I booked a nice premium mileage award using Aeroplan miles last week which I haven’t had time to blog about yet, but worry not, it’s coming. Anyway, I’m staying in a city which has a very nice InterContinental hotel which is notoriously stingy when it comes to Royal Ambassador upgrades.

I emailed the Guest Relations Manager at this hotel to ask about their upgrade policy, and got the standard response. I then pointed out how tempting of a promotion a competing hotel was offering through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts (which this hotel also belongs to), and asked whether they’d be willing to throw in club access as well. I even offered to pay for a higher room level which was slightly more if this request could be granted. Not only did the Guest Relations Manager agree, but he also said I only had to pay for the lower room level.

So the lesson to be learned? The customer is in the driver’s seat when it comes to luxury hotels, especially in a recession where many of them are experiencing occupancy rates below 50%. Email the Guest Relations Manager, even if you’re not a top tier elite in a hotel program, and push for an upgrade. Chances are you’ll get it.