Here’s a question that comes up with some frequency — while hotels have published check-in times, there’s often some flexibility with how early you can check-in. The question is, how early is too early? Pending empty rooms, can you check into a hotel at 12:01AM? At 6AM? At 12PM? I’d like to talk about that in a bit of detail in this post, and discuss the things that I consider when deciding on a strategy.
Now, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Hotels will generally prioritize early check-in for elite members or other “preferred” guests (like those who booked through programs like Virtuoso, etc.)
- I find that most hotels allow early check-in for free, though other hotels will charge a fee; in my experience fees for early check-in are most common for airport hotels, or other hotels that sell day rooms
- It’s important to be realistic, and realize that it’s extremely common for early check-in to not be available, given that many hotels run close to capacity, have limited housekeeping staffing, assign guests specific rooms, etc.
- If it’s essential that you to have a room before the published check-in time, you’ll either want to book the hotel for the night before, contact the hotel to ask if you can pay a fee for guaranteed early check-in, or book a hotel that offers guaranteed early check-in (for example, Peninsula will guarantee 6AM check-in or 10PM check-out)
How early is too early for hotel check-in, though?
How early is too early for trying to check into your room, though? No, you generally can’t show up at 12:01AM with a reservation for that day and expect that you’ll be accommodated 15-16 hours before check-in time. So what time is it reasonable to show up and expect that you’ll receive a room, subject to availability?
Here’s my thought process, broadly speaking:
- If I’m traveling alone, I’m much more likely to chance it, while if I’m traveling with our little kids, I value the certainty a lot more, given how much more schedules matter
- I also consider the cost of an extra night; I’m more willing to chance things on a $1,000 per night hotel than a $100 per night hotel, purely in terms of the total cost of guaranteeing early check-in
- I consider the seasonality of the destination; if you’re traveling somewhere in the off season, odds are much better of there being rooms available early compared to traveling in the peak season
- In the event my room won’t be ready until check-in time, I consider how pleasantly I’d be able to pass time; if I’m staying at a city hotel, I consider if there are good spaces for me to work without having a room, while if I’m at a resort, I consider how many good places there are to work without having a room
- I consider the maximum amount of time I’d potentially be without a room; if I’m landing at 5AM I’d be much more likely to pay for an extra night compared to arriving at 11AM (obviously)
The truth is that I rarely get in a situation nowadays where I can’t decide whether to book a hotel the night before or not (I rarely pay for them, and typically just chance it).
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
