Arrival in Rome after long flight—can you check in early?

Early check-in is hotel dependent, not city dependent, and can only be provided if a room is empty and available. It's pretty common for hotels everywhere to be able to hold luggage before check-in.

The ability to drop off luggage upon early arrival is one of the advantages of most hotels over many (maybe most) apartments. It's something you need to confirm with the hotel, though, to be sure there will be someone on duty at the time you will reach the hotel. It can be an issue with small, budget-level places that don't staff the reception desk around the clock.

I've occasionally been able to get into my room quite early, because it hadn't been used the night before. Some hotels would charge for early check-in, but the budget-level places where I stay do not.

If you got a good deal on your hotel rate, it's not a crazy idea to pay for the night before (being sure the hotel knows you'll be arriving in the morning so it doesn't give the room away). It's really nice to be able to take a quick shower after flying all night.

Even if you plane lands at 9am you will be lucky to downtown much before noon. By that time checking in early is just a matter of a couple of hours. Most hotel will be able to accommodate that time. At least 3/4th of the time on that pattern we have been able to check in earlier. Worse case is you can leave your luggage for a couple of hours. We have given up on "power through" approach and find that a nap (2-4, 3-5) better mets our jet lag adjustments. Air BnBs are more rigid about check in times since they general met you at a certain place and time. Our first day is always outdoor activity with a nap of 90 minutes to two hours max.

We’ve been lucky and almost always have been able to get into our room on arrival- usually about 11-12 with an 8-9 arrival.
If not every hotel we’ve ever stayed in anywhere has let us drop our bags til the room is ready (same on check out day if we are leaving later than check out time- they will hold our bags)

We also gave up on the “ power thru”
We walk around a bit, get something to eat then take a short nap- set an alarm- then shower and we are good to go for the evening and feel pretty good next day as well.
Everyone handles jet lag differently, you just have to find the method that works for you.

Appreciate everyone’s thoughts about the “modified” power through technique😜
That sounds pretty good to me, especially if we have a place to change and freshen up.
While obviously Rick has numerous suggestions, I’m curious if anyone has their own suggestions for jet lagged family of four who wants to check in early and see the main attractions (Colosseum, Vatican City, and of course Rick’s famous walk ending at Spanish steps)

I would go ahead and pay for the night before. Be sure to communicate clearly with the hotel what your real arrival time will be. This provides you with the one true way to know everything is ready for you.

You have already invested a lot in this trip, might as well invest in knowing you can have the start you want (or may need) for all family members.

On my various strips abroad I have found that “powering through” results in minimum satisfaction and maximum irritation. Naps don’t hurt, and often are incredibly refreshing depending upon your inflight conditions. Since you are traveling as a family, your speed and desire to “bag some peaks” on that first day in country will depend upon your weakest link. My wife cannot sleep on planes and therefore we need to be refreshed upon arrival—naps are essential.

You cannot reasonably tour the Colosseum or the Vatican on the fly. You can see them and check a box, but cannot absorb the 2000 years of history involved in each.

Since you ask, as a seasoned traveler I do non demanding things on the first day in a new country and a new city. I nap, I sip wine or coffee in a cafe, I stroll, and I try to get to bed at a reasonable hour to be ready for Day 2.

Arrival day is a good time to wander past outdoor sights like the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona. There's a cat sanctuary at Torre Argentina (not far from the Forum) that's free to enter, though it gratefully accepts donations. Trying a Rick walk is also a good idea. You can stop in at churches you encounter; their interiors may well be fabulous. Spending significant time indoors (as at the Vatican Museums) isn't advisable, because your body needs sunlight to switch to Italian time.

This is really great information, thank you all!

And the idea of taking a stroll and casually seeing the sights is exactly what we have planned for the first day. My wife and I have been through all the museums and don’t intend to take our children at this age, but we do want to see Saint peters (and hopefully attend a mass there) and spend some time at the ancient sites the next day.

