I used to work for the HQ of a smaller hotel chain back in the day and the policy we had in place for all the hotels was that early check-in was not a guaranteed service you could book but it was granted for free if check-in occurred after 7 am and rooms were available. If the hotels were obviously going to be empty it was pretty much promised though this was not official policy.

I don't think in this instance the hotel is really providing a *great* service though. They wouldn't offer it to you at a 50% rate if they saw much of a chance to sell it at 100% for the night before. In other words, at other places you'd probably get early check-in for free in the same scenario - but of course you wouldn't be *certain* to have it.

Let this be a lesson to you. If something that is not specified to be included is important to you, don't assume a hotel as the same policy you read in a book, and call or email before yoi make the reservation.

Thanks Dad.

I'm scheduled to arrive at a hotel next week at 4:00 AM. I have a guaranteed room at that time. Paid for an extra day.

Just as you should have. What is your point?

Simply pointing out the easy solution to the OP.

I arrived to check-in at a hotel at 1 am one foggy night and all was well and good as I was checking in some 9 hours or so after my confirmed check-in time. A few minutes later I saw someone try to check in more than 13 hours before the official check-in time. Maybe it's because of where and when I stay, but I've never seen that before or since that one time.

I'm frequently granted early check-in at 8 am to 4 pm, but have never been asked to pay (nor paid) additional money for early check-in. If I want an early check-in well before noon time, then I book the night before. That, or I just take it as it goes or doesn't go. [As long as the hotel can store my luggage until I get checked-in, no general problem for me.]

If at 8 am or thereafter a hotel were to try to charge me for early check-in, I probably would consider that a possible reason to reduce/eliminate doing business with that hotel in the future. If this was for check-in at night during the early a.m. pre-breakfast hours, then I would welcome an offer of a less-than-full-night rate for an early check-in.

If the hotel tried to charge me an early check-in fee for trying to check-in 1 minute to 240 minutes before contracted check-in time, then the hotel will likely have lost some goodwill.

Of course, it seems nobody had stayed in a hotel where it charges to store your bags prior check in or after check out time...

It doesn't seem that way to me. The Grand Hyatt NYC has had me there.

I would definitely pay the extra charge for early check-in after a long TATL. No problem.

I stayed at one hotel in Japan where they wouldn't check us in when we arrived about 15 minutes before the stated check-in time. I was with a group and we were packed into the tiny lobby, with the front desk staff standing idle, staring at us. At exactly 3pm they started checking everyone in.

My experience with Pan Pacific (only Singapore, though) - back at the time when SQ346 was the only direct flight there from ZRH - was that upon reaching the hotel around 7am, they never could immediately give me a room, but noted down my phone number and promised to call me back once my room was ready. Which happened to be between 9 and 10am. So depending on how tired & hungry I was I either went out for a breakfast in one of the Hawkers, strolled around, or used the pool (which they allowed me) incl. the possibility to take a shower. Obviously I could leave my luggage with them, too.

I think those notifications are mostly so that some travellers will indeed book an extra night in advance, or just pay up when they indeed just want to sleep. If you don't mind waiting for a bit, you should be fine. Of course, if you're unlucky, and that very hotel has a bean counter in charge, it might be more difficult.

Seriously? If you just wanted people to tell you you are right, you shouldn't have posted this at all. Your initial post was a question, and you are defensive that people aren't giving the answer you want.

Indeed.^

Happened couple of times to me incl. in the US. One was even a Starwood Luxury Collection hotel and I'm a SPG Platinum. Tried to check-in 1 hours early with no go despite room being available.