Do you consider hotel check-in time when timing arrival?

[shaynaatl]

When you go on a vacation, do you time your arrival so that you get to the hotel right around check-in time? Or are you okay leaving your bags with the bellhop and exploring the hotel or neighborhood without your room being ready?

[bullygirl979]

It depends. If I know that I'm going to be beat and just want to get in the room, I will get there closer to check in. If I'm going somewhere and I'm on a tight time table and just want to explore, I'll totally leave my luggage there and go.

[emilyinchile]

Aug 19, 2014 9:03:03 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

I do not. I will leave my bags, call ahead to request an early check-in, or if my flight arrives in the middle of the night (it did in Tahiti and when I flew to Guadalajara earlier this year), I pay for the hotel room for the night before I arrive so I can check in at 4 AM or whatever ridiculous hour it is when I arrive. It has always been money well spent to have a hotel room to sleep.

All of this. I choose my flights based on price and convenience, plus if I'm going somewhere far away (so, umm, practically everywhere for me) I don't have a ton of options. I'd much rather take an overnight flight, roll up to the hotel in the morning and have to change in a bathroom and leave my bags there before going out to explore for a day than sit around airports during the day losing that day of vacation just so that I can go straight into my room.

[GilliC]

I ask if the hotel will let me check in early, and if not, I have them store my luggage.

[v]

I do what sf and emily do.

I book whatever flight makes the most sense price and schedule-wise. I email the hotel ahead of time to say that my flight arrives at 8 am or whatever and can they please put me on a list for early check-in if a room is available. I then go straight to the hotel when I arrive, talk to the front desk about request for early room, give them my cell number to text or call when a room is ready, drop off bags, change and freshen up in the lobby bathroom, and then head out to start exploring the city. Usually a call will come in a few hours that our room is ready. Then we go to back to the hotel, check in, take a WONDERFUL 2 hour nap, shower, and go back out.

[clseale]

Another leave the bags and go explore traveler.

[mdgirl]

If it's a shorter domestic trip or something I might. Like if we're doing two islands in a Hawaiian trip we might consider check-in time when we pick out our interisland flights. But that's because there are lots of flights and they're all basically the same price. For a more expensive route with fewer flights I'd pick price, connections, upgrade options, even plane type/configuration before I looked at hotel check in.

[monkeygirl18]

Yes. I will book so we get there before or at check in time. I/we have no problem with leaving our bags. Departure I always book our flight taking into consideration check out time. Ex, our flight leaves JA at 3:40 pm it's 1 1/2 hrs to the airport plus we need to be there 1 1/2 hrs early anyway and resort check out is 11:00am. Therefore, check out time is exactly the amount of time we need. This way, we get the most bang for out buck.

[Waffles]

No, I just have them store my luggage if an early check-in isn't possible.

[mpc]

same as everyone else, I'll leave my bags and go explore. It only ever comes up for us when traveling internationally. In the states we almost always have a rental car, so it's no big deal to leave the bags in the trunk.

[wanderlustfoodie]

Absolutely leave bags if room isn't ready. If I'm scheduled to arrive at the hotel before, say, 8 or 9am, we consider booking the room the prior night, too.

[erbear]

Not at all. If the room isn't ready, we drop stuff and head out.

[Susie]

Team "leave the bags and head out."

For certain flights, it's not like you have tons of options on timing. IME, heading from the east coast of the US to Europe means you arrive in Europe in the morning. If you want to avoid that, you're going to have slim pickings. Easier to just roll with it.

[gt7301b]

Aug 19, 2014 14:22:52 GMT -5 Susie said:

Team "leave the bags and head out."

For certain flights, it's not like you have tons of options on timing. IME, heading from the east coast of the US to Europe means you arrive in Europe in the morning. If you want to avoid that, you're going to have slim pickings. Easier to just roll with it.

This is what I was going to say.  I might pick a hotel that has check-in at  2 vs. 4 or where I have status instead of a cheaper hotel so I could check-in earlier.

[osumelissa]

Aug 19, 2014 9:53:48 GMT -5 GilliC said:

I ask if the hotel will let me check in early, and if not, I have them store my luggage.

This for me.

[Deleted]

Nope, not at all. I don't care if my room isn't ready, I'd rather get there earlier for more time to do something.

[sunshinedaydreams]

I typically book our flights so that we get places early in the morning and have a full day to explore. We'll either drop our bags at the hotel, or depending on where we are/are going, we rent a car so that we can get around and have a place to store bags without having to go straight to the hotel. I also don't take checkout time into account for the same reason. I'm perfectly fine leaving my luggage with the hotel while I explore on the last day and coming back to pick it up before flying out.

[chicago]

I don't. I'm the same as some of the pps - I'll either leave my bags to go explore or pay for an extra night in the room if I think we'll want to nap/shower.

[travelingturtle]

I don't plan my flight arriving into my vacation destination around hotel check-in times, but I usually do plan my departure flight around check-out time. Meaning, I typically want to be able to check-out of the hotel and go straight to the airport to get on a plane without much waiting - so I can do earlier flights, but don't like evening flights.