After almost three decades as a travel writer and more trips than I can count, I’ve developed a foolproof checklist that I consult before every trip: I hold the mail, check that my ID is up to date, pack my carry-on items, fill my suitcase and make sure the dog is taken care of—the family too, if they’re coming along. Even though that’s a lot to juggle, I still add one important thing to the list before I leave: Reach out to the hotel directly before my arrival.
Yes, I usually make reservations on the hotel’s app or website. And yes, it adds another step to my trip prep. But there are some vital reasons to connect directly with the property and the front desk or concierge before showing up. Trust me, it’s always worth the time and effort.
Curious whether you should add this step to your pre-trip prep? Read on to find out why you really want to get in touch with your hotel before you arrive at your destination.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more travel, tech, cleaning, humor and fun facts all week long.
Why is it a good idea to call or email your hotel before arriving?
When I’m heading to a hotel pretty much anywhere in the world, I always contact the property two to three days before my reservation. Whether I’m angling for a better room or want to ensure necessities are in place before I arrive, this quick check-in means everything is in place when I arrive.
“Reaching out to a hotel ahead of arrival is always a great idea, especially if there is anything that can help make the stay more comfortable or personalized,” says John Gil of the Hyatt Centric Chicago O’Hare. “Guests often contact us in advance for practical needs, such as requesting a crib, extra pillows or accessibility accommodations. It’s also helpful to share preferences, like needing a quieter room, a higher floor or celebrating a special occasion. While certain room types or upgrades may be tied to availability, letting the hotel know your preferences early allows the team to do their best to accommodate whenever possible.”
So how, exactly, can a simple phone call or email improve your stay? Here’s what you might get out of it:
A room upgrade
When I travel, I like to ensure I’m getting the best room available for the category I’ve booked. For me, that means away from the elevator, on a high floor and with a view, if possible.
Hotels usually reserve upgrades for their loyalty members and for guests who pay to upgrade, but there are always a range of available rooms in a category, and that’s what you’re trying to do here: get the best room available in your reservation’s category. Of course, if you ask nicely, you might also walk away with a coveted upgrade to a premium room by sending a request in advance.
Birthday or anniversary perks
If you let the hotel know it’s someone in your party’s birthday or anniversary with an email before you arrive, the staff may surprise you with special treats like Champagne, cake or decorations. This is more likely to happen at a luxury hotel, but even a chain property may gift you with a coupon for a free drink or send a treat up to the room.
A cot or crib
If you’re traveling with kids and need a cot or crib, I always recommend calling the front desk ahead of time to make sure they have your request and to ask that they set it up before you arrive. This is a game-changer if you check in past your child’s bedtime—no waiting around for a crib delivery.
Children’s amenities
Call or email the hotel to see if it has special amenities for babies and kids. Hotels have had everything from mini robes to bathtub toys waiting for us when I traveled with my son and let the concierge know his age and that he was joining me. The Four Seasons Philadelphia once sent up cookies (and icing to decorate them) for my son.
Pet necessities
Even at the most pet-friendly hotels, you’ll usually need to pay a fee to bring your furry best friend. Want perks beyond entry for guests of the four-legged variety? If you communicate with the hotel before you arrive, the staff will often make sure food and water bowls, as well as pet beds, are waiting for your pup. My rescue dog, Babka, even had his own “pup-cuterie” snack bowl waiting at the Asbury Hotel in New Jersey.
An adaptive room
If you’re a disabled traveler, make sure your needs are met before you arrive at the hotel. You can call in advance to request an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) adaptive room and ensure the hotel notes it on your reservation. The room will be available upon your arrival, no haggling with the concierge during check-in.
Activity reservations
Email or call if you’re staying at a resort and want to make sure you have reservations in place for activities, meals or trips to the spa. (Pro tip: Do this as soon as you make your room reservations, because the early bird gets the best times and availability.)
When should you definitely contact a hotel before you arrive?
You can contact the hotel ahead of your arrival for any reason, but there are two situations that really require a call: you have a disability, or you’re traveling with an infant.
If you have a disability and need an ADA-compliant accommodation, you’ll want to make sure the hotel is holding one for you. Even if you requested it via a digital reservation system, always call to confirm. ADA-compliant rooms have special details, such as roll-in showers, wider doorways and visual smoke alarms.
The other reason you should definitely contact your hotel before you arrive is if you’re traveling with a baby. Hotels do not have an unlimited supply of cribs or cots. If you need one and want it in your room upon arrival, it’s always best to call and confirm. Doing this saved my vacation when technical issues delayed our arrival in Puerto Rico for 11 hours (!) when my son was a toddler. During the delay, I called to confirm our setup would be ready when we arrived, and while other guests were still talking to the front desk about their reservations, we sped up to our room—and to the waiting crib.
“Reaching out to a hotel prior to arrival is one of the simplest ways to elevate your stay, and advance communication allows the hotel to prepare thoughtfully,” says Terrah Piggee from the InterContinental San Antonio. “While certain room types and views are tied to booking category or loyalty status, letting the hotel know your preferences gives the team the best opportunity to accommodate them. Travel days can be unpredictable, so addressing details ahead of time often results in a smoother arrival and a more seamless guest experience overall.”
Do hotels offer these special perks to everybody?
You don’t have to be a celebrity or influencer to get these perks. Hotel staff treat all guests the same, which is to say as valued customers eligible to receive available perks. Many properties have protocols in place for celebrating a guest’s birthday or anniversary and welcoming children or pets with free amenities, provided you alert them.
