Fairmont President's Club - PC Plat - early check in/late check out

One of the stated benefits for the Platinum members of PC is early check in and late check out.

Are there any guidelines as to how many hours in advance and after the official check in/out should be granted? Or is it at the discretion of the hotel?

I am inquiring about it because of the upcoming stay at Fairmont San Francisco. I may not likely need the early check in since I am planning to visit MOMA first upon disembarking from BART, but late check out next day would come very handy due to the late pm departure.

Some other major chains grant at least 4 pm late check out.

One of the stated benefits for the Platinum members of PC is early check in and late check out.

Are there any guidelines as to how many hours in advance and after the official check in/out should be granted? Or is it at the discretion of the hotel?

I am inquiring about it because of the upcoming stay at Fairmont San Francisco. I may not likely need the early check in since I am planning to visit MOMA first upon disembarking from BART, but late check out next day would come very handy due to the late pm departure.

I believe no exact time is mentioned in the T&C.
As a general guideline I´d say Plats should be able to expect:

early check-in: 12.00p.m.
late check-out: 4p.m.

This is in line with the early check-in / late check-out times Fairmont grants guests who book through Virtuoso/AMEX FHR/etc.(note that with those distribution channels the benefit sometimes is guaranteed, while sometimes it´s "based on availability")

Early check-in is hit and miss IME (even if I send the hotel my exact arrival time and flight information in advance they sometimes screw up). Late check-out has worked pretty well most of the time (usually 4p.m., though occasionally I´ve been able to get a 6p.m. or even 8p.m. late check-out when occupancy was low)

I believe no exact time is mentioned in the T&C.
As a general guideline I´d say Plats should be able to expect:

early check-in: 12.00p.m.
late check-out: 4p.m.

This is in line with the early check-in / late check-out times Fairmont grants guests who book through Virtuoso/AMEX FHR/etc.(note that with those distribution channels the benefit sometimes is guaranteed, while sometimes it´s "based on availability")

Early check-in is hit and miss IME (even if I send the hotel my exact arrival time and flight information in advance they sometimes screw up). Late check-out has worked pretty well most of the time (usually 4p.m., though occasionally I´ve been able to get a 6p.m. or even 8p.m. late check-out when occupancy was low)

Thanks, we'll see what they'll offer.

At the Kea Lani a few weeks ago I had 9 am early check in and 8 pm late check out. I have done the same at the YVR properties and Seattle in the past.

At the Kea Lani a few weeks ago I had 9 am early check in and 8 pm late check out. I have done the same at the YVR properties and Seattle in the past.

That'a amazing! If I could get 6pm late check out, I'd be happy.

At the Kea Lani a few weeks ago I had 9 am early check in and 8 pm late check out. I have done the same at the YVR properties and Seattle in the past.

Kea Lani has been traditionally very good with their late check out policies.. They are making efforts to make the elite members happy which is good to see..

From my experience I'd say early checkin is around 9am, and late checkout is 4pm - 5pm when I've used this at various Fairmonts.

I've been told by a couple of hotels that checkin can be as early as 9 am. I don't know about late checkout.

Was in DC at the end of last month.

I requested a 5:30 pm check-out (as we had tix to the 1 pm Nats game before leaving town).

I mentioned it at the time of reservation and confirmed it again at check-in. No issues either time (in particular check-in as it appeared that it wasn't in the file).

The rule is 10am CI 6pm CO but is flexible and can vary based on availability.

The rule is 10am CI 6pm CO but is flexible and can vary based on availability.

Just curious, is this more based your experience or were you told by FPC that this is the standard policy?

6p.m. check-out usually isn´t a problem, but I´ve been denied an earlier check-in than 12p.m. a few times, so I´d be interested to know whether there actually is a policy.

My best experience was in Singapore where I arrived at about 8.30am off an overnight flight from London. I had booked a suite upgrade with a cert and emailed to ask whether I'd be able to wait in the Executive club til my room was available. When I checked in they gave me another room to use from 8.30 -12 when my suite became available. That is what I call service -and I was delighted to be able to shower and have a kip in comfort.

Other than that at YVR I've checked in at 9 am off a Sydney (Australia) flight with no problems , downtown Vancouver 12 noon hasn't been a problem. Late check outs I've never needed later than 4 but have always been able to get it. I guess if you ask nicely and don't take it for granted generally the hotel will try its best for its best customers

My best experience was in Singapore where I arrived at about 8.30am off an overnight flight from London. I had booked a suite upgrade with a cert and emailed to ask whether I'd be able to wait in the Executive club til my room was available. When I checked in they gave me another room to use from 8.30 -12 when my suite became available. That is what I call service -and I was delighted to be able to shower and have a kip in comfort.

