Want to take advantage of Peninsula Pen Club benefits, including a room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
In 2021, Hong Kong-based Peninsula Hotels rolled out “The Peninsula Promise,” which is a pretty incredible flexible stay policy that we’ve never seen before from a hotel group. Peninsula Hotels have the world’s most generous check-in and check-out policies, and I wanted to cover that in this post.
In this post:
What are Peninsula Hotels?
For those of you not familiar with Peninsula, the luxury hotel group has properties in 10 cities, including Bangkok, Beijing, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Hong Kong, Manila, New York, Paris, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Peninsula has two further properties under development, in London and Istanbul, which are expected to open in the coming years.
Peninsula is particularly known for its properties in Asia, and for that matter even the properties outside of Asia have some touches that remind you of the brand’s roots. While Peninsula isn’t the fastest growing hotel group, it’s generally very well regarded.
Peninsula guarantees early check-in & late check-out
Since the beginning of 2021, Peninsula offers “Peninsula Time,” which is an extended and flexible schedule for check-ins and check-outs. The policy is in a league of its own among hotel groups:
- Guests can arrange to have their room ready as early as 6AM on their arrival date
- Guests can stay in their room as late as 10PM on their departure date
- There’s no additional cost for this, and no elite status required; you just have to book direct or through a travel advisor to take advantage of this
This is something that a travel advisor booking through the Peninsula Pen Club program can confirm, as it can be stacked with the standard Peninsula Pen Club perks. Those include complimentary breakfast, a room upgrade, a welcome amenity, and a property specific amenity (like a $100 food & beverage credit).
Is the “Peninsula Time” benefit too good to be true?
The “Peninsula Time” concept truly is an unheard of policy in the hotel industry, as you could make a one night stay where you check-in at 6AM and check-out at 10PM the next day, meaning your one night stay could last up to 40 hours. This is especially valuable if you have a flight arriving early in the morning or a flight departing late in the evening, since those can otherwise be tricky for booking hotels.
Even looking at all of the major hotel loyalty programs and luxury hotel programs available through travel agents, generally the best you’ll get is early check-in subject to availability, and guaranteed late check-out at 4PM.
This policy was introduced during the pandemic, and with Peninsula being heavily focused on Asia, the travel recovery there is definitely still lagging. That being said, it seems like this should still be sustainable in the long run with a bit of an investment, as it really is a competitive advantage:
- Presumably most guests aren’t actually familiar with this benefit, so I imagine it’s not requested that much
- This largely just comes down to managing room inventory and housekeeping resources efficiently; I imagine Peninsula properties have more round-the-clock housekeepers than other brands, for situations where guests want a 10PM check-out while others want a 6AM check-in
- Certainly in some situations Peninsula won’t be able to sell hotels to capacity, but broadly speaking, there are also lots of people checking out early in the morning, or only arriving late in the evening
Interestingly the Peninsula Beverly Hills offered this benefit even before coronavirus, and it seemed to work there. In fairness, there aren’t too many people arriving in Los Angeles at 6AM, based purely on the timezone and flight schedules (that being said, some presumably appreciated a late check-out prior to a redeye).
It’ll be interesting to see if this perk evolves over time. It certainly could be a reason to choose Peninsula over a competitor.
Bottom line
All 10 Peninsula properties around the globe offer “Peninsula Time,” whereby you can check-in as early as 6AM and check-out as late as 10PM. This is otherwise unheard of, especially since it’s not subject to availability at the time of your stay, as is the case with so many other hotel groups.
This is by far the most generous check-in and check-out policy of any hotel group, and it could be a reason to consider Peninsula, especially for a short stay. I don’t think other hotel groups will match this perk, though I hope Peninsula keeps it around for years to come.
What do you make of the “Peninsula Time” concept?
I've used it at the Peninsula in Hong Kong back to 2018 (Virtuoso booking). Arrived from Europe on an early flight and was checked in right away. We were offered to keep our suite until 10pm on the day we left but had an afternoon flight so couldn't take advantage,
Used this Peninsula Time at Peninsula Beverly Hills twice.
First time we had lunch in Koreatown checked out from hotel and took a taxi to Peninsula Beverly Hills.So it's around 2PM.The nice lady checked us in told us our room was not ready.She also told us about the Peninsula Time thing which I didn't know before and escorted us to the bar.We had some really nice champagne.The best part,unlimited refills as long as the...
Used this Peninsula Time at Peninsula Beverly Hills twice.
First time we had lunch in Koreatown checked out from hotel and took a taxi to Peninsula Beverly Hills.So it's around 2PM.The nice lady checked us in told us our room was not ready.She also told us about the Peninsula Time thing which I didn't know before and escorted us to the bar.We had some really nice champagne.The best part,unlimited refills as long as the room is not ready.I wish I hadn't drunk so much soju in Koreatown.
The next year same start: lunch,checked out,taxi and with a hope of plenty glasses of champagne."Oh your room is ready"The gentleman behind the counter said without hesitation and gave us the key right away.When we found our room and opened the door,WOW.They upgraded us to a very nice(very big) suite in the garden behind the main building.Maybe that because we only stay one night?
