Even so-called luxury hotels can have zero tact. Recent check-in at the Intercontinental San Juan, the check-in clerk handed me a nice welcome letter saying that base IHG members receive a 2PM checkout. I even said to him "great...thanks...that'll be very helpful for us." We definitely had a two-way conversation about the late checkout, and it was him who offered it to us.

At noon sharp on checkout day, I get the angry GTFO call. When I said "I have 2PM checkout", the clerk snaps "No you don't, it's not available, and you would have had to specifically request it if it were." I said "Well, I was offered it and I accepted it at check-in." Argument proceeds for another minute about whether I really "requested it" (which I thought I did by saying yes, thanks, that'll be helpful), I hang up, and we leave the hotel around 1:30 without speaking to anyone else. The housekeeper for the floor was working other rooms and didn't bother us at all.

I was half-expecting this to be some sort of scam to tack on extra charges, but nothing ever appeared. I saved the physical letter that the original FDC handed me stating that I had 2PM checkout, thinking I might need it to dispute a charge. Fortunately that didn't happen, but it definitely makes me think twice about ever returning to Intercontinental.