Other than that at YVR I've checked in at 9 am off a Sydney (Australia) flight with no problems , downtown Vancouver 12 noon hasn't been a problem. Late check outs I've never needed later than 4 but have always been able to get it. I guess if you ask nicely and don't take it for granted generally the hotel will try its best for its best customers

The early check-in experiences sound phenomenal.. We haven't used early check-in in years.. and when we have back in 04 and 05.. has been hit and miss.. Sounds handy when you need it..

The late check out in our experience.. usually is confirmed the day of.. and has been honored 100% of the time lately for us..

Have requested early check-in for Pacific Rim(noon) .Will report back on my success or lack of success.

My best experience was in Singapore where I arrived at about 8.30am off an overnight flight from London. I had booked a suite upgrade with a cert and emailed to ask whether I'd be able to wait in the Executive club til my room was available. When I checked in they gave me another room to use from 8.30 -12 when my suite became available. That is what I call service -and I was delighted to be able to shower and have a kip in comfort.

+1

We had a suite upgrade booked at the Fairmont Royal York earlier this year. Our room wasn't ready upon arrival (tho' I can't recall if it was prior to noon or not, thus making this potentially OT) and they gave us a room to park ourselves in until the suite was ready.

It was perfect, with one son staying in the room with our dog while the rest of us hit the pool!

^ Fairmont!

Does this benefit extend to booking under name of PLT spouse who is just FPC member, but room occupied by both PLT and spouse together? How about all other benefits of PLT like welcome amenities etc?

Does this benefit extend to booking under name of PLT spouse who is just FPC member, but room occupied by both PLT and spouse together? How about all other benefits of PLT like welcome amenities etc?

If the room is booked under her name, you´ll most likely not get a welcome amenity nor any other Plat benefits. However, if you register yourself as the second guest and tell them you have Plat status, I´d assume the hotel would provide benefits like late check-out if possible.

Have requested early check-in for Pacific Rim(noon) .Will report back on my success or lack of success.

Last October at the Pac Rim I had an early ckin of 10am and no problems. Love the Pac Rim and get wait to get back in the fall. They have a nice raw bar in the lobby.

Was at Fairmont San Francisco and got a late check out at 5 pm.
They also gave me a much nicer room with a view, that was probably my Platinum amenity. Overall a very nice stay in this historical hotel.

Kea Lani has been traditionally very good with their late check out policies.. They are making efforts to make the elite members happy which is good to see..

Well YMMV here as we attempted to check-in today at the Kea Lani at 2pm and were told that "guaranteed check-in wasn't until 4pm and that they didn't even have access to the suite yet".

They did indicate they has hospitality rooms available - but "those were all full at the moment".

Bottom line is that it took until 4pm until we could access the room. Not the best start, but the service after that has been wonderful.

More to come...

Just got back from the Chateau Frontenac. I had requested early check in but nothing was available until after 4 pm, as the hotel was full. Staff gave us a coupon for a free drink or dessert while we were waiting, which was an appreciated gesture. We were able to obtain a 6 pm check out, which worked out well as we had a late flight.

Well YMMV here as we attempted to check-in today at the Kea Lani at 2pm and were told that "guaranteed check-in wasn't until 4pm and that they didn't even have access to the suite yet".

They did indicate they has hospitality rooms available - but "those were all full at the moment".

Bottom line is that it took until 4pm until we could access the room. Not the best start, but the service after that has been wonderful.

More to come...

Sometimes when the hotel if full at Kea Lani.. it is next near impossible to get any early check in accomodated..

Never had a late checkout denied at the Kea Lani.. makes for nice memories imo more important to get the late checkout..

Just got back from the Chateau Frontenac. I had requested early check in but nothing was available until after 4 pm, as the hotel was full. Staff gave us a coupon for a free drink or dessert while we were waiting, which was an appreciated gesture. We were able to obtain a 6 pm check out, which worked out well as we had a late flight.


I'm glad to hear that the hotel tried to make you happy by providing a free drink and dessert..

...I'm glad to hear that the hotel tried to make you happy by providing a free drink and dessert..

Yes, it was unexpected but appreciated. Small tokens like this go a long way towards developing customer loyalty, especially to a FPC newbie like myself. Kudos to the Fairmont Staff for their excellent customer service.

Last October at the Pac Rim I had an early ckin of 10am and no problems. Love the Pac Rim and get wait to get back in the fall. They have a nice raw bar in the lobby.

Had requested a noon check-in and the hotel delivered exactly as promised^

Requested a late check out and was offered 4pm.

We left the room at 4:30 and all was well on checkout.
---Side Note---
I do know house keeping generally leaves at 7pm, so unless they don't need the room at all, they would need to clean the room before that time. A typical room takes 15 min to make up, unless it is a vegas party room. :)

Requested a late check out and was offered 4pm.

