How to blag a FREE hotel from your airline on a long-haul stopover

It's not just one airline which does this. In fact, I've found 10 more airlines which offer economy passengers completely free hotel stays on stopovers if you meet certain criteria.

Exactly what you'll get may vary, but it usually includes a night's accommodation in a decent hotel (mine were four-star, others I've seen are three- to five-star), plus a transfer bus and breakfast. My first hotel offered an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet with everything from Coco Pops to egg-fried rice – the second simply a takeaway box with noodles, a hard-boiled egg and some warm soy milk.

See the full list below, along with the airports they let you do this in, and let us know of any we've missed. Interestingly, we found they tend to be state-owned operators based in the Middle East or Far East:

• Air China – Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqingalian, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Tianjin. For all passengers with an overnight stopover between 6-24hrs. Contact Air China to book.
  
  
• China Eastern Airlines – Shanghai. If flying on to another city in China with a stopover of up to 24hrs, you get one free night (if your ticket costs 3,000 yuan – £330 – or more you may get two). If flying on to another country with a stopover of up to 48hrs, you get one free night (and if your ticket costs 2,500 yuan – £275 – or more, you may get two). Apply via China Eastern.
  
  
• China Southern Airlines – Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Urumqi and Wuhan. For all passengers with an 8-48hr stopover. Either book via the China Southern website or simply go to the airline's transit counter when arriving in China.
   
• Emirates – Dubai. For economy passengers with an 8-24hr stopover, or first/business class passengers with a 6-24hr stopover. Book online via Emirates Dubai Connect – if you booked via a travel agent, it must book on your behalf.
  
  
• Ethiopian Airlines – Addis Ababa. For all passengers with an 8-24hr stopover. Go to the Interline desk on the first floor of Addis Ababa airport.
  
  
• Etihad Airways – Abu Dhabi. For economy passengers on 'selected routes' – and all first/business class passengers – with 8-24hr stopovers. Contact Etihad (or your travel agent) for more info. If you need a visa to enter the United Arab Emirates, you must book at least five days before flying – if not, it's at least 48hrs before.
  
  
• Gulf Air – Bahrain. For all passengers with a ticket costing $400 (£305) or more and a stopover of at least seven hours. Contact Gulf Air up to 24 hours before departure to book your hotel, or just go to the Gulf Air customer service desk in Bahrain Airport.
  
  
• Qatar Airways – Doha. For some passengers with an 8-24hr stopover. You must contact Qatar Airways to check if you're eligible – there mustn't be an earlier connection available and your journey can't include flights to/from Kuwait or Muscat.
  
  
• Royal Jordanian – Amman. For some passengers with an 8-24hr stopover. You must contact Royal Jordanian to check if you're eligible – there mustn't be an earlier connection available.
  
  
• Sri Lankan Airlines – Colombo. For most passengers with a ticket costing over $700 (£535) or more and an 8-24hr stopover. Your flights to and from Colombo must be on the same booking and there mustn't be an earlier connection available. You must book at least 48 hours before flying – contact Sri Lankan Airlines (or your travel agent).
  
  
• Turkish Airlines – Istanbul. For economy passengers with a 12hr+ stopover, and first/business class passengers with a 9hr+ stopover. You won't qualify if there's an earlier connection, even if that flight's full. To claim your hotel, go to the Turkish Airlines hotel desk at Istanbul Airport.