‘We faked our honeymoon for a free hotel room upgrade'
Gemma Davies*, 33 and from Manchester, caught the honeymoon upgrade bug on a trip to Vietnam in 2024. Davies had been sent an advance questionnaire from a cruise she had booked with her girlfriend in Hạ Long Bay, a Unesco World Heritage Site famed for its limestone islands and emerald waters.
Davies had noticed Tripadvisor reviewers who were on their honeymoon had been given generous upgrades on the two-night riverboat cruise.
'The questionnaire asked me if we were celebrating anything and I thought: why not say we're on honeymoon too? Although to be honest we have zero intention of getting married!'
When the couple arrived, their cabin had been upgraded and their bed was adorned with towels folded into swan shapes and scattered rose petals. 'That was lovely,' Davies recalls. The trouble came when the pair arrived for their seating at dinner and found staff had flanked their table with a 'ginormous' illuminated heart and a banner reading 'happy honeymoon'.
'Everyone started cheering and clapping, which I found hilarious,' Davies recalls. 'My girlfriend, who is an introvert, said: 'Oh my God, what have you done?''
Despite the 'challenge' of spending two days posing as honeymooners, Davies reprised the freebie-hunting tactic at two further hotels in Vietnam, where the couple enjoyed room upgrades, free cakes and champagne and more towel swans and petals – and left glowing reviews after their stays. 'I don't see it as taking the p--- at all,' Davies argues. 'It's more a way of amplifying your experience as a hotel guest.'
Advice pieces on how to blag perks such as hotel and flight upgrades have been a staple of travel magazines since the 1990s. What's new these days is a subculture of unabashed social media 'travel hacks'. When, on Apr 20, TikTokker @rod.davis35 wrote the post: 'Unethical travel hack: fake a honeymoon at check-in!', superimposed on a picture of the sea-view balcony of his upgraded suite in Greece, it received half a million views and tens of thousands of likes.
@rod.davis35 Comment your unethical travel hacks #traveltok #travelhacks #greece ♬ Disappear - Maniak-B
But not everyone celebrated Rod's 'win'. Italian hotel receptionist Leila Al Azawi responded: 'If you are on a REAL honeymoon and don't get special attention you can say thank you to all these liars who try every other day!', while Greek hotelier Panos weighed in: 'As a hotel worker, we know your tricks; don't be so sure!'.
The trend comes alongside a sharp rise in 'friendly fraud', a tactic whereby a consumer makes an online shopping purchase with their own credit card, including for services such as hotels, and then requests a chargeback from the issuing bank after receiving the purchased goods or services.
Twenty-something Londoners Ricky Liu and his partner Tom deployed the honeymoon upgrade hack in December, also on an Asian cruise. On the first night of their stay in an upgraded cabin, a waitress arrived at Ricky and Tom's dinner table with rainbow cocktails as other staff members waved their lit camera torches and Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You blasted out over the ship's speakers. Ricky – who admits he 'felt the full weight of guilt' for lying – says there was another couple at dinner who were genuinely on their honeymoon and were cheering them on.
'We were asked about our wedding rings and we said they had gone for a fitting,' Liu admits. A video of the couple's romantic moment has received 3.8 million likes.
@ricky.liu ♬ original sound - Ricky Liu
Katrina Rohman is a marketing manager for hotel group Future Inns, which has properties in Bristol, Cardiff and Plymouth. She says the family-owned UK hotel group has 'definitely seen a rise' in guests mentioning birthdays, anniversaries, or honeymoons at the time of booking in the hope of receiving an upgrade or a complimentary treat.
'Most requests are fairly tactful and say something along the lines of: 'We are celebrating our anniversary during this stay and would love anything you might be able to offer to make it extra special',' she says. Some guests, however, have more cheek: 'They will outright ask for a suite upgrade, a bottle of champagne, or free dinners, even when they've booked a standard room.'