Someone suggested booking the hotel room the night before arrival. Has anyone actually done this? Seems like a logical thing to do but never actually done it

RS Heart of Rome walk is perfect for arrival day
We usually stay near Pantheon so start there and go all the way to P Popolo
We sit for a bit, have a spritz then head down the Corso and end with dinner in either Campo dFiori or P Navonna
The Pantheon has late hours so if that is still open we pop in there before gelato then back to hotel and bed

Covers all those beautiful piazzas and fountains and nothing too taxing on our brains;)

In addition, there are places you can leave your luggage if the hotel can’t. Train stations often have lockers, and there are private companies that offer just this service. Google “luggage storage Rome” and double check reviews to make sure it’s legit. Would be cheaper than an extra night in a hotel.

Traveling with kids, if that’s what you mean by “family”, is much easier when staying in apartments. Unfortunately many do not offer early check in or luggage storage.

Before you commit to paying for the additional night, contact the hotel and ask if you can check in at noon. As someone else said, you'll be lucky indeed if you get to the hotel before then with a 9 am arrival. No sense paying another night for what is essentially a barely early check in.

Yes, I have booked the hotel room the night before and it worked great. I was arriving early in the morning after a 9 hour red-eye flight that stayed in the same time zone so I was up all night. I was so glad I did this!

My room was ready, I took a shower, a short nap and then headed out to explore refreshed. I passed the lobby and saw a large number of tired fellow travelers and their luggage sitting dejectedly, waiting for rooms to be ready. I knew at that moment that it had been worth every penny. As a side benefit, I was treated exceptionally well by the hotel. They respected that I had been willing to pay and went out of their way to assist me or offer perks.

Of course it could change drastically, but my experience of traveling during covid has meant that hotels nearly always have your room ready. I was able to get my room at 9 AM is a few instances.

Every hotel, in 20+ years of travel, if they have a staffed desk, has allowed me to leave my bags, either before or after my stay for a few hours, some even offer to hold bags or items while you travel; providing your are returning before your flight out.

If you do rent a room for the 'night before', make sure the hotel knows you will be a 'late' check-in ( i.e., late the next AM)

As other have mentioned with 9 AM arrival you are unlikely to be to the hotel much before noon, so in your case it may not make sense to reserve the for the night before. Perhaps explore if the hotel has an 'early check-in' fee

Last time we arrived in Rome was in 2019 (after 16 hours of travel) and that was at 09:00.
By the time we got through all the airport formalities, found the right bus to take us to Termini, and got to our accommodation, it was around 11:30.
We rang the bell anyway, and the lovely lady owner of the Bed and Breakfast let us leave our bags.
We just walked about nearby, had something to eat, got a sim card for my friend's phone, and ambled back by 2pm when she welcomed us in.

Other times, arriving in Venice early once, we left our bags at the hotel and came back later.
Don't be alarmed if your bags are stored in plain sight of everyone, especially in a small hotel; just don't leave anything in them that cannot be easily replaced.

SJ's point about luggage security is a good one. I travel from city to city with both smart phone and tablet computer in my purse or in a tote bag. I'd rather not have to carry the tablet with me on a multi-hour jaunt around the city, but I'm not comfortable transferring it to a suitcase that could be left any old place (and I've seen that done in 4-star US chain hotels). On a good day I remember to carry my prescription medications around with me, too; at least those all fit in one small bottle and weigh virtually nothing.

I do use a little (easily snapped off) lock on my suitcase, but the real risk--however small--is that someone might walk into the hotel and simply take the entire suitcase. It's such a tiny risk that I'm OK with it, but I try to keep the mission-critical stuff with me.

Ever since the Mercato Centrale opened up inside the Termini train station, it has been our habit to eat lunch there after taking the train from the airport. We like all the choices of wine and food, we like the bustle and the scenery and the amusing signage, there's a bathroom, and it doesn't feel odd to have our suitcases with us. I sit at a table (you can sit at any table) with the suitcases while my husband forages for us. Then, when we are done with lunch, we either take the metro to our apartment (now that it's the agreed-on time for check-in) or another train to wherever we are going. Anyway, it's a good place to spend some time if your hotel is not quite ready for you.

I would contact the hotel directly. Call or email them to get their early check in policy. It also might be posted on their website. Not all hotels will allow this but I have never had one that wouldn't accept our luggage while went went to see the sites. It doesn't make sense to pay for an additional night. If you're landing at 9:00am you'll get your checked bags around 9:30am and get into Rome around 10:15-10:30am. After you get your bags dropped off at the hotel you might want to walk the streets a bit and then have lunch. Before you know it it's 15:00 and time to check in. Good luck.