Cashing inn: Major hotel chains cash in by minimising guest time in rooms, Which? reveals

Major hotel chains are asking guests to check in as late as 5pm, unless they pay extra for early check-ins, a Which? investigation has found.

Which? looked at check-in times across 10 major hotel chains including easyHotel, Hilton and Mercure and found the worst example was luxury chain, Macdonald Hotels and Resorts. It tells guests to arrive at 5pm, and check-out is at 10am the next morning. That allows guests just 17 hours to enjoy their room and the hotel’s facilities.

Macdonald Hotels told Which? that their 5pm check-in is reserved for its self-catering apartments, where larger spaces and longer stays require more thorough cleaning. However, nowhere on its website is this made sufficiently clear. What is clear, is that if guests want to check in at 3pm or sleep until midday, Macdonald, known for its 4 and 5 star resorts, charges an extra £29. 

Guests of Britannia Hotels - rated the worst hotel chain in Which?’s annual survey for 11 years running - and easyHotel get just 19 hours in their room: they are asked to arrive at 3pm and leave by 10am.

Travellers keen to have a lie-in might find a Holiday Inn, Premier Inn or Travelodge stay more agreeable. Among the chains Which? looked at, these brands were among the most flexible with a 3pm check in and a 12pm check out time, allowing for 21 hours in the room. 

Much like budget airlines, Which?’s research shows that hotels are also now stripping away the basics and charging customers for privileges that used to be free. 

Early check-in is now an upselling opportunity for hotels. Which? found the Sofitel Heathrow Airport hotel, for example, allows guests to add early check-in at the booking stage if they plan to arrive before 3pm, but it will cost an extra £90. The cost of staying beyond 12pm the next day is an even more eye-watering £120. Pre-book online and it’s a flat fee. However, guests can contact Sofitel directly to negotiate. A Which? researcher was quoted £20 for every additional hour past the midday check out time. 

In comparison Mercure hotels charges £10 for every hour before 3pm check-in, so an 11am check-in would cost an extra £40. 

Across hundreds of hotels and hundreds of thousands of room sales every year, the earnings around guests checking in later and checking out earlier are likely to be significant. 

‘Just sit back and count the money,’ is the advice from HotelFlex – a technology company designed to help hoteliers upsell those free hours. It uses automation to predict the departure and arrival time of guests, so hotels can better target sales of early check-ins and late check-outs. It’s likely why guests are now bombarded with texts and emails from their hotels asking for their arrival time. The later they arrive, the bigger the potential profit for hotels. 

Which?’s investigation found that some hotels are potentially cashing in by selling rooms twice within 24 hours. The consumer champion found one property in London St Pancras offers day-only bookings between 10.30am and 3.30pm costing £70. That timing is convenient given the 10am check-out and 4pm check-in, and that it takes around 30 minutes to clean the average hotel room. The listing is advertised on Dayuse, which is a Booking.com style website for guests who want to book a room for a few hours in order to make the most of the hotel’s amenities rather than stay overnight.

If hotels sell their rooms overnight and again in the day, this provides them with more upselling opportunities and they can quickly make an awful lot more money from guests.

Which? found the Elmbank York Tapestry Collection by Hilton was £180 for an overnight stay – which was cheaper than a day slot for £185. 

Which? has found that there are ways to access a hotel room early without paying through the nose. In many places guests can simply ask on arrival, rather than paying in advance for early check-in. For now, many receptionists are still willing to let guests head to the room early without paying if it’s available. And if not, only then is it worth considering paying the extra fee.

Hotel loyalty schemes are also a good way to avoid these fees. Which? found that members of Marriott Bonvoy’s free-to-join Ambassador Elite programme can check in to hotels at 9am on arrival day and check out as late as 9pm. Similarly, American Express Platinum cardholders can secure rooms from 12pm at participating hotels, including Four Seasons and Hilton hotels worldwide.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said:

“Hotel guests by no means expect a full 24 hours in their room but it’s no wonder an increasing number of us feel short changed when some hotel chains are not just shortening our stay, but then trying to upsell early check-in or later check-out back to us. 

“If you are paying for a special night away, there are some ways you can access your room early, like accessing loyalty schemes. Some hotels might also let you use facilities like the pool or spa before you check in, so make sure to try and utilise this as much as you can.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Table of hotel chains check-in and check-out times:

Macdonald Hotels and Resorts lists the 5pm check in on their website and says it allows guests to use the facilities before 5pm if the room is not ready. 

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