Vicky Saynor, owner of Bethnal & Bec, says the improbable numbers of supposed event celebrants booking her luxury self-catering properties led the property owner to institute a formal policy of paid-for birthday/just married/ anniversary/babymoon upgrades in 2019.
'We simply couldn't afford to do something special for everybody who asked for it,' she said, adding: 'refusal often caused offence'. The property's £20 event add-on offering includes brownies, eco balloons and a banner, with organic prosecco or champagne available for an additional supplement. 'Though when we know guests personally or are aware they are celebrating and don't ask for something for free we pop a small welcome gift into the room for them,' Saynor adds.
Restaurateurs too report a rise in the 'fake cake' brigade: customers pretending it is their birthday to blag free cakes and desserts. Emma Reid, 58, and based in Cardiff, is one such bold diner. 'I regularly cite a birthday or anniversary to get free drinks and dessert at restaurants,' she says. 'My best ever blag was a bottle of Veuve Clicquot for my '40th' when I was 42.'
Reid says her husband 'dies of embarrassment' at her blagging tactics, which also extend to hotel stays. 'I once cried at a hotel reception about a room we were given and they gave us the honeymoon suite,' Reid says. 'I'm an expert at getting upgrades to rooms with balconies.'
Some hoteliers are now asking for proof of birthday dates and wedding certificates before they wheel out the free fizz, with reports that reception staff at sunshine resorts in the States are performing 'ring checks' (checking wedding bands for signs of long wear and tan lines). Rohman thinks hoteliers 'develop a bit of a sixth sense' for spotting when guests are on the take.
Dr Charlotte Russell, a clinical psychologist and founder of The Travel Psychologist, understands why travel blagging tactics are on the rise. Russell says that the cost of living, soaring hotel rates and unrealistic expectations of the hotel-going experience that are broadcast via social media create a 'perfect storm' to encourage guests to go after freebies.
As with any dishonest or morally questionable behaviour, she says, there are ways that guests justify this blagging to themselves: 'By reconstruing their conduct ('it's not that bad'); minimising the negative consequences ('it didn't hurt anyone'); or blaming the recipients ('they make the prices too high anyway').'
Gemma Davies has no regrets and says that she will 'definitely' try the travel hack again, albeit judiciously: 'It would be tricky on a week-long all-inclusive where we would bump into people again and again and would maybe need to fake a proposal story,' she laughs.
Expert upgrade blagger Reid is sometimes faced with a hotel staff member who's seen it all. 'I sometimes have to accept defeat after exhausting my repertoire!' she admits. 'Would I do this again? Absolutely, yes,' Liu concludes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
I was ready to go back to Sydney after spending six weeks in Bali... but customs wouldn't let me leave because of a minor rule change I had never heard of
An Aussie traveller has shared an urgent warning after an honest mistake left him stranded in Bali. Troy Nankervis said on Instagram his nightmare began because he was unaware of an important rule change to visas. Indonesian authorities introduced on May 29 new face-to-face requirements for visa extensions. Anyone wanting to stay in the country for more than 30 days, including those using the popular visa-on-arrival option, must attend an in-person interview and photo session at an immigration office. Mr Nankervis was already in Bali when he went to renew his visa online on June 2 so he could stay in the country a little longer. He was unaware of the changes that had been made to the rules days earlier, and did not go in person to Denpasar's immigration office to finalise the visa. Mr Nankervis spent six weeks in the country in total before he went to Ngurah Rai International Airport to catch a flight back to Sydney. 'I was all checked in at the airport at Denpasar last night. I was going through customs and the officer told me I'd overstayed my visa,' he said. 'I was in a pretty impossible situation. They wouldn't let me pay the fine. The fine usually is about 1million rupiah, 100 bucks a day.' Mr Nankervis said he was pulled out of the queue and immigration officers escorted him back through airport security and retrieved his suitcase, which had already been loaded onto the plane for his flight back home. Despite it being late on a Saturday night, he was told he was not allowed to fly home to Sydney until he presented to the immigration office on Monday. He checked himself into a Kuta hotel. The delay meant he not only missed his flight back home to Sydney, but also his upcoming flight to London. Mr Nankervis said it was frustrating that despite paying for the extension fee online when renewing his visa, there was no automated email from the Indonesian government that his application was incomplete. He presented to the Denpasar Immigration office at 8am on Monday, and after waiting an hour, it took 'all of 30 seconds' to approve the visa extension. 