Today’s travelers don’t just book a room or a ticket—they curate their experience. The best travel brands make it easy for guests to enhance their journey, leading to higher engagement, better satisfaction, and stronger revenue.
For hotels, upselling isn’t about offering more—it’s about making upgrades feel effortless and intuitive. When done well, it enhances the guest experience while driving meaningful revenue.
Upselling works best when you’re adding real value, which takes into consideration guest’s past behaviours and anticipated needs. It’s about knowing what your guests might request—and making an offer at the perfect moment pre-arrival, at check-in, or whilst on-property before they have to ask. When you focus on enhancing the experience, the revenue takes care of itself. – Dan Hiza.
Lessons from Other Travel Sectors
A flight might last 1.5 to 12 hours (IATA, 2024), while a hotel stay typically spans 2 to 3 nights (Skift, 2024). That’s a much larger opportunity to enhance the guest experience, drive revenue, and strengthen connections. The most successful ancillary strategies feel seamless because they meet guests where they are:
- Airlines offer premium seating, priority boarding, and lounge access at key
moments—booking, check-in, and even departure. - Cruise lines integrate upgrades into trip planning, from cabin enhancements to dining and excursions.
- Passenger rail uses mobile booking to present upgrade options at the perfect time.
These brands aren’t just selling extras—they’re making premium experiences intuitive. Hotels have the same opportunity. The demand for premium stays is already there. The key is making it easy for guests to say yes.
Fine-Tuning Upselling for 2025
With strategies in place for the year ahead, now is the time to refine and scale what works. Three key areas can drive outsized impact:
- Make premium offers part of the journey. Early check-in, room upgrades, and
exclusive amenities should be surfaced through SMS, mobile apps, and front desk interactions at the moments guests are most likely to act. - Engage loyalty members in smarter ways. Eighty-three percent of loyalty members already purchase ancillary products. Offering them the flexibility to Pay with Points—or a combination of cash and points—makes upgrades more accessible and boosts both engagement and spending.
- Use data-driven personalization. Guests are more likely to upgrade when offers align with their preferences. A room with a view? Late checkout? The more relevant the offer, the higher the conversion.
From Strategy to Results
Leading brands aren’t adding complexity—they’re simplifying how premium experiences are presented and purchased. For hotels, success isn’t about rethinking revenue—it’s about executing smarter.
See how leading hotels are turning ancillaries into real revenue. Reach out to Plusgrade to learn more.
