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?
Continue reading: Hilton Introducing Confirmed Late Check-Out… For A Fee
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
@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.
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???
Me too. Being a free agent and paying $60 to keep room for another 6 hours is a bloody bargain!!
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.
DCS can spend all day lecturing self anointed travel guru on Hilton late check out benefit only he alone always get.
“It’s not clear how late confirmed check-out will be, which is kind of an important detail”
is the understatement of the year.
This will make it less available for elites to get this for “free” based on availability, making the current weak elite benefits even weaker.
> "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!
• “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.
Ha! Maybe cheap but also maybe want to enjoy The Private Room. Jealous??? Love your screen name <3 😉
They've finally figured-out that they can monetise it instead of giving it away. Took them long enough.
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.
Hilton is by far 3rd tier1. 1. Hyatt 2. Marriott 3. Hilton Always used as a last resort even though I have Diamond status.
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.
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!
@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.
They do late check out now 12pm to 1pm they charge $25, 1pm to 2pm they charge $25 so forth. I want to know if you are an Hilton Honor Member you automatic have an late check out which up to 12pm, what other perks will this add for an Hilton Honor Member or will be staying at 12pm. Late check is $40-$60 what is the time framing.
Honestly HH Diamond level has not been worth it in a while and this doesn’t surprise me.