My experience with late check out is definitely better.
On average for every 10 times I ask for the latest they can give me:
- 1x 1pm
- 2x 2pm
- 1x 3pm
- 2x 4pm
- 2x 5pm
- 2x 6pm

Sometimes they are indeed only willing to give 1 or 2pm and need to ask again on day of departure if I need more.
Then I ask them to take note of my request so they keep my room empty on priority when they assign rooms. The day of departure I usually get what I asked initially.

I NEVER encountered the situation where they ask me to pay. I would not accept that, if I can pay for it then it's available and I want it for free. If I ever find myself in this situation, I would definitely "summon" 😄 the manager and ask him why he refuses to follow Accor's rules. If he says it's their policy, I would fill a formal complaint with Accor and ask for some points as I was denied benefits.

Please note I am Diamond, but my experience as Platinum for years wasn't so different. Also, most of my stays are in Asia, where status benefits are usually more generous. That could explain why my overall experience is better than most people here.

On my side, I always try to communicate my estimated arrival time to the hotel for check in, so they can manage to give a late checkout to more people and it also helps with their operations.