It’s pretty odd, when you think about it. You arrive in a city first thing, following a lengthy overnight flight and plenty of airport wrangling, hefty suitcase in tow. And yet you can’t flop down in a comfy space for another seven hours. Best case scenario your room might be ready an hour or two earlier than the practically iron-clad 3pm; worst case you’ll end up lugging it over cobblestones and up steps, trying to find a cafe to while away a few hours. Meanwhile, you’re haemorrhaging sightseeing time.
The trad 3pm check-in and 11am or 12pm check-out, rigidly imposed at 99.9 per cent of hotels, is still a regular travel frustration. Even though it’s much easier for guests and properties to discuss arrival and departure times, the dance remains the same: a trailing queue at reception desk at these “peak times”, with the 11am-3pm empty hours used for housekeeping staff to turn around each room for the next guest.