“We love being part of your milestones,” says Kelly Brown of the Kimpton The Forum Hotel. “While complimentary perks like Champagne or decor aren’t always guaranteed and depend on our daily occupancy, letting us know in advance allows our team to try and add that extra touch to your stay. At the very least, it helps us ensure we start your visit with a warm, personalized welcome.”
What’s the best way to contact a hotel?
The best way to contact a hotel depends on what your ultimate goals and needs are.
For imperative requests, like cribs and ADA-compliant rooms, a phone call to the front desk of the hotel—the direct line, not the toll-free number—is the best way to get a direct reply from someone who can help you. When alerting a hotel about a special celebration, an email to the concierge desk or the general manager is a great option.
There are a couple of other ways to communicate with a hotel directly:
- Download the property or brand’s app. This will allow you to make requests directly to the property through in-app messaging (most hotels have on-site staff members who monitor the app).
- Connect with the concierge. Many times, a luxury property with a concierge will reach out to you directly prior to your visit, either through email or text. This is one of my favorite ways to make requests, not only for room amenities but also everything from maps of the area to restaurant reservations (all gratis services, by the way). It puts me in direct communication with the person who can help me.
Who should you talk to, exactly?
When you’re reaching out to a hotel, your go-to contact has as much to do with the property type as it does your request.
For anything room related (a roll-away cot, a room on a high floor), the front desk is your best bet. You can call or try messaging through the app, and some hotels may also have text numbers for requests. Your goal is to get a direct response from a person, not a bot.
If you are staying in an upscale or luxury hotel with a concierge, email them with requests (unless there’s a text option, which I often find is the best and most efficient form of communication). Concierges can make reservations, offer suggestions for activities and help book them, note special occasions in your reservation and often offer special perks.
One example of what concierges can do: After a series of unfortunate events during a Walt Disney World stay that included a canceled flight, a lost shopping bag and airport transportation that needed to be rebooked, the concierge at the Coronado Springs Resort personally extended my room reservation (something I thought only the front desk could do) and then gave me a credit to replace the item in my lost shopping bag.
You can also email the hotel to the attention of the director of guest services, who may have the ability to grant upgrades and special treats, cater to kids’ needs and make sure other needs are met as well.
Will this work if you book through a third-party travel site?
Third-party booking sites like Expedia and Tripadvisor, often called online travel agencies, can’t help you get special treatment at a hotel. But once you make a reservation, you can reach out to the hotel directly. Just remember: If you book through one of these sites, your reservation won’t include any of your loyalty information, and you won’t earn points on a stay. Still, you can ask about special amenities and share your preferences. Note, though, that upgrades for rooms booked through third-party sites are extremely rare.
You’ll have a different experience if you book through a loyalty hotel program, like American Express’s Fine Hotels & Resorts. This service is more aligned with a traditional travel agent, and you should definitely contact them directly for hotel upgrade requests and special celebration notifications.
What is the best way to phrase your request?
You’re most likely to get what you’re asking for when your request is short, sweet and polite. Remember that hotel staff may be dealing with dozens of requests and hundreds of reservations.
When you’re emailing, texting or messaging in the app, get to the point as quickly as possible and include details about your reservation so they can locate it in their system.
Need a script? Here are some examples of wording that works:
- We are very excited about our upcoming stay at ____ on ____ dates. We’ll be celebrating [big birthday/special anniversary] and would love to be considered for an upgrade if anything becomes available. Our reservation number is ____.
- I’ve heard wonderful things about your hotel, and I am looking forward to my first stay at the property. I’d love to get an ocean-facing room or high floor option if space is available so I can enjoy the views I’ve read so much about. I’m staying the nights of ____ to ____, and my reservation number is ____.
- This hotel is our favorite place in the world, and we’re so excited to return for our fifth time. We are looking forward to our stay, and I was wondering if you might be able to help us make this trip extra special. Any consideration would be fantastic.
End all notes with something like “Thank you for your time. I appreciate your help.” Or “Thank you in advance for helping to make our trip extra special.”
What else should you keep in mind?
Keep the points below in mind when you’re contacting a hotel with special requests.
- Be polite! Being friendly, kind and thankful for someone’s time will go a long way, especially if you’re hoping for an upgrade or complimentary in-room amenities.
- Don’t lie. Birthdays are fun to celebrate, but if yours isn’t for another four months, don’t say you’re celebrating and ask for freebies. Remember, the hotel will ask for ID when you check in and will see your actual birthday. And if you’re part of a loyalty program, your personal details—including anniversaries—will most likely already be in your profile.
- Be realistic about your requests. If you paid for a garden-view double room, don’t ask for a penthouse suite with an ocean view and expect to receive it. And realize that the hotel won’t always be able to provide what you need … but it may give you something else, like a free breakfast if it couldn’t find you a better room for your important celebration.
RELATED:
- Traveling Soon? You Can Now Use Your iPhone as Your Real ID—Here’s How to Add Your Info
- This Is the No. 1 Rudest Thing Passengers Do When Deplaning. Are You Guilty of It?
- Flying Out of One of These Airports? Prepare to Spend More on Parking, Beds and Booze
About the experts
|
Why trust us
Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing, and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Kelly Brown, regional director of operations and general manager of Kimpton The Forum Hotel in Charlottesville, Virginia; interviewed, January 2026
- Terrah Piggee, director of marketing at the InterContinental San Antonio in Texas; interviewed, January 2026
- John Gil, general manager of the Hyatt Centric Chicago O’Hare in Chicago; interviewed, January 2026
The post Here’s Why I Always Call a Hotel Before I Arrive appeared first on Reader's Digest.
from Reader's Digest https://ift.tt/ps8LSeM
Comments
Post a Comment