We left the room at 4:30 and all was well on checkout.
---Side Note---
I do know house keeping generally leaves at 7pm, so unless they don't need the room at all, they would need to clean the room before that time. A typical room takes 15 min to make up, unless it is a vegas party room. :)

Depending on the hotel, they should have a skeleton crew after hours doing some work as well..

Generally, I don't have trouble getting a late check-out.. the question is how late.. but by 5 pm we're ready to go for supper, so we pretty much need to be out of the room by then..

Currently staying at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, and have platinum benefits. We booked two rooms through the platinum reservation line, and at time of booking we were given a 10 am check-in time and 6 pm late check out. Arrived around noon; rooms weren't ready. FPC desk offered to hold our luggage until they were ready, so we headed out to Robson for some lunch and shopping. Rooms were ready at 1:45 pm.

FPC desk did give us a discount coupon for hotel dining to make up for the inconvenience (15% off excluding in-room dining) and said that we could use it for the special Nutcracker afternoon tea we had reserved for later in the day. However, staff at the tea refused to apply the 15% dining discount, saying that it couldn't be used in conjunction with the 25% discount we received for booking the tea prior to Nov. 30th (advertised online). So rooms were about 3.5 hours late for us, and sadly we weren't able to apply the discount offered - unless we do more hotel dining, which we haven't planned as we already have breakfast included.

Hopefully the desired late check out will go as planned!

Currently staying at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, and have platinum benefits. We booked two rooms through the platinum reservation line, and at time of booking we were given a 10 am check-in time and 6 pm late check out. Arrived around noon; rooms weren't ready. FPC desk offered to hold our luggage until they were ready, so we headed out to Robson for some lunch and shopping. Rooms were ready at 1:45 pm.

FPC desk did give us a discount coupon for hotel dining to make up for the inconvenience (15% off excluding in-room dining) and said that we could use it for the special Nutcracker afternoon tea we had reserved for later in the day. However, staff at the tea refused to apply the 15% dining discount, saying that it couldn't be used in conjunction with the 25% discount we received for booking the tea prior to Nov. 30th (advertised online). So rooms were about 3.5 hours late for us, and sadly we weren't able to apply the discount offered - unless we do more hotel dining, which we haven't planned as we already have breakfast included.

Hopefully the desired late check out will go as planned!

Sorry to hear about that. In case it´s comforting. Fairmont regularly screws up my early check-in requests, especially when it would be useful, and I´ve rarely received an apology. IME the Plat res. agents also stress the point that it´s only a request and any request is not confirmed, but rather it´s up to the individual hotel.

My advice would be to try to have the discount applied at check-out, telling them the restaurant staff were unable to apply the discount. Don´t know whether your discount code had any restrictions attached, but definitely worth a short IMO.

Sorry to hear about that. In case it´s comforting. Fairmont regularly screws up my early check-in requests, especially when it would be useful, and I´ve rarely received an apology. IME the Plat res. agents also stress the point that it´s only a request and any request is not confirmed, but rather it´s up to the individual hotel.

My advice would be to try to have the discount applied at check-out, telling them the restaurant staff were unable to apply the discount. Don´t know whether your discount code had any restrictions attached, but definitely worth a short IMO.

Thanks, Jasper 2009. Will definitely see what happens on check out; as you say, it's worth a try.

Currently staying at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, and have platinum benefits. We booked two rooms through the platinum reservation line, and at time of booking we were given a 10 am check-in time and 6 pm late check out. Arrived around noon; rooms weren't ready. FPC desk offered to hold our luggage until they were ready, so we headed out to Robson for some lunch and shopping. Rooms were ready at 1:45 pm.

FPC desk did give us a discount coupon for hotel dining to make up for the inconvenience (15% off excluding in-room dining) and said that we could use it for the special Nutcracker afternoon tea we had reserved for later in the day. However, staff at the tea refused to apply the 15% dining discount, saying that it couldn't be used in conjunction with the 25% discount we received for booking the tea prior to Nov. 30th (advertised online). So rooms were about 3.5 hours late for us, and sadly we weren't able to apply the discount offered - unless we do more hotel dining, which we haven't planned as we already have breakfast included.

Hopefully the desired late check out will go as planned!

I would speak to a manager at the hotel and explain the situation and see what they can do for you on checkout..

This discount coupon, was it posted to your file electronically?..

Currently staying at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, and have platinum benefits. We booked two rooms through the platinum reservation line, and at time of booking we were given a 10 am check-in time and 6 pm late check out. Arrived around noon; rooms weren't ready. FPC desk offered to hold our luggage until they were ready, so we headed out to Robson for some lunch and shopping. Rooms were ready at 1:45 pm.

