BS: Extending hotel checkout times

Subject: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 08 Feb 10 - 04:56 PM

Hotels abroad nearly always have inconvenient checkout times. Our return flight from Spain yesterday was 9:25pm which required a taxi at 6pm for the journey to the airport. Normal checkout was noon, so we asked if we could keep the room until 6pm. The receptionist said yes, provided that we have lunch in the hotel restaurant - which was only a few € more than outside restaurants, and jolly good it was too. Sometimes we have simply been allowed to keep our room longer with no conditions - it's always worth asking.

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: katlaughing
Date: 08 Feb 10 - 07:02 PM

How was Spain...have fun?

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 Feb 10 - 09:14 AM

Thanks for the tip, Bonzo. I didn't know that.

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 09 Feb 10 - 10:38 AM

Most hotels will give a grace period of a couple of hours if notified in advance of your need provided they don't have a large group coming in which needs the room

I used to travel extensively for work and rarely got turned down. It may have helped that I used many of the same venues on a semi-regular basis.

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 09 Feb 10 - 11:12 AM

Even if they do have to vacate the room for some reason I have found they are quite flexible on leaving luggage or even having somewhere to get changed or have a snooze.

It was quite interesting when I was last leaving Spain (I think it was anyway - few years ago now!) myself. There was an unholy row with a family in front of us demanding that they be given an extension to their checkout, calling the desk clerk 'Franco' and turning the air so blue that security had to be called to escort them, and their luggage, from the premises.

When the dust settled and our turn came I very nervously aksed if it were possible to leave our luggage somewhere safe until it was time for the taxi. The very same 'facist' desk clerk could not have been more helpful and ended up having our cases moved, free of charge, to a spare room and letting us use it for whatever we wanted.

We did notice the same family in a very subdued condition at the airport some 6/7 hours later. I think sometimes attitude has a lot to do with whether the request is granted or not:-)

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: MikeL2
Date: 09 Feb 10 - 11:35 AM

hi David

You are so right. Some people's attitudes with locals is disgusting.

We have a place in Menorca but before we bought it we stayed in hotels...and still do when you go to other places, especially in Spain.

We have found on this question of checkout times that a quiet word early on in the holiday with reception usually gets you a room extension. Sometimes the room you have will have been allocated but we have always been offered another room that we can use on the last day.

Most hotels in Spain have a special room where you can leave luggage. They are usually locked with the key held in Reception.

My wife's sister works in the travel industry and lives in Spain near Granada. She can tell many stories about the attitudes of holidaymakers towards hotel staff....not a pretty story.

It is an ever-increasing problem as flights get less frequent and with more unsociable hours.

Sometimes we meet people on holiday in Menorca who have problems and we have allowed them to use one of our bedrooms and facilities on the last day to help them out.

Of course we only invite people we like !!!

Cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: GUEST,Tig
Date: 09 Feb 10 - 05:57 PM

The last time I was involved with wanting an extension was last November when me, my brother and 89 year old father had to go to my Godmother's funeral.

Since it was in Orpington and we live Oop North my brother who was doing the driving decided it would be better for Dad to travel the night before rather than have to start out about 6.30am to be sure of getting there.

He booked us in to an 'interesting!' hotel not too far away from the church and asked if it would be possible to book out an hour later than advertised to fit in, explaining why.

The receptionist said it would be possible if we PAID for the extra hour!!! One wonders just what she thought Dad would get up to :-P

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 09 Feb 10 - 06:04 PM

I was put off stopping in an hotel near Kings Cross when the receptionist was amazed that I wanted a room for the WHOLE night:-)

Maybe they specialised in renting out rooms by the hour to keep luggage in. Being near the station and all that. No???

:D (eG)

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 10:27 AM

Kings Cross was quite reputable in the 70s. I stayed there and even walked around the area without a problem. Of course. Brookly, now fashionably expensive, was a slum in those days.

I have always been able to check my luggage at the hotel on check out day and come back for it when I was ready to go to the airport.

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 10:28 AM

Brooklyn, NY

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: Smedley
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 10:40 AM

I once stayed in an old-school fearsome-landlady Blackpool boarding house which displayed a sign "Flexible meal times are only available for ballroom dancing competitors".

Subject: RE: BS: Extending hotel checkout times
From: PoppaGator
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 04:58 PM

Brooklyn (NY) is HUGE, and a number of different areas within its boundaries have always been pricey and fashionable (Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights with its incredible view of downtown Manhattan, etc.)

Nowadays, of course, many formerly down-and-out sections of Brooklyn have been, and continue to be, gentrified. One big reason is that many of Manhattan's formerly affordable neighborhoods have become prohibitively expenseive.