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Are Flexible Hotel Check-In Times the Way of the Future? AFAR 2/5/2021
Courtesy of The Peninsula Hotels
The Peninsula Beverly Hills launched flexible check-in and check-out times 20 years ago. Last week, I was searching for hotels for a weekend away in the English countryside and kept seeing that check-in was at 4 p.m. and checkout was at 11 a.m. sometimes 10 a.m.! I immediately felt stressed, imagining packing and leaving, inhaling breakfast before vacating the premises. If you’re only staying a weekend, that significantly cuts into your stay.
These set times have been the global standard of hotel stays though many seem to be shaving an hour or two off on either end. It is primarily because of housekeeping and hotel occupancy the room has to be clean before the next guest arrives. But given the growing trends in personalized and flexible travel, this area of the travel experience needed help.