FPC desk did give us a discount coupon for hotel dining to make up for the inconvenience (15% off excluding in-room dining) and said that we could use it for the special Nutcracker afternoon tea we had reserved for later in the day. However, staff at the tea refused to apply the 15% dining discount, saying that it couldn't be used in conjunction with the 25% discount we received for booking the tea prior to Nov. 30th (advertised online). So rooms were about 3.5 hours late for us, and sadly we weren't able to apply the discount offered - unless we do more hotel dining, which we haven't planned as we already have breakfast included.

Hopefully the desired late check out will go as planned!

I would speak to a manager at the hotel and explain the situation and see what they can do for you on checkout..

This discount coupon, was it posted to your file electronically?..

No - don't think so. The one for early booking the tea wasn't applied to the original bill and we had to remind them of it, so it doesn't look like that one was; and the other general dining discount was just a business size card we were given by FPC staff at check in. When we had breakfast this morning and added something on to our continental breakfast, they charged us for it.

No - don't think so. The one for early booking the tea wasn't applied to the original bill and we had to remind them of it, so it doesn't look like that one was; and the other general dining discount was just a business size card we were given by FPC staff at check in. When we had breakfast this morning and added something on to our continental breakfast, they charged us for it.

Ok.. It sounded like you dealt with FPC platinum concierge for the 15% off dining cert, but really you received this from the FPC representatives onsite at the hotel..

Normal course to have extra items ordered charged that is not part of the continental.. This has happened to me numerous times at various Fairmonts..

If the hotel says that you can apply your general dining cert discount on afternoon tea, and you've already booked the tea.. then I would bring this issue out at checkout.. Its pretty cut and dry the hotel should be offering you the additional 15% discount for the inconvenience of not receiving your rooms early guaranteed.. and the coupon was given to you and communicated to you that the discount applies to the tea that you've already booked (unless on the discount card, it explicitly states not to be combined with any other offers), but even then you would have a strong argument for the hotel to honor the discount.

An update since we left the hotel. As I noted in my original post, to take advantage of our plat benefit of early check in and late check out, reservation staff had said we could have 10 am check in, which ended up being 1:45 pm; and a late check out of 6 pm. We had two rooms and they gave us a 5 pm check out in one room and 6 pm in the other, which worked out fine for us. As for the discounts on the special Nutcracker tea (early booking discount of 25% plus 15% food and beverage discount given to us by the President Club check in staff to make up for the inconvenience of the late check in), everything was happily resolved on check out. Excellent front desk manager applied both discounts for us :)

Some recent experiences of mine, both good ones:
-I had a F&F reservation at the Chateau Whistler last weekend. About a week prior to my stay I received the standard welcome email from the hotel's FPC desk and I replied advising I'd be arriving at 8am on the Friday morning and requested early check-in if possible. They replied saying they couldn't guarantee it but would try their best, and sure enough when I arrived my room was ready and waiting. On Saturday evening I stopped by the front desk and asked if I could get a 4pm checkout on Sunday so that I could shower after skiing before the drive back to Vancouver, and this was no problem either.

-I also asked for a received a 3pm late check-out at the Waterfront in Vancouver later in the week.

An update since we left the hotel. As I noted in my original post, to take advantage of our plat benefit of early check in and late check out, reservation staff had said we could have 10 am check in, which ended up being 1:45 pm; and a late check out of 6 pm. We had two rooms and they gave us a 5 pm check out in one room and 6 pm in the other, which worked out fine for us. As for the discounts on the special Nutcracker tea (early booking discount of 25% plus 15% food and beverage discount given to us by the President Club check in staff to make up for the inconvenience of the late check in), everything was happily resolved on check out. Excellent front desk manager applied both discounts for us :)

Excellent that this worked out.. Fairmont has always been consistent if they say they are going to do something, they will.. there may be confusion, but eventually its worked out..

Hi,

i was at Frontenac last week, and i was told the late checkout was 5pm. (i asked until 3 only) but 5 was not an issue at all.

I forget to ask about the early check in.

Hi,

i was at Frontenac last week, and i was told the late checkout was 5pm. (i asked until 3 only) but 5 was not an issue at all.

I forget to ask about the early check in.

That sounds consistent with what we were told at the Hotel Vancouver, that 5pm is their standard late check out time.

On the topic of this thread.. I cut a 2 night stay back to a 1 night stay last weekend at the Mac..

When calling down to the front desk, the clerk said it was too late to checkout as it was after 12 noon, but because we were plat and had guaranteed late checkout, we were able to checkout after one night..

We would have stayed if we would have received guaranteed reservations for Sunday's Empire Brunch.. We would have driven back from out of town from the family's Christmas party.. but didn't work out..

I once got refused "Guaranteed" late checkout at YVR. They didn't even offer to extend for 30 minutes and I talked with 3 staff members. I called plat concierge and they did a great job sorting it out bc I think I ended up staying in the room till 5pm