A Commonly Used Hotel 'Perk' Is Disappearing Amid Rising Travel Costs Once considered a common courtesy, early check-in and check-out requests are now met with mandatory charges.
By Madeline Garfinkle •
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It's true, nothing in life is free.
The ease of requesting an early check-in or a late checkout is now a relic of the past for an increasing number of hotels, The Wall Street Journal reported.
For example, the Hyatt Place Boston Seaport is charging guests $50 for staying past 1 p.m., with fees increasing up to $100 for later times, the outlet found. San Francisco's Hotel Nikko, part of the Nikko International Hotel chain, charges $50 for check-ins before 1 p.m. Vice President and General Manager Anna Marie Presutti told the WSJ it is the "price of convenience."
Other hotel chains, such as Marriott, defended the fees to the outlet, stating it's within their right to implement them. One traveler, Amy Franks, told the WSJ that she was charged $35 for checking in a few hours early at the Hilton DoubleTree Suites in Orlando, Florida.
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Some hotels insist that fees are necessary due to occupancy rates and limited room availability. Terrence O'Donnell, general manager of the Cromwell in Las Vegas, owned and operated by Caesar's Entertainment, told the WSJ that the fees help manage the 188-room hotel's occupancy.
As travel has rebounded significantly since the pandemic, lodging costs have also increased.
According to data firm Statista, the average daily rate for hotels in the U.S. jumped from $125 in 2021 to $148.83 in 2022. While the cost of airfare decreased year-over-year by 19% in June, according to the U.S. Travel Association, lodging was up 5%, as well as recreation and food "away from home" jumped 7.6% year-over-year.
