Hilton will be introducing a standardized program to allow guests to confirm late check-out in advance for an additional fee. What does this mean for the Hilton Honors late check-out benefit, though?
In this post:
Confirm late check-out with Hilton for $40-60
LoyaltyLobby reports how as of some point in 2026, Hilton will be rolling out a new system that will be used to merchandise various aspects of hotel stays. Hotels of course want to do everything they can to generate ancillary revenue, and this is intended to help with that.
If you stay at Hiltons with any frequency, you may notice the hotel group offering some extra services ahead of a stay in exchange for a fee, ranging from room upgrades, to extra amenities, to late check-out.
However, once this new system kicks in (at some point in 2026), Hilton will offer confirmed late check-out for more consistent fees:
- The late check-out fee will be $40 for Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Home2 Suites, Homewood Suites, LivSmart, Spark, Tempo, and Tru
- The late check-out fee will be $50 for DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Motto, Signia, and Tapestry Collection
- The late check-out fee will be $60 for Canopy, Conrad, Curio Collection, Hilton, LXR, and Waldorf Astoria
There are a few details to note:
- It’s not clear how late confirmed check-out will be, which is kind of an important detail
- Those standardized late check-out costs are before taxes and fees
- It will be possible to confirm late check-out up to 72 hours in advance, either through the Hilton website or app
- Hotels will have discretion as to how many rooms they make available for confirmed late check-out, but the standard will be 20 rooms at full service hotels, and 10 rooms at limited service hotels
What does this mean for Hilton Honors elite perks?
There are lots of things I like about the Hilton Honors program, but guaranteed perks isn’t among them. For example, Hilton Honors Diamond members receive suite upgrades at the discretion of the hotel, rather than based on availability.
While Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt offer guaranteed 4PM check-out for higher tier elite members at all non-resorts, Hilton Honors doesn’t. Actually, if you look at the Hilton Honors elite benefits matrix, you’ll see no mention of late check-out.
However, in the Hilton Honors terms and conditions it says that late check-out “must be requested and is subject to availability,” with no additional details. So I absolutely don’t count on late check-out as an elite perk with Hilton, but some hotels do still offer it.
That being said, what will the introduction of standardized, confirmed late check-out for a fee mean for elite members?
- I have to imagine that many hotels will try to push Hilton Honors members to pay for late check-out, arguing it’s not otherwise available
- If people do take advantage of confirmed late check-out for a fee, it will lower available room inventory for granting elite members complimentary late check-out
So I think this is worth being aware of, but I wouldn’t necessarily expect the implications to be huge. The hotels that already do their best to take care of elite members will likely continue to do so. The hotels that don’t care about Hilton Honors elite status will likely continue not to care, and may request that guests pay for late check-out.
Bottom line
As of some point in 2026, Hilton plans to introduce confirmed late check-out for a fee of $40-60. While some hotels already offer this, it’ll be standardized, and by default, all hotels will be opted in.
In theory, this isn’t supposed to impact elite members who are eligible for complimentary late check-out, subject to availability. However, it’s hard to imagine this won’t have at least some impact, between more rooms being occupied later, plus greedy hotels being able to point members toward the ability to pay for the privilege of checking out late.
What do you make of Hilton’s new standardized confirmed late check-out feature?
Hilton is by far 3rd tier1. 1. Hyatt 2. Marriott 3. Hilton Always used as a last resort even though I have Diamond status.
For me, depending on the brand, I think IHG might even be better than Hilton (particularly within the US) - not that there aren't some lovely Hiltons out there, of course. But definitely agreed on #1 and #2!
Having had checkout requests as late as 6pm approved at Hilton hotels around the world, I always assumed 6pm to be the unwritten cutoff time. I don't believe Hilton will permanently replace the program's late checkout perk for elites.
BTW, I have never been denied late checkout. The Hilton program's complimentary elite suite upgrades is still the strongest of all chains in my experience despite what Hyatt fanboys claims.
Oh look who crawled out of the "never will I return to OMAAT!" hole!!!
Your suite claims too w/Hilton being "superior" to Hyatt is consistently one of the most hilarious ones on the Internet.
I'm not sure it's really DCS. This person is just a "Guest" rather than "Diamond," and there are a couple uncharacteristic grammar mistakes in the last sentence ("suite upgrades *is* still the strongest..." and "...what Hyatt fanboys *claims*"). Might have an impersonator on our hands.
They've finally figured-out that they can monetise it instead of giving it away. Took them long enough.
• “in the Hilton Honors terms and conditions it says that late check-out “must be requested and is subject to availability,” with no additional details.”
• “I have to imagine that many hotels will try to push Hilton Honors members to pay for late check-out, arguing it’s not otherwise available”
These two quotes together remind me of something William the Starwood Lurker on FlyerTalk once said. Someone asked him, “If late checkout is available...
• “in the Hilton Honors terms and conditions it says that late check-out “must be requested and is subject to availability,” with no additional details.”
• “I have to imagine that many hotels will try to push Hilton Honors members to pay for late check-out, arguing it’s not otherwise available”
These two quotes together remind me of something William the Starwood Lurker on FlyerTalk once said. Someone asked him, “If late checkout is available for a fee, does that mean that it's available? Let's say I'm at a resort, and I ask for late checkout, and they say "sure, it's available, for $75." And I say "I'm a (lowly) SPG Gold, so since it's available, I'd like it for free."”
William's response was simple: “If it is available for a price, it should be available on a complimentary basis for an elite member in SPG.”
For the avoidance of all doubt, he followed up a few posts later: “The benefit applies to resorts, conference center, and convention center hotels. If they can grant it, they are supposed to do so. It is only subject to availability at those property types; however, if they can offer it for a price, then they can also offer it on a complimentary basis.”
