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Turning up at the hotel check-in desk straight away might be harming your chances of getting a more premium holiday experience

Checking into your holiday at the earliest possible opportunity might seem like the savvy move at first, but it could be ruining your chances of getting a luxury hotel room free-of-charge. According to industry analysis from travel experts, checking-in during a specific 90-minute window could be the ultimate strategy.

Graziano Gagliardi at Private Italy Tour claims that turning up at the front desk between 4.30pm and 6pm gives reception staff a much clearer picture of the premium suites that remain available. Arriving too early, say 2pm for instance, means housekeeping is likely still preparing and cleaning rooms, which leaves workers unable to confirm what higher-tier options are unoccupied for the night.

Gagliardi said: “If standard check-in begins at 2pm or 3pm, arriving immediately may not give you the best chance of an upgrade. Housekeeping may still be preparing rooms, while reception staff may not yet know which guests are arriving, cancelling or requesting changes.

“By around 4.30pm, the hotel usually has a much clearer picture of its room availability. If a larger room, a better view or a higher category is likely to remain empty, staff may have more flexibility to offer it.”

Turning up extremely late can also backfire, he claims, particularly at smaller boutique properties that operate limited front desk hours. He said: “Turning up at 10pm without warning is not a clever upgrade trick. If you expect to arrive late, always notify the hotel in advance.”

Holidaymakers booking shorter stays of one or two nights stand a significantly higher chance of being bumped up to a better class of room. Terms outlined by major hotel chains like Hilton confirm that complimentary upgrades strictly depend on space being continuously available for the entire duration of a guest’s stay.

A similar policy is enforced by Marriott, which explicitly states that room improvements are determined upon physical arrival at the front desk. Experts warn that travellers should remain realistic, as an upgrade often means securing a quieter location, higher floor, or better balcony view rather than the top luxury suite.

To maximise your chances, Private Italy Tour recommends using a specific phrase to politely ask front desk staff without sounding overly demanding or entitled. The travel guru suggests asking: “I understand it depends entirely on availability, but if there are any complimentary upgrades available this evening, I would be very grateful to be considered.”

Joining a hotel’s free membership scheme prior to travel can also boost your odds, as many major operators prioritize enrolled guests for empty premium spaces. However, guidelines published by Hilton Honors clarify that simply signing up does not guarantee a better room without holding eligible membership status or rates.

Guests celebrating genuine milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries, or honeymoons are advised to notify the hotel a few days before their arrival date. Mentioning a real special occasion often encourages reception teams to offer a complimentary perk or a room improvement.

Finally, the experts strongly warn holidaymakers against manufacturing fake complaints or inventing faults with their original room just to pressure staff into moving them. Dishonesty is far more likely to harm your chances than help them, meaning a polite, well-timed request during that crucial 90-minute window remains your absolute best bet.

Ljubiša Karovi was almost sucked out of the aircraft after a window smashed

Ryanair’s chief executive has said an official investigation will determine what went wrong on a flight that saw a passenger almost sucked out of a shattered window.

The shocking incident happened on a service from Thessaloniki in Greece to Memmingen, Germany, on a plane operated by Malta Air, a Ryanair subsidiary. Ljubiša Karovi, 61, was reportedly pulled from his seat and had to be held in by his legs and seatbelt when the cabin suddenly depressurised.

His wife, Svetlana Grković Maksimović, held onto his legs during the chaos as the plane made an emergency return to Greece. Passengers described hearing a loud bang while the aircraft was over North Macedonia, after which the pilot turned the Boeing 737-800 back towards Thessaloniki.

Maksimović has claimed debris struck the aircraft and damaged the window after what she thinks was an engine failure. In an interview with RTÉ News, Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said photographs showed visible damage to one of the engines but insisted it would be wrong to draw conclusions before investigators complete their work.

“Anyone who’s looked at the photographs can see… clearly there’s damage to the engine,” he said. “But I’m not going to speculate on that. That aircraft will be investigated through the Greek authorities. We understand then we will put that out to the NTSB, which are the American investigators.”

The US National Transportation Safety Board is expected to be involved because the aircraft is American-built. Wilson said the incident was serious and that Ryanair would act on any findings or safety recommendations that follow.

Maksimović said her 61-year-old husband was “seriously injured and in shock”, and they did not know if they would ever fly again following the ordeal.

