OK – so for those of you who know me, I am pretty good at getting upgrades on airlines and at hotels. I’m always asked, ‘How did you do it?’, and my reply is always the same….if you don’t ask, you’ll never know. It’s that simple. And I ALWAYS ask. The person behind the counter at check-in doesn’t know me and I don’t know them, so I have nothing to be embarrassed about. All I have is the chance that I might be upgraded. And it’s a thrill every time! My most recent upgrade is actually happening right now. I am sitting in one of the lounges at the Conrad Rangali Island, Maldives, sipping my 3rd (free) Martini thanks to my Diamond member status with Hilton Hhonors. How did I get that? I am a Gold frequent flyer with Qantas, and was status matched with Virgin Australia. I am now loyal to Virgin, use them quite a bit for work, and have reached Platinum status. With both Gold and Platinum status, members received ‘Diamond Elite’ status with Hhonors. This opens lots of doors. This time, I booked the cheapest level of accommodation (beach Villa) and was upgraded to a Deluxe King Overwater Villa. And I receive free breakfast daily (and what a spread that is), afternoon tea daily, and complimentary cocktails from 5 – 6pm.