We consider α′ corrections to four-point correlators of half-BPS operators in N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory in the supergravity limit within the context of AdS/CFT. By demanding the correct behaviour in the flat space limit, we find that the leading (α′)^3 correction to the Mellin amplitude is fixed for arbitrary charges of the external operators. We consider double-trace operators and observe striking patterns in the α′ corrections to the spectra which hint at their common ten-dimensional origin. By extending the observed patterns and imposing them at order (α′)^5 we are able to reproduce recent results for certain correlators as well as deduce some new results.