Another passenger, Sofia, told Radio Thessaloniki: “We thought the plane was going down. The decompression was extreme. It felt like we couldn’t breathe. The man who was injured was bleeding and then lost consciousness several times, most likely because of the lack of oxygen and the shock.”

Pressed on whether passengers could feel confident flying with the airline over the summer, Wilson pointed to the carrier’s flight volume and maintenance regime, saying aircraft are checked regularly and that “the best-trained crews” were on display during the Thessaloniki diversion. “Aircraft are maintained every night,” he said, adding that Ryanair follows schedules set by regulators.

Ryanair, in a statement, said the flight returned “shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged in flight”. The airline said the aircraft landed normally, passengers were taken back to the terminal, and one person requested and received medical assistance on the ground.

Although the cause has not been confirmed by authorities, the BBC reported that a technical advisor appointed by the family believes the sequence began with a problem affecting the aircraft’s right engine, with debris then striking and shattering a cabin window, triggering the rapid loss of pressure.

July 10 (UPI) — A man was nearly sucked out the window of a plane on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany on Friday, passengers said.

Not long after takeoff from Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, on Flight FR1879 operated by subsidiary Malta Air, a piece of an engine came off and hit a passenger window, shattering it. A 61-year-old Serbian man was lifted out of his seat and hung headfirst out of the window, and was kept from flying out by his wife, who held his legs, The Guardian reported.

Oxygen masks were deployed on the Boeing 737-800 as a precaution.

Data from FlightRadar24 shows the flight was airborne for just over an hour and reached 16,000 feet before descending back to Thessaloniki airport.

FlightRadar24 posted on Instagram that the passenger hit his head.

“According to reports, the passenger seated next to the affected window was pulled towards it and hit their head. Oxygen masks deployed and passengers seated in the row were relocated.

“The crew descended below 10,000 feet, burned off fuel and safely landed back in Thessaloniki around 75 minutes after departure,” the post said.

Euro News reported that authorities said there was no crack or breach in the aircraft’s fuselage, despite initial concerns about the damage.

Four passengers went to a hospital as a precaution, and one was kept for observation and tests.

Ryanair sent the rest of the passengers on to Germany with a replacement plane.

The airline sent a statement to media Friday.

“A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen [Germany] on Friday morning (July 10) returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight. The aircraft landed normally, and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki. In order to minimize any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen which departed Thessaloniki at 9:53 local this morning,” the statement said.

At least 920 people are confirmed dead and more than 51,000 missing after two earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday.

Rescuers are racing against time in Venezuela, three days after two powerful earthquakes struck, with at least 920 people confirmed dead and more than 51,000 still missing.

The twin, magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes hit on Wednesday, devastating the coastal area around La Guaira, where authorities moved on Friday night to restrict access as traffic chaos began to hamper search efforts.

With a scarcity of government rescue teams, Venezuelans have become desperate in the hardest-hit areas, digging through rubble with their hands, with aid agencies warning the critical 72-hour survival window is closing fast.

Officials said anyone who wants to enter the area around La Guaira would now have to seek official permits, but provided few details of who would be allowed in.

People reported seeing few state rescue teams in the hardest-hit areas, despite authorities projecting an image of a robust government response.

“Each person saved is a miracle,” said Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly.

“We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.”

Government forces distributed food and water to survivors in La Guaira, and Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said her government was mounting a full response during these “critical hours for rescuing people alive”.

She welcomed the arrival of international rescuers and humanitarian aid.

Rodriguez said La Guaira had been “militarised” and more help was on the way, even as residents said it was just a fraction of what they needed.

Rodriguez, the former vice president, took office in January after the United States captured and removed then-President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela has been facing economic disarray for more than a decade, and many people reject the legitimacy of the political movement Rodriguez represents.

‘People are still terrified to re-enter what were their homes’

The number of dead was expected to climb, as people reported tens of thousands of missing on independent digital databases.

Those figures likely included people who have been incommunicado due to the lack of phone signals, and some reports may be duplicates.

The number of injured was more than 3,300 as of midday Friday, and authorities said they had rescued 243 people.

The International Organization for Migration said up to 6.76 million people could be affected, some two million of them in Caracas alone.

The destruction was amplified by the quick succession of shallow quakes, experts said.

Loyce Pace, the International Red Cross regional director for the Americas, said “people are still terrified to re-enter what were their homes.”

Venezuelan authorities said 861 volunteers from Mexico, the US, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia and beyond were in the country, and more were coming from elsewhere.