Hotel deals: sing for a room upgrade in California, and festival-goers offered a cheap night in the UK

(Matthew Millman/JDV)

If pretending to be on a honeymoon fails to score you that room upgrade, how about singing a song?

That's the rationale behind the new "Sing for an upgrade" program at five hotels operated by Californian chain Joie de Vivre, which is promising to give away an upgrade a day to those with the talent to pay for it.

Five properties in California will be part of the program through September 30, offering the first guest to sing a song each day a free upgrade.

The songs, which are designed to reflect the 'personality' of each property and include "California Gurls" by Katy Perry to "Hotel California" by The Eagles, must be sung upon check-in, stipulates Joie de Vivre.

If that isn't enough, the hotels will also be recording each performance and uploading them to YouTube and Facebook - meaning that this perhaps is a promotion best suited to those with real talent, rather than a hunger for a free upgrade.

Spectators can log onto the Joie de Vivre website and vote for their favorite in an X-Factor/ America's Got Talent-style contest, with the winner receiving a prize.

On a related note, British outposts of Holiday Inn Express also have a surprise in store for music lovers this summer, in the form of generous discounts for festival-goers.

The chain announced May 31 that it will offer a "Sunday night Recovery Rate," with 50 percent off the normal cost of a room, to discourage festival-goers from driving home while tired from a weekend of revelling.

The rate will be available from June 5 - September 25 at Holiday Inn Express properties across the UK - for full details, visit the website.

See the Joie de Vivre Sing for an Upgrade entries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edSQZsJvpGs

Holiday Inn Express's Recovery Rate: http://www.hiexpress.com/recoveryrate