Checking In/Out of Hotels - What's Your Routine?

Packing isn't a big deal for us unless it's our last night before heading home and trying to figure out what to put in the bag we are checking.

I think the time eater is getting from your hotel to whichever mode of transportation you are using to get to your next place. Unless it's a car, then you may have to figure out which bus or tram or subway stop gets you to where you are going, buying tickets or passes, then getting to your accom, taking a breath, then getting back out. I am learning that perhaps taxis are a better option as long as it isn't too far. Trying to navigate an unfamiliar city when you first arrive is maddening. (That's partly why I like returning to places we've been - familiarity with public transport! Nothing like hopping onto the Tube or a vaporetto like a pro).

Case in point - we spent 2 nights in Florence a few years ago. Oh, we'll arrive midafternoon, I says, find our airbnb then go back into the centre...except, we misread the directions on where to find the bus, spent about 45-60 min trying to figure out the right place to catch the bus, had to wait for another bus since the first one was crammed, squeezed onto the next bus, got dropped off, had to figure out how to use a calling card to get our hosts to pick us up...by the time we settled in, what I thought would be an hour long process took about 3-4hrs, and we didn't go back into city center because by then it was getting dark. It didn't help that we spent an extra few hours in Venice, and we REALLY should have just taken a taxi from the train stn in Florence.

It's not packing, usually.

It's getting from the train station/airport to the hotel (in a big city, especially if coming from airport this can be over an hour), finding the hotel, sometimes waiting in line, checking in with paperwork, then going to the room and putting stuff down, then going out and getting the lay of the land.
Also if you stay in apartments or small bnbs you need to contact the host and arrange for check in time.

Then at the end of the stay reverse all that.

I usually try to check out the night before so all I have to do the next day is leave. Saves waiting in line with all the other people who are trying to check out. It only takes an extra couple of minutes to pay when you check in. Using Google Earth, the locations of every place we need to find has already been looked at, street names written down, go left, go right, big church on the right, so no getting lost.

Packing is done the night before.

I pretty much follow Jo's method. I pack the carryon the night before, pay and check out that day, then on departure day I put the toiletries baggie and nightshirt in the carryon, leave the key, and go.

Pretty much the way you do it, Christi, except we don't even fully unpack when we stay a week, which is most of the time, since we rent gites for most of our trip. We each have a suitcase with our own clothes, and leave most everything in them until we wear them. As to hotels, checking in and out is fast because they're so small there's almost never a possibility of a line.

I do the check out the night before as well - big time saver in the morning. We also travel by train. I prefer to stay near the station - 10- minute walk - as long as I can find a hotel I like. Like Jo - all directions or transportation needs are worked out the night before. If needed I will write notes on a post it and carry in pocket - take red line direction x to stop y, xfer to blue direction z to stop a.

My biggest problem is getting my bearings when we emerge from the subway!

for small RS-style hotels, checking out the night before is great idea. Waiting to do it at peak checkout time is not a good idea. Agree with not unpacking for short stays.

Christi , Sue and I use the same playbook as you state above - here's a lttle tip that smooths the way for orienting yourself when exiting a metro system - On our first visit to Paris in 2011 , we encountered the same issues . While visiting Les Invalides on our second day , I bought a small , plastic cased compass ( naturally stamped " Musee de L'Armee " ) at the museum shop and to this day , it's clipped to the shoulder strap of my day bag . Armed with a map , usually obtained at my hotel , and my compass , two quick glances have me on my way .

I'm with Jo and Christi - my biggest issues are the hotel/apartment arrival issues. We usually arrive by train and I almost always decide that it's a good idea to walk from the train station to our lodging. The biggest hiccup for us used to be that I would invariably get us lost as we exited the train station because I always forgot to research how many train stations there were. We got unbelievably lost in Beijing last year trying to exit the train station - there were well over 8 exits that deposited us onto 4 different chaotic Chinese boulevards.

It's generally easier in Europe but the best thing I've learned is to Google map/earth myself from the train station out onto the street beforehand. Then I'll make note of something that even I cannot miss - say a McDonald's- and I'll know that I'm setting off in the right direction from the correct train station exit. I know it seems like a simple thing to get correct but I cannot tell you how many times I've messed that up.

Valerie, I had to laugh! "I almost always decide that it's a good idea to walk from the train station to our lodging." That used to be us! Now, unless we've been somewhere before or it is a very tiny town, we usually grab a taxi so we waste less time and energy on arrival.

