"hospitality upgrades"
 

Set the wayback machine to the late 1980's.....I was an entry level hotel manager at a Boston hotel, and my manager told me a heretofore unknown "secret" about securing an upgrade. (This was well before frequency programs really existed).

The trick was to approach the gate agent, produce a hotel business card, and ask for a "hospitality upgrade" (quid pro quo!)...

It actually worked very well (while it lasted), I remember getting some nice seats on long flights from BOS to SJU, etc.