'It's been one of the most expensive, frustrating hiccups I've ever done, and on a technicality,' he said. 'It's been a very stressful 48 hours and very expensive in terms of rebooking flights. 'My advice is, if you're flying to Indonesia and want to extend your tourist visa, book an appointment in person at the office.' Mr Nankervis said, all up, rescheduling his flight home to Sydney and to London, as well as extra accommodation in Bali, left him more than $2,000 out of pocket. Indonesia Immigration revealed the key reason for the sudden changes in visa extension policy was to crack down on foreigners breaking the law and abusing the visa system.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Tourists are trickling into Afghanistan and the Taliban government is eager to welcome them
By plane, motorbike, camper van and even on bicycles, tourists are beginning to discover Afghanistan, with solo travelers and tour groups gradually venturing into a country that until recently was wracked by war. And the country's Taliban government, which seized power more than three years ago but has yet to be formally recognized by any other nation, is more than happy to welcome them. 'The Afghan people are warm and welcoming and wish to host tourists from other countries and engage with them,' Deputy Minister of Tourism Qudratullah Jamal told The Associated Press in an early June interview. 'Tourism brings many benefits to a country. We have considered those benefits and aim for our nation to take full advantage of them.' A potentially lucrative industry Tourism is a vital, multi-billion-dollar industry for many countries. Afghanistan's isolation on the international stage, largely because of the Taliban's restrictions on women and girls, has left much of its 41 million people mired in poverty. As it struggles to attract foreign investment, the lucrative potential of tourism is far from lost on the government. 'We are currently earning a considerable amount of revenue from this industry, and we are hopeful it will grow even more in the future,' Jamal said, noting money spent by visitors can reach more layers of society than revenue from other industries. 'We are optimistic this sector will evolve into a large economy, bringing significant benefits. It plays an important role in strengthening our national economy.' Trickle rather than a flood Tourist visas are quick and easy to obtain and flights from major transit hubs such as Dubai and Istanbul operate several times a week. The government has even set up a training institute for men — and it is only for men — seeking jobs in the hospitality and tourism sector. While visitor numbers are still very much a trickle rather than a flood, they are increasing. Nearly 9,000 foreign tourists visited Afghanistan last year, while nearly 3,000 people visited in the first three months of this year, Jamal said. Four decades of near-continuous conflict kept nearly all vacationers away from this landlocked country of towering mountains, deep gorges and millennia of history. The Taliban's takeover from a U.S.-backed government in August 2021 stunned the world and sent thousands of Afghans fleeing. But with the insurgency over, the bloodshed from frequent bombings and suicide attacks all but ended too. Attacks still occur, however. An Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan remains active and gunmen killed six people, including three Spanish tourists, in a May 2024 attack in Bamiyan, one of the country's main tourist attractions where centuries-old giant Buddhas carved into the cliffs were blown up by the Taliban in 2001. While Western countries still advise against travel to Afghanistan, a drop in violence from the two decades of U.S.-led military presence is indisputable, as the government is keen to point out. 'Afghanistan has gone through many years of war and hardship. Now, we want tourists to come and see the true traditions and customs of Afghans, to understand Afghan life, creativity and resilience,' Jamal said, noting there was 'comprehensive security across Afghanistan.' An ethical dilemma Critics question the ethics of foreigners visiting Afghanistan for pleasure when its government discriminates so heavily against half the country's population. Education beyond primary school level is banned for girls and women and few professions are open to them. Women cannot enter parks, gardens or gyms. Beauty salons are forbidden. Authorities dictate how women dress and have demanded they cover their faces in public, a decree still flouted by many, particularly in Kabul. Some visitors say they contemplated the ethics, but ultimately wanted to see the situation for themselves. French-Peruvian Illary Gomez said she and her British partner, James Liddiard, debated for about a year whether to drive through Afghanistan as part of their U.K.