Yeah, could be partly due to Covid; however, now Covid is mostly gone and I am still getting 9 and even 8 am check-ins at these brands. I don't have any "status" with any of these. One thing though - I always book the base room, never suites or any upgraded types. Maybe that's a factor, I dunno. Either I'm the luckiest hotel customer in the planet (which I doubt), or there's something else.

Good planning and knowing details about the stay in advance. In many cases, the guest does not need an early/late check-out. If my flight doesn't land until 5pm or I have an early return flight or have to travel far by car, none of this is relevant to me. Let's say 80% of the time I have no need for late check-out or we're talking about short periods of time. At the same time, I rarely arrive before 3 pm, especially on round trips. My rooms are often available to others for late or early check-out. And when I need a late check-out, I have often been unsuccessful or have been given a different room because of my hemp to larger suites.