I agree, "packing" is not too time-consuming. 20 minutes on arrival (I like to "nest") and 20 on departure, although my DH takes about 10 minutes longer for some reason. But the logistics of in-and-out of locations and orienting oneself are still factors to be considered and why we hate two night stays.

I have started doing that same thing Valerie - it really helps with stations that have multiple exits that are not clearly marked. I can't stand looking like I am lost!

Our issue in Florence had been that our host told us to exit the front of the train stn and go to the bus stop outside...of course, we exited the 'back' of the train stn, thinking it was the front of the train stn (meh - they all look the same)...then couldn't see the bus stop but around the corner was a place where the big buses were (not the local buses) and that messed us up as we were trying to find out where the local bus was...then we finally thought we figured it our but stood at the wrong stop for 20 min or so - we never did figure out the front from the back at SMN...

That being said, we've had some pretty smooth transitions as well...but usually always takes longer than we think because we just miss a bus and have to wait 30 min for the next (Sorrento travelling to Amalfi) or the train is slower than we thought (regional trains in Italy circa 2008...fun times missing tight connections)...etc etc

I am always really pleased with myself when I can get to and from my hotel via public transport, though my flight home is always, somehow, at the hideous hour of 6 am or so and thus I take a taxi. This past trip I used the Airport Express 197 to and from Schiphol, got off at Museumplein instead of Rijks and so trundled my luggage past all the museums, map in hand, until I hit the right street. In Vienna I found the S7 and leaving I took the U to the Hauptbahnhof, in Budapest I took the metro from Keleti to Fovam and then just crossed the square to my hotel. Actually, it's not so much a matter of whether I can use public transport, more that sometimes I'd just rather take a taxi, like in Paris. As others mention, I do get turned around exiting transport sometimes, going to get a little compass. I don't mind happy wandering but not so much upon first arrival or with luggage.

I almost prefer to not be able to check in upon arrival because once I get in the room I have a hard time just leaving my bags and heading back out, though it's nice to freshen up. I only unpack my toiletries, leave the clothes in their packing cubes. I do make a point to check out the night before.

We are a family of 4 with two younger kids. If I was solo or just with my husband, we'd move like the wind. But with kids, well, you can imagine. Inevitably, someone has to use the bathroom just as we are ready to go. Or we forget a favorite toy and have to return somewhere. Overall, however, it is not the packing or unpacking (I unpack every time for all four of us) that takes so long. It is the finding the accommodation, doing the paperwork, getting orientated that takes us a while. As a result, we usually spend a week in one place before moving. Vacation time is precious and I don't want to spend it dragging suitcases around some town. I would add that we also stay as far away from train stations as possible as these tend to be the ugly areas of cities.

Unpacking and packing, and organizing and reorganizing do me in. I have such different needs depending on whether I'm still touring in that place that day, moving onward by some sort of transport, and then by WHAT means of transport.

E.G. a couple of weeks ago in Rome, checking out of our hotel Sunday morning: I needed to be packed up as we were flying out that night. But we still had a whole day of sightseeing with a Roman friend who was picking us up at 11 am in his car. I made myself wear my heaviest things (jeans and tennis shoes) so I wouldn't have to pack them in my suitcase, but I was sorely tempted to wear something lighter and then change later in the afternoon back at the hotel's restroom. (This would have involved yet more organizing!). Then whatever i needed for the bus ride to the train ride (keeping items secure), then for the airport check-in (i.d. and phone and boarding pass), then to conform to EasyJet's strict ONE BAG CARRY-ON ONLY rule (i.e. no small bag to go with my backpack).

We also overshot our hotel upon arrival in Rome -- went one bus stop further, and since it was the express, it was a little bit of a ways back. Not a big deal, but another 15 minutes at least than it would have taken (and of course taking the bus itself and walking the last bit took more than a taxi . . . or so I thought until my brother told the story of their taxi hitting the wall on its way in the narrow interior streets and causing another car to hit a baby carriage with baby in it!!! (gently))

I don't know, I'm a putzer. . . I always like putzing around and always take longer!!! And I love unpacking and getting organized when I arrive. I definitely educe that if I'm staying only one night somewhere, but I still probably do more than is sensible.

From the moment I walk into the door of a hotel, check into my room and am ready to leave I'd guess it's a minimum of a half-hour. If I stop to brush my teeth, change my shirt or take a shower - add more time.

It takes time to get from your transportation to the hotel, unless you are valet parking at your hotel and having a bell hop take your bags to the room. From an airport, I'd guess hours, from a train station, an hour, from a parking lot down the street from your hotel, fifteen or so minutes?