-to-Japan camper van journey. 'Some things didn't feel morally right,' she said. But once here, they said they found a warm, hospitable and welcoming people and beautiful landscapes. They didn't feel their presence was any form of support for the Taliban. By traveling, 'you put money in the hands of the people, not the government,' Liddiard said. Building bridges The treatment of women is particularly sensitive for government officials. Jamal declined to comment on the subject beyond saying male and female visitors were welcome. 'Those who respect our laws and traditions have already come and can continue to come,' he said. While most restrictions are strictly enforced on Afghan women, they are far more relaxed for foreigners. Although they must still wear a headscarf in public, foreign women are more likely to gain entry into some restricted areas such as parks and are rarely asked to cover their faces in public. Opening the country to foreign visitors was also a way of building bridges, Jamal said. 'It is a great way to promote interaction between the people of different countries. It helps build international relations and is also beneficial for trade,' he told the AP. 'When foreigners come here, Afghans also learn a lot from them. In addition to expanding commerce, tourism also helps foster mutual understanding, cultural exchange and strengthens talents as people learn from one another.' A foreign traveler seeing the country with his own eyes 'creates closeness, builds connections and fosters trust among people,' Jamal said. 'They will respect each other's culture and the distance between peoples will diminish. 'So this is not just economic development; it also brings spiritual and political benefits,' he said.
The Herald Scotland
4 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Eastleigh's highest-rated pub has 'amazing value' and food
The Good Companions, which is located on Leigh Road, has been highly praised by visitors. After analysing pubs in the area for their Tripadvisor scores (needing a minimum of 50 reviews for inclusion), it ended up being top of the pile. The Good Companions has earned a 4.7/5 score on the review site from 145 ratings, with 126 of those being 'Excellent'. Why is The Good Companions Eastleigh's highest-rated pub? On its website, The Good Companions describes itself as "a local, warm and welcoming pub" which is family and dog friendly. Located on the outskirts of Eastleigh's town centre, it is part of Healy Group Pubs and has been owned by the Morgan family since 2018. It has a large outdoor seating area, with an enclosed play area, a relaxed bar section and a restaurant area. They add: "Our stunning upstairs function room is the ideal location for parties and get togethers and our talented kitchen team are able to create delicious menus for your enquiry." The pub has a range of options on tap, including Birra Moretti, Neck Oil, Cruzcampo, Guinness, Rebellion IPA, Otter Ale and Inch's Cider. In terms of food, they pride themselves on offering a "vast selection of European and Classical British dishes to suit all taste buds". The main selling point of the place is its Sunday roasts, which offer "Slow Roasted Belly Pork, Beef Rump, Chicken, Meat Free and Nut Roast with all of our delicious Roast trimmings". What do visitors think of The Good Companions? The Good Companions has been praised by plenty of people on Tripadvisor, with the Sunday roasts being a common mention. One person wrote: "THE best road I have ever had (honestly)! Could not fault one thing on the plate and I am extremely hard to please when it comes to roast dinners. "Pork belly was a 10/10, leeks and cheese… insane and everything else on the plate was perfect. Staff are lovely and great service, would come here every Sunday if I could!" Another said: "Really happy family lunch. Great food. Amazing value. Brilliant service. Huge portions, go hungry. Couldn't fault. Will enjoy going back in the evening and having some wine." A third said: "The food was absolutely tasty, Great atmosphere the staff were lovely and very friendly, we will definitely be going there again." Recommended reading: It's not just the food that has made The Good Companions stand out though, as many people highlighted the service. One wrote: "We all had a fantastic time here Busy place but that added to the atmosphere All the staff were friendly and served us with our drinks with a smile and in good time." Another commented: "Outstanding food, excellent service with friendly staff Best pub food & trust me, you will not leave hungry. Throughly recommended."