Yes, this was about SPG, not Hilton, but the logic applies here, too: as Ben notes, late check-out for elite members is “subject to availability”—and if it’s available for a price, it’s available *period*, and should be provided on a complimentary basis as a benefit. Only non-elite members—or tiers to which the benefit doesn’t apply, if they should decide to change it—should have to pay.
Of course, I have a feeling Hilton wouldn’t take the guest’s side in a dispute, even if they’re right. When asked how to inform hotels of this policy if they try to charge for late checkout in the future, William offered: “tell them that you are going to file a formal complaint with Corporate Customer Service. If that doesn't move them, do so and send me the case file number so I can follow up with the SPG Hotel Coordinators.” Good luck getting that kind of advocacy from anyone at Hilton…
One more reason I won’t be going out of my way to stay at Hiltons.
This will make it less available for elites to get this for “free” based on availability, making the current weak elite benefits even weaker.
“It’s not clear how late confirmed check-out will be, which is kind of an important detail”
is the understatement of the year.
DCS can spend all day lecturing self anointed travel guru on Hilton late check out benefit only he alone always get.
Unpopular opinion, but I actually don't think this is bad, considering how many Gold/Diamonds there are in the US, due to it being a free instant benefit on the HH cobranded cards.
I don't recall the last time I was able to get a late check-out between 2PM-4PM, as a HH Diamond (via the card) at a Hilton property in N. America and Europe. So, paying up to $60 for that and it being...
Unpopular opinion, but I actually don't think this is bad, considering how many Gold/Diamonds there are in the US, due to it being a free instant benefit on the HH cobranded cards.
I don't recall the last time I was able to get a late check-out between 2PM-4PM, as a HH Diamond (via the card) at a Hilton property in N. America and Europe. So, paying up to $60 for that and it being confirmed is worth it, versus being told "no" with no wiggle room or being asked to pay up to 50% of the room rate for that day.
For non-elites, it's a fair offering. For elites, it should be a benefit. But, no one should be surprised if Marriott does the same -- that is, move from a complimentary late check-out for elites to a paid late check-out for elite. After all, indications are Marriott is "testing" the elimination of complimentary breakfast for elites.
I just had a nice stay at the Conrad Centennial, Singapore through AmEx FIne Hotels with a confirmed late check out extended an hotel to 5pm Score!
I had a mid morning SQ Suites to FRA and spent the night in the Private Room nap room. Very nice!
Are you saying you were too cheap to just book an additional night at the Conrad, and instead used late checkout + Private Room overnight???
Ha! Maybe cheap but also maybe want to enjoy The Private Room. Jealous??? Love your screen name <3 ;-)
I recently noticed Hyatt is trying to sneak this in. There's a screen just after booking confirmation on the app where you can select "Add-Ons", that include early check-in or late check-out times for a range of fees. The latter is particularly obnoxious as an Explorist, because now I wonder if they're clawing back that benefit across the board or does this become one of those property-dependent charges like with parking.
@Santos I noticed that as well!
I have to imagine that many hotels will try to push Hilton Honors members to pay for late check-out, arguing it’s not otherwise available
I wouldn’t assume this. A 1pm or 2 pm checkout is a reasonable request for an honors member. I would absolutely pay $50 to keep a room until 6pm. Those 1AM flights leaving Asia or 10pm red eyes require you to pay for an additional night anyways.
Me too. Being a free agent and paying $60 to keep room for another 6 hours is a bloody bargain!!
I would never pay for this. Just give the front desk a call on the morning of checkout, ask nicely, and you can usually get an extra hour or two for free (maybe more).
@Redacted It may work in APAC but not in North America. I am 0 for 0 for complimentary late checkout being given in the Hilton locations for North America. I have been told to call on the day of checkout but refused the late checkout request even if the hotels were not busy.
They were already offering it at one of my hotel stays (Hilton Milwaukee) last year, though at different rates for different people. At another hotel (Signia Atlanta) it was "pay a fee for early checkin." I am not sure if that is just a one-off or if that will be the next thing that Hilton introduces (I'm a Gold btw). If this is another "nickel and dime" deval I might just cut up my Hilton card sometime next yr.
Being a free agent with FHR and Virtuoso is better than these loyalty programs, since 4 PM is a guarantee benefit, no asterisks. Even Marriott and Hyatt are not late checkout guaranteed since resorts (which they can define however they want) and convention hotels are excluded.
> "Even Marriott and Hyatt are not late checkout guaranteed since resorts (which they can define however they want) and convention hotels are excluded."
Forgive the (arguable) nitpick, but while that's true for Marriott, Hyatt's only exemptions are resorts and *casino* hotels, not convention hotels. They also identify resort properties fairly clearly online (or worst case, you can call them to clarify), unlike Marriott, who hides it behind about five layers of opacity to the...
> "Even Marriott and Hyatt are not late checkout guaranteed since resorts (which they can define however they want) and convention hotels are excluded."
Forgive the (arguable) nitpick, but while that's true for Marriott, Hyatt's only exemptions are resorts and *casino* hotels, not convention hotels. They also identify resort properties fairly clearly online (or worst case, you can call them to clarify), unlike Marriott, who hides it behind about five layers of opacity to the point where even their own employees don't know how to check. Hyatt's still quite reliable for guaranteed late checkout at non-resort, non-casino hotels!
@Chris_W
Can't say I have been to every Hyatt casino location but I have been to Rio and HR JFK Resorts World and they were more than willing to offer 4pm checkout.
As a Hilton lifetime Diamond member, I seldom used this benefit when I was traveling for business. Now that I’m semi retired, I’m looking to slow down and enjoy my stays. This extra charge for late check out concerns me.