Originally Posted by
platbrownguy
If it's actually sold out the night before you'll likely have trouble. It's not a sure bet of available clean rooms, but check the availability online the night before to see what it looks like.
My advice differs from others' advice here... in my experience, I get a "no" most of the time when asking in advance... more precisely, I get a "call back the morning of." But almost every time I call the morning of, I've been able to check in early, including ~8x between 8 and 9 a.m. at Park Hyatt Washington DC, 1x at 5 a.m. at Hyatt Regency Dulles, and a few others.
Having stayed at the Confidante a few times, I would be very surprised if they confirmed a free 9 a.m. check in earlier than the morning of, but I would also be very surprised if they didn't let you check in at 9 a.m. when you arrived assuming a room is available. That is, I would not expect you to have Aventine's situation where they check you in but only if you pay extra.
Just to be clear I never said they would CONFIRM it in advance... they won't do that. I said if they are aware of the request (through Concierge AND reminder days before) then absent a sell out they are likely to grant the request when you arrive. Calling same day is yet another way to make sure they are aware of the request before you arrive...