During your travel, you probably didn't eat, so that's going to be at the top of your agenda when you get to the hotel. Either a half hour to get a kebab or more to eat at a cafe/restaurant.

I've never put a stop watch on it, but I also know the day goes by and everything takes longer than you think it should.

The packing part doesn't take long unless we've done laundry and need to pack those. Even then we try and do it the night before. It's just the physical time spent at the counter checking in, brushing one's teeth (etc) on arrival, looking over maps, figuring out what the first activity will be (sometimes we have that pre-planned). And the time spent getting to and from the hotel. Sometimes it's easy to stay near the train station, but often it isn't or that is not a place we'd want to stay. And as many have said, just figuring out which exit at the metro or train station is half the challenge.

Departures are much quicker of course but arrivals can range from 30-60 minutes easy, if not more depending on where the hotel is and how many wrong turns we take to get there.

I never unpack in a hotel room. I just pull out what I need as I need it and put it back in when I am done with it. This means it takes me about 10 minutes to pack when it is time to leave. Most of that time is spent searching the room to make sure I didn't accidentally kick something under the furniture that should be in the suitcase. If it is a laundry stop, I get that done on arrival and then pack the clean clothes the night before departure.

I do try and do the checkout thing also the night before departure, especially if I am staying in a smaller B&B type place. That means I am free to run out the door in the morning. If I am staying at a large chain (sometimes you have to) that allows self checkout through the TV or by dropping the key in a box, I will do that on the way out so they don't think I have already left and send housekeeping to my room at 04:30 (it has happened!).

I like using public transit both directions from the airport or train to my hotel in major European cities like London. Because of this, I attempt to find accommodations near a transit stop as long as that stop is also near what I am there to see. I take a taxi to the airport when I am in other places simply because it is easier. I have the hotel order one the night before and have had good luck with them being on time and getting me to the airport or train station with plenty of time to spare. I did use a taxi last time I arrived in Paris because it was raining so hard you couldn't see arm's length in front of you, I had a very long very delayed, flight in and I just did not feel like standing out in the rain waiting. I learned a lot about Paris traffic on that ride!

What the routine is depends on the length of stay at the hotel or Pension, be it two nights or two weeks. Most of the time I pay (if I've not been billed at home) at check-in or the second night. I don't usually pay at check-out unless I'm taking the train at 10 or after.

What I do with toiletries and some clothes depends on if family members are traveling along or I'm solo. I unpack as I need to only.

I was proud of myself last year walking by myself from the train stations to my hotels in Salisbury and Cardiff-thanks to Rick's great instructions and the fact that I only had a backpack. However, our usual method is to splurge on a taxi to our hotel. There's nothing like a taxi when you don't know exactly where you're going and have luggage. Exception is London where we always stay near a tube station. Packing and unpacking is also much easier if you use packing cubes.

Hi,

To answer your question on unpacking/packing, time expended to and fro, etc, I stay most often within the train station area, usually walkable within one to five minutes. I don't waste time taking public transport or waiting for a taxi (hardly ever use this option) and having to rely on the punctuality of someone else to reach the train station. I do likewise if my stay at the Pension or hotel is a week long, then I unpack more.

The night before check-out I repacked everything before turning in, esp if the train leaves before 10 am, don't want to rush in the morning and then discover I'm missing something.

My check-in routine starts with a phone call to the next hotel, either the day before or the morning of. Just a friendly heads up to let the front desk know i am coming, to let them know if i will be early or late and to make sure our room will be ready. I figure that there are good rooms, bad rooms, rooms high and low, rooms with a view or facing an alley. If they can put a friendly voice to a name on a reservation, maybe they will give me one of the nicer rooms. I figure a call can't hurt and it gives me some comfort that there will be a room upon arrival. When i show up, it is like they are expecting me and check-in is usually a breeze.

My morning checkout routine is to blow-dry the cotton socks that i washed the night before and finish packing. The rest of my clothes are fast drying and ready to pack or wear by morning. As much as possible, i try to avoid carrying dirty clothes in my luggage. Everything is packed and ready to go before or just after breakfast. And then i do several once overs in the room to see if i left anything behind. (I still lost a plug adapter in our hotel in Florence). Check out and go. Or if we do not leave for hours, we put luggage into hotel storage and squeeze in some more fun time before leaving.

PS. My preference is also to find accommodations close to the train station.

First thing I do ?
I remove all evidence that this is a hotel room, so it becomes more like home.
So it's goodbye to hotel information book, telephone directory, TV 'how to' guide, wifi instruction card, room service menu, etc. etc. There they all go, hidden in a draw.