Product sampling and free trials are a common practice in many industries. The present article aims to analyze the offer of complimentary rooms within the hospitality business. Despite the widespread use of this marketing tool, the phenomenon appears to be understudied within academic contributions and not comprehensively tracked by corporations specialized in hotel market data and benchmarking. The article aims giving a comprehensive view of the topic, combining both existing literature and sectorial applications. Theoretical contributions, concrete practices and practical implications are discussed and further research directions are identified.