Want to get into your hotel room early? Try this

There are lots of ways to get a late checkout at a hotel and plenty of reasons to want one. The ability to sleep in and milk the final hours of a stay or just pass time comfortably before your flight home can really simplify logistics on the final day of your vacation.

Seasoned travelers know all sorts of tricks to help them score extra time in the room before leaving, including the fact that Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt and other major hotel loyalty programs include late checkouts as a benefit you earn with elite status.

But what about checking in early?

This can be equally important for some travelers, particularly those who arrive at their destination early in the morning. I found myself looking for early check-in just last week when I arrived in London in the morning from an overnight flight.

Some hotel loyalty programs give travelers check-in flexibility as they reach high-level status tiers. For instance, IHG One Rewards makes it an explicit benefit for Platinum Elite and Diamond Elite guests (subject to availability). Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite members can take advantage of the “Your24” benefit, which allows you to pick your check-in and checkout time.

World of Hyatt has a fairly robust system for reserving an early check-in or late checkout at Hyatt Place hotels. Depending on your status, it may cost you, but it's a pretty good bargain. Members without elite status or with Discoverist status can reserve a 9:00 a.m. check-in for $10. It's a free benefit for Explorist and Globalist members.

Regardless of the hotel brand, there are tricks that might get you into your room early. In some cases at no cost. Will each tactic work every time? No. But it's worth a shot.

For more travel news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for TPG's daily newsletter.

Try this: Check in on your hotel's app

I've had quite a bit of luck getting into my room early simply by using the mobile check-in feature on a hotel app.

A few years ago, I remember arriving at about 7:30 a.m. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) with a lot of time to kill, wishing I could just get into my hotel room early.

I had a reservation at the Marriott Tysons Corner — not a top-tier Marriott Bonvoy property by any stretch, but not a budget brand either. Fortunately, I had checked in on the app the day before.

A second later, my phone buzzed. My room was ready. It was about 8:00 a.m. and my room for that night was ready for me. It felt like a lucky draw, but I’ve had similar scenarios play out several times since then, including twice in the last month.

None of this cost me anything extra, and for many of these stays, I had either no status or just Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status. (I’m now Gold Elite thanks to recently adding The Platinum Card® from American Express to my wallet).

On each of these occasions, I used the mobile check-in feature on the app to alert the hotel I'd be arriving early, the hotel had a room ready at the time I noted I would arrive.

Many hotel chains will give you the option of a mobile check-in 24 to 48 hours ahead of your arrival. The app will generally ask you what time you plan to get to the hotel.

With some apps — including the Marriott Bonvoy app — you have quite a bit of latitude to put the earliest time you might arrive. This doesn’t mean the hotel will honor your request, but you have nothing to lose by putting the time you actually plan to get there.

Again just this past week, while driving to Iowa for the Field of Dreams game I marked "noon" for my arrival time, hoping to get some early afternoon rest in my room after a morning flight. It worked.

Now, this obviously isn’t a foolproof tactic. I’ve generally had greater success getting into my room early at less in-demand hotels. Are you as likely to be successful getting into your room hours early at the Ritz Carlton Turks and Caicos or the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa? as I was at a hotel in rural Illinois?

Probably not. It's worth a try though.

Set yourself up for a smooth trip: make the request elsewhere, too

If getting into your room early is important to you, there are some other steps you can take to try and maximize your chances of getting an early check-in.

For one, some hotel chains give you the option to make the request when you actually book the stay. At Marriott, if you know when booking your room that you'll want to get into your room early, you can click "early check-in."

Then, note your anticipated arrival time. Again, this isn't guaranteeing anything, but it can certainly help give the hotel an early heads-up that you'll be wanting to get into your room early. It's all based on availability, Marriott says. The company also has a chat feature in its app where you can go in and make requests after booking the stay.

Using Hilton as another example, there isn't a specific "early check-in" box when you're booking a room, but there is a place where you can write in a "special request."

If all else fails, you can try using the app to chat with the hotel to request an early check-in, call the front desk or visit the front desk in-person to see if they have a room ready for you ... or if they can accelerate the process of getting one ready. At the very least, the front desk can generally secure your belongings so you're not lugging your bags around while waiting for a room.

Bottom line

Some hotels have protocols for getting an early check-in. At many properties, your options grow as you earn elite status.

But regardless of status, we all find ourselves with a need to get into a hotel room early from time to time. From checking in on your mobile app and marking your arrival time, to making use of live chat and special request features to the timeless strategy of asking nicely, there are any number of tactics you can try.

Ultimately, it's a question of availability and letting the property know — as early as possible — what you want.

Read these stories for more hotel tips:

• Is hotel elite status worth it anymore?
• Best hotel elite status levels in 2022
• Can you get walked from a hotel if you check in online?