It’s great that the Peninsula hotels offer an extended check in and check out. They seem to manage it with the requirement of an advance notice. Form their webpage:
Check-in is as early as 6:00 am on arrival day and check-out is as late as 10:00 pm on day of departure
Estimated time of arrival and departure must be provided at least 24 hours prior to arrival. A hospitality room will be provided if the original booked room category is not available
In our opinion, Peninsula has the best hotel product available. Our first stay was at the Peninsula in Beijing in 2005, which was over the top spectacular. We've followed with both Tokyo and Hong Kong, and Bangkok. Asian service, as a rule is spectacular, but the Peninsula Group has taken service to a new level. Just an example, Peninsulas have a fleet of Peninsula Green Rolls Royces, which the staffs seem to endlessly polish. In...
In our opinion, Peninsula has the best hotel product available. Our first stay was at the Peninsula in Beijing in 2005, which was over the top spectacular. We've followed with both Tokyo and Hong Kong, and Bangkok. Asian service, as a rule is spectacular, but the Peninsula Group has taken service to a new level. Just an example, Peninsulas have a fleet of Peninsula Green Rolls Royces, which the staffs seem to endlessly polish. In Tokyo, you can get a free 3km transfer in a Rolls, which we took to the train station. Awesome experience.
The Peninsula Pen Club is apparently by invitation only. Ben, I don't think you mentioned that important detail.
The Pen Club is an invite only program for **travel agents**. As long as the travel agent you book with are part of the program, then can book the rate for you. There is no specific requirement for travelers, beyond finding a travel agent that is part of this program (most luxury TAs are part of a large number of these invite-only programs and can book under whatever rate you want).
I'm surprised you haven't reviewed a Peninsula yet (at least I couldn't find a review). The ones in Paris and Hong Kong are excellent hotels.
I used Peninsula Time in BKK back in 2014; not sure if it was publicly available then, however I booked via Virtuoso for that stay (Hi David O.!)
I would be enticed by Peninsula time. In Bangkok I would often have a late flight out. And twice paid for an extra day so I could take a late shower & pack up in comfort. While I didn't stay at the peninsula (wrong side of the Chao Phraya for my needs) I've certainly been there many times and it is lovely, super luxury, and more resort like. Friends from Bangkok say it's their favorite...
I would be enticed by Peninsula time. In Bangkok I would often have a late flight out. And twice paid for an extra day so I could take a late shower & pack up in comfort. While I didn't stay at the peninsula (wrong side of the Chao Phraya for my needs) I've certainly been there many times and it is lovely, super luxury, and more resort like. Friends from Bangkok say it's their favorite place to brunch. The food has always been exceptional. So yes the perk of almost a free day might make me rethink my Bangkok choice.
easy - just take their on demand ferry to the other side of the river, and then car/BTS
The one in London is virtually completed. It is very modern in appearance - think of the property in Chicago as opposed to the property in New York. If you want to be in the Knightsbridge / Belgravia area, this will likely be your pick. Both the Lanesborough and the Mandarin Oriental are plagued with small rooms with little opportunity to move up even if paying. As this property is new construction, my sense is...
The one in London is virtually completed. It is very modern in appearance - think of the property in Chicago as opposed to the property in New York. If you want to be in the Knightsbridge / Belgravia area, this will likely be your pick. Both the Lanesborough and the Mandarin Oriental are plagued with small rooms with little opportunity to move up even if paying. As this property is new construction, my sense is that it will be similar in features to the property in Chicago in that the rooms will be of a reasonable size.
The property is three-in-a-row with the Lanesborough and the Cleveland Clinic Hospital. It is walking distance to Hyde Park and Green Park. It is a little bit more of a walk to the heart of Knightsbridge or to Victoria Station. After that, unless you are a dedicated walker, you will want transportation anywhere you go. The good news is that it is a block or so away from the Hyde Park Corner tube station.
Since you sometimes review non-points luxury properties, I'd be very curious to hear your take on a Peninsula hotel, esp. vis-à-vis Four Seasons. If China's borders ever reopen (lolsob), the Peninsula Shanghai is amazing. The Hong Kong, Chicago, and Paris properties also look great too.
The first time you enter the Chicago property, you do so at street level and you will be underwhelmed. But, you'll take an elevator up to the real lobby. When the elevator doors open, you will walk down a corridor with the usual luxury shops. Only then do you arrive at the real lobby. When you do, it will be like Dorothy opening the door from her gray-scale world into the colorful Land of Oz....
The first time you enter the Chicago property, you do so at street level and you will be underwhelmed. But, you'll take an elevator up to the real lobby. When the elevator doors open, you will walk down a corridor with the usual luxury shops. Only then do you arrive at the real lobby. When you do, it will be like Dorothy opening the door from her gray-scale world into the colorful Land of Oz. You will get a sense of grandeur and you will say "wow." That will set the tone of your visit.
On the other hand, the reverse happens at the New York property. You immediately get a sense of grandeur. The front desk team is great. But, after that, you will then begin to notice things. Service in the breakfast / lunch restaurant is consistently sorely lacking. A lot of deferred maintenance (chipped paint, broken drawers, etc.). Obsolete technology (unusable TUBE television in the bathroom, NTSC video connectors for flat panel TV, etc.) Poor room layout. You come away with the impression of a property owner who sees the property solely as a cash cow and is not about to put a dime into it.
I've stayed at the Chicago property a couple of times - that place has always been fantastic for me. No wonder it's been rated as the best hotel in the US (https://www.peninsula.com/en/newsroom/chicago/news/us-news-and-world-report-number-1-hotel-2022) The NYC property looks very dated on the interior rooms; they're sorely in need of a maintenance upgrade.