How do you handle hotel bookings for an early-morning arrival?

I started booking the night before arrival 3 trips ago and it has been a game changer for me. Since I fly most often from Atlanta, flights frequently have early AM arrivals (like 6 or 7:00). Being able to check-in, shower, and have coffee before heading out made it so much easier to power through the day. Unless I have a midday arrival, I will do this from now on.

I have not, but I now have met 5 people in discussing summer travels who all did this with great success.

I reserve my accommodations for the night prior, letting my host know when i will actually be arriving, so that I can check in immediately upon arrival. It is a game changer coming from the west coast to Europe for us. As far as we are concerned, it's money well spent.

I always plan the first night somewhere other than the airport city. I get on a train and get to my destination about check in time.

Yes to booking the room for an extra night. This is an expense I’m happy to pay for. Even if it’s my $500 a night hotel in Iceland. :-)

Some hotel brands when you are finalizing the booking have an offer "would you like an early checkin for x amount", automatically, anything to add to the sale, similar to meal add ons.

Thanks for the replies! I think we will do this for our next trip.

Edit: I will check for the early check-in option, though I don't remember seeing it before so I'm probably not staying with the right chains.

I always plan the first night somewhere other than the airport city. I get on a train and get to my destination about check in time.

Me too. Last two times I landed at LHR I traveled onto Chichester or Ironbridge and arrived right as check-in became available.

I have noticed and a little annoyed that many hotels have pushed check-in later into the late afternoon, in the 3 or 4 o'clock hour. If I were arriving 7-9 hours before check-in I'd be inclined to book the previous night to.

We almost always book the room for the night before. It is really nice to just go straight in and freshen up a bit.

Carrie—on our first Iceland trip we did not book the night before. They held our bags and we wandered until the afternoon. On our second trip our rooms were not ready so theyupgraded us to the penthouse apartment at Fron. All our other trips we have either paid a tiny bit for early check in or booked the night before.

But what if you're arriving say 8-10 hours before check-in? Does anyone book their room for the day before arrival and let the hotel know you'll be arriving at, say, 7 a.m.? (Obviously you want to take care not to be interpreted as a no-show.)

Yes.

Recently, when I checked in at 9 AM I was told that technically I could get breakfast since I had a reservation for the night before. It was included in my stay.

I always plan the first night somewhere other than the airport city. I get on a train and get to my destination about check in time.

I've considered this for our next trip but ruled it out because the earliest train we can feasibly catch would be about 3-4 hours after landing, and can't be booked on the same ticket as the flight (sometimes possible but not for my itinerary). Add 2-3 hours for the train ride, and it adds up to a roughly 18-hour journey. And because the flight lands so early, we'd still be at the hotel an hour or two before official check-in time. So I'd rather just stay where we land even though we will be moving on within a couple of days.

siesta

Yes, it really depends on the logistics and locations. When we had a very early flight (6am ish) to Healthrow, we took a 9am train to York and used luggage storage. Landing in Dublin at around noon, we took a train to Waterford and it was timed perfectly for check in. Upcoming trip we land at Heathrow about 11am and will get the Airliner bus to Oxford. If we get to the hotel a little early, they do hava a restaurant, bar and garden so we should be okay.

So, its all about budget. Because it could be another $500 (or in my case another $18.75). But when I land I dont want .... NEED a shower. So I am inclined to book if its a cheap city.

January i had a 20-something hour train trip. No way in you know what that i was waiting 6 hours for a shower. I paid early checkin which was half cost so about $15.

I'm not rich but I've found that strict budgets interest me less and less as I get older. I can afford to travel, it's a great privilege and indulgence, and I'm determined to enjoy it and not get hung up on what is ultimately a fairly small amount of money. I was reading an old travel diary and was struck by younger me's obsession with minding every dollar. It was necessary then but it isn't now, so I try to relax even though that mostly unused night's accommodation is going to be significantly closer to $500 than to $18.

@Siesta, I agree with your feelings about this. I'm not rich either, but those little extras and conveniences are so worth it now. The last time I had an early arrival and was just trying to tough it out until check in - I said to myself, never again. My flight landed at Heathrow at 7:30 AM. I dropped my bags at my hotel and still had about five hours to kill. After coffee, lunch and a long walk I was falling asleep sitting up on a bench in Hyde Park. Misery! Ever since then I have booked the night before when I have an early arrival and have never regretted it. I can shower, take a quick nap, and be in business at the time I would normally be checking in. Money well spent.

hey hey siesta
agree with many here to reserve room night before, let hotel know your plans. not worth the stress at my age 65+ (our saying we will eat rice & beans when we get home)
happened years ago in london, was to be 2 bedroom apt, landed 7am on a Sunday, taxi to place, had to wait till 2pm at a outside closed bar with chairs with our luggage (host, out of country) sent 17 year old daughter with no clue. turns out 1 bedroom, 2nd is living/dining/sofa bedroom, bathroom lights burnt out, washer half full of stinky water & clothes left behind in a locked position, radiator falls on floor missing our toes. an OMG moment.
lesson learned, look at arrival & departure flights, I’ve read travelers upset, it’s notes the times for check-in/checkout. friends I travel with are great, depending on train ride time we get food/picnic goodies even bottle wine (always carry corkscrew or get screw top bottle) to enjoy the ride without stress and enjoy. always remember stressed spelled backwards is “desserts” have fun
aloha

Well, we never book the night before, preferring to drop off our bags and stay awake to adjust to the local time.

At check-in around 1500, we take a shower, a short nap, and then feel re-energized for the rest of the day.

Yeah, I get the need for a shower lol, but we shower before the flight and can tough it our until check-in, but we do feel refreshed by brushing our teeth. I hate that bad breath, fuzzy feeling on my teeth. Ugh.

Mainly, we stay outside as much as possible, but this time we will include a tour of Albert Hall. I find museums too much for my brain to handle with jet lag, so we avoid that.

So I don't really see a need to book the night before. We don't need the room right away, just a place to store our luggage.

For early morning arrivals I have started booking with "dayuse.com" for a hotel at the airport. I go to it, take a shower, possibly a nap, just get cleaned up and make myself feel human again. I then go to my destination. I find this is generally MUCH cheaper than paying for extra night in a hotel (I always book the "no prepay" options on dayuse just in case something goes wrong but I have now done this 3 times and it's worked perfectly)

Carol, nice website. I will remember it . Thank you.

I was hoping for something in Kyiv as the train arrives so early. No such luck, and nothing in Budapest but several in Vienna.

Yes, that is an interesting site. Unfortunately my preferred hotel at my next early-morning destination isn't on it but might be worthwhile to find one that is.

I take steps to reduce jet lag so napping shouldn't be a factor. For me it's mostly about freshening up and securely storing belongings. Also maybe a little bit about grocery shopping. We prefer aparthotels, and going out for supplies is a good way to spend the first hour after checking in.