delivered critique or complaint can go miles to building goodwill with hotel management. Calling the front desk because the AC thermostat won’t go below 85F or the roof is leaking onto your bed is a no-brainer. But even sharing observations about loose knobs, slightly stained mattresses and dripping faucets as a courtesy can start the conversation that gets you something for free.⁸
• Entertain Yourself. Maybe you’re stuck with basic cable or no option to pay for in-room entertainment. These days you can enjoy DIY hotel room movies and TV series with a little help from some Wi-Fi and an HDMI port, which will allow you to connect an Apple TV, Roku or other streaming device.
• Stay Comfortable. We’ve all been there. We jack up the AC to arrive back to our room just the way we want it, but when we re-enter later, something is amiss: our expected room temperature sweet spot. That’s because many hotels rig up their cooling systems, as well as their power, to shut down when we exit to keep the bills down And when we re-enter our card into the door, a sensor flips the systems back on. Pretty clever, huh? But there is a quick and easy bypass. Simply slide an old, unneeded hotel room-sized card into the slot, such as a membership card, while you’re out at the gym or lobby bar and trick the room into thinking you’re still inside the room. Genius.⁵

Sometimes, you need to treat yourself when away from home. That’s half the fun, right? But you don’t need to nab a suite during hotel booking to make it happen. Sometimes, if you’re savvy, luxury can fall into your lap.

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