Funny, a purchased upgrade in the hotel or travel business these days is a lost art it seems. When I searched phrases like “Number of purchased room upgrades” and “hotel revenue from upgrades” I get more posts about how to get an upgrade for free. This game is one that can be won behind the scenes using more stealthy technology and just plain old good timing.
First the technology. Nor1 a hospitality technology company attempts to match a hotel’s perishable inventory with buyer behavior and preference. 
Their Prime product suite focuses on hotel room and services upgrades. The behind the scenes is historical comparisons conducted across the industry and among guests of the 10,000 properties using the software suite according to an article in Tnooz
Second, being ripe for purchasing an upgrade may well depend on the hours just before check-in. Yes a long flight, successful meeting, or even an arduous experience can be the right environment to receive that timely upgrade for a few shekels more. You’ve hit the “I deserve it” moment. This means having a mobile component, yes, email is mobile, but so too is mobile a number, twitter profile follow or Foursquare follow. Relationship building online can surely lead to greater knowledge about the guest, but also greater revenue per guest over time.
