Can you check in/out a hotel 6 PM to 6 PM?

[kyphysics]

This is whack. I'm going to be arriving in town for a flight around 4:30 PM. Going to need to stay a night at a hotel. Likely can get there around 6PM or 7 PM.

HOWEVER, I won't be able to leave until 6 PM the NEXT day at the earliest (9 PM the absolute latest), whereas checkout is 12 noon. The hotel dude said the latest they could try to grant me is 2 or maybe 3 PM at the latest for check out.

Why can't hotels just give you 24 hour stays? Isn't it stupid if someone arrived at like 11 PM and had to leave by 12 PM next day and pays the same as the person arriving 12 PM and leaving 12 PM?

Has anyone every negotiated with staff to get non-standard check-in and check-out hours?

 

[Drakkith]

Why can't hotels just give you 24 hour stays? Isn't it stupid if someone arrived at like 11 PM and had to leave by 12 PM next day and pays the same as the person arriving 12 PM and leaving 12 PM?

I'd guess it has something to do with the cleaning staff schedule. They can't come and clean rooms at 6 at night after you leave, so that room is simply empty for 18 hours.

 

[Borek]

Ask if you can safely leave your luggage somewhere after leaving the room. As Drak wrote, they have to clean the room and they don't have cleaning staff on 24/7 shifts.

 

[kuruman]

There are hotels that rent rooms by the hour but they have a rather unsavory reputation. When I was faced with the same problem at a reputable hotel, I followed @Borek's suggestion and they were very agreeable. They had a closet next to the reception desk just for that purpose. They also gave me a ticket to reclaim my stuff regardless of who was on duty. If your hotel stay is related to air travel, you might consider an airport hotel. Their business is with guests coming and going at all times so they might be more flexible.

 

[StatGuy2000]

As others have explained it has to do, in part, to the cleaning schedule. It also has much to do with how many rooms have been booked for the next night, and the need to ensure that those who will be checking in the next day will have an available room.

At the same time, hotels can and do offer some flexibility in terms of checkout times. I would suggest you speak to the front desk, or even the hotel manager, about any possibility of delaying checkout until closer to your departure. Many hotels can be quite accommodating (although some hotels may charge you an extra late day fee).

In cases where you cannot stay past 2PM, I would follow @Borek 's suggestion and ask front staff about whether they can hold your luggage until you depart.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Of course you can do this. But expect to pay for two nights.

Because of cleaning and other factors, a one night stay is less than 24 hours. Picking the Hampton Inn in Austintown, Ohio at random, check-in is after 4PM and check-out is noon. That's 20 hours. You want 24, that's two nights.

 

[Astronuc]

Has anyone every negotiated with staff to get non-standard check-in and check-out hours?

Yes, I've arranged to arrive late, or checkout after the normal checkout time (usually no later than 3 pm). I arrange it in advance, and depending on how busy the hotel is, I've found them accommodating. If not, one can leave luggage with the staff/concierge. If one has a rental car, one can leave luggage in the rental car. If one is flying, simply go to the airport and wait in the airline club.

 

[kyphysics]

Ask if you can safely leave your luggage somewhere after leaving the room. As Drak wrote, they have to clean the room and they don't have cleaning staff on 24/7 shifts.

I'll try calling for a manager, but the front desk guy denied me.

...WIth hotels being open 24/7, you'd think they'd have cleanign staff 24/7 on duty. I dunno. Just weird to me is all. I'd have figured hotels were the ONE place they'd have all-around staff at any hour.

 

[hmmm27]

If you've no luck getting a full 24h out of your night rate, ask for "day use" to be added on : usually substantially less than a full night's worth.

 

[phinds]

I'll try calling for a manager, but the front desk guy denied me.

...WIth hotels being open 24/7, you'd think they'd have cleanign staff 24/7 on duty. I dunno. Just weird to me is all. I'd have figured hotels were the ONE place they'd have all-around staff at any hour.

You ever tried running a hotel and making money at it? I doubt it.

 

[Vanadium 50]

You ever tried running a hotel and making money at it? I doubt it.

That's the key. What the OP wants is available. He just doesn't want to pay for it.

 

[Klystron]

As this two-year-old thread has reactivated, I can add some constructive ideas I thought outside the original post but inherent in running a large hotel. I worked late 1990's for an online travel company startup as chief scientist (their title) under the auspices of IATAN a governing institution for travel related businesses. One of my responsibilities involved automating tracking regulations and rule changes to ensure compliance with evolving standards for airlines, hotels, travel scheduling, rentals, etc. We hired lawyers to navigate the regulatory morass.

The number of rules and regulations applicable to rental hotels staggers the imagination. Let us use Las Vegas, Nevada, as an opaque example.

Rooms must be cleaned and 'sterilized' between rentals. Two or more labor unions represent most cleaning and other hotel staff under detailed scheduling rules. Non-union hotels still have contracts and scheduling agreements. Hotels often comp IATAN card carriers, but we still pay taxes and fees and must adhere to policy like all guests. City regulations for check-in and check-out restrict policy decisions.

Clark County polices the scheduling process to protect visitors, workers and proprietors. Hotels register each guest and must submit accurate information on time. Even hotel owners and family adhere to the same restrictions to retain fairness. Residential hotels fall under different but related laws. Bed & Breakfast (B&B), party tours and other short-time rentals involve even more rules and regs.

Room rates, fees, taxes, tips and add-ons are all heavily regulated and counted. Competition is brutal, profit margins elusive.

@phinds remark about managing a hotel encapsulates the complexity without intending insult.