Which Hotels Offer Late Checkout? Here’s What You Need to Know

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INSIDER SECRET: Marriott is one of the few hotel chains that guarantees late checkout for their premium elite status members (Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador elite status tiers). Many others offer late checkout subject to availability, regardless of your status.

We all know the feeling. You get to that beautiful hotel, check in, grab some dinner, enjoy the evening and fall asleep.  Before you know it, your alarm is ringing and it’s time to pack your bags, shower and head out the door in time for that 10am checkout that has been looming since you arrived. So much for sleeping in.

Luckily, hotels are coming around to the concept of late checkout, which provides a little more time to get ready in the morning, do some things in the city, and then return to your room in the afternoon to quickly shower and pack your bags before heading out.

Late checkout can really make a huge difference with your hotel experience, so which hotels offer late checkout?

Which Hotels Offer Late Checkout?

Late checkout used to be this favor you had to ask for when you arrived at the hotel. But now most major hotel chains have established ways to earn late checkout as a perk.

Here are the ways to get late checkout at most major hotel chains:

Marriott, which encompasses 31 different brands, allows late checkout for its elite status members. They even guarantee 4pm late checkout for any member who has Platinum elite status or higher. This is by far the most generous late- checkout policy across the major hotel chains.

Those with Silver elite status will be placed on the priority list for late checkout. This means that the hotel will try to accommodate late checkout. If only a limited number of late checkouts are available (when the hotel is near capacity), then the higher elite status members will be accommodated first.

• Silver: Priority list for late checkout (based on availability, no specific time)
• Gold: 2pm late checkout (based on availability)
• Platinum: 4pm late checkout (guaranteed)
• Titanium: 4pm late checkout (guaranteed)
• Ambassador: 4pm late checkout (guaranteed), or use Your24 (not guaranteed)
  

Marriott offers its highest elite status members another cool option, Your24. This unique perk allows members to request a 24-hour check-in/checkout time. So if you check in at 7pm, you can check out at 7pm too. These requests are not guaranteed, so be sure to request it early. Luckily, 4pm late checkout is guaranteed.

If you want an easy way to earn and maintain elite status tier you can look into one of Marriott’s credit cards, or select American Express travel cards. These cards offer different levels of automatic elite status just for keeping the card open.

• Silver Elite Status (priority list late checkout)
  • Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card
  • Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card
  • Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card
• Gold Elite Status (2pm late checkout based on availability)
  • Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card
  • The Platinum Card® from American Express
  • The Business Platinum® Card from American Express

Marriott has provided lots of options for getting late checkout at their hotel. I definitely appreciate that they now guarantee late checkout for their premium elite status members (Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador elite status tiers).

Hyatt also offers late checkout to elite status members, although they do not guarantee late checkout for anyone. It will always be based on availability at the hotel.

In addition, Hyatt allows anyone to request late checkout for a small fee (starting at $10), even if you don’t have elite status at their hotels.

• Everyone: Available upon request for a ~$10 additional fee
• Discoverist: 2pm late checkout (subject to availability)
• Explorist: 2pm late checkout (subject to availability)
• Globalist: 4pm late checkout (subject to availability)

You can also use The World Of Hyatt Credit Card to earn automatic Discoverist elite status with Hyatt hotels for as long as the card remains open. This will make 2pm late checkout available for no additional fee. It is also packed with other benefits like one free night at Hyatt every year upon your cardholder anniversary.

Hyatt has also taken a novel approach to requesting late checkout by making it easy to request through either their mobile app or their website. You can request late checkout when you make a new reservation on Hyatt.com less than seven days from your arrival date. Or if you have an existing reservation, you can add late checkout within seven days of arrival through the mobile app or website.

Hilton hotels generally offer late checkout when available. However, they have a very hands-off approach to this perk as a brand. Late checkout is available for free to all Hilton members (including the base “member” tier). Unfortunately, the exact time and availability of late checkout is left up to each individual hotel. So even Hilton’s highest elite status members do not have guaranteed late checkout.

However, the power of higher elite status or holding a Hilton credit card definitely gives you priority over other late checkout requests when negotiating with the front desk.

Here are some credit cards that earn you automatic Hilton elite status:

• Silver
  • Hilton Honors American Express Card
• Gold
  • Hilton Honors American Express Ascend Card
  • Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
  • The Platinum Card from American Express
  • The Business Platinum Card from American Express
• Diamond
  • Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express

Because of Hilton’s rather ambiguous late-checkout policy, you should contact the hotel before you arrive to request late checkout and see how the hotel handles requests.

Like other hotel chains, IHG offers late checkout to all elite status members, from Gold tier on up.

All the tier levels (other than base members) get late checkout at 2pm when it is available at the specific hotel location. Again, these are not guaranteed and are left up to the discretion of the individual hotel.

• Gold Elite: 2pm late checkout (subject to availability)
• Platinum Elite: 2pm late checkout (subject to availability)
• Spire Elite:  2pm late checkout (subject to availability)

One easy way to earn and maintain Platinum Elite status (which offers 2pm late checkout) is with the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card. As long as you keep this card open, you can enjoy the perks of Platinum Elite status. This card also offers a free night after each account anniversary year at eligible IHG hotels worldwide.

InterContinental Hotels are a little different. Although they are technically owned by IHG, they have their own loyalty program. If you are an InterContinental Ambassador member, you can enjoy guaranteed 4pm late checkout when staying at InterContinental hotels.

Ambassador membership is an elite status tier that you purchase, as opposed to earning it through hotel stays. The cost is $200 the first year, and $150 a year afterward. In addition to 4pm late checkout at InterContinental hotels, Ambassadors also get Platinum Elite status at IHG hotels, meaning they can get 2pm late checkout at IHG hotels (when available).

Wyndham Hotels

Wyndham hotels offer late checkout for Gold, Platinum and Diamond elite status members. The exact time and availability is subject to the individual hotel location.

These privileges do not carry over to stays at Caesars Entertainment properties.

There are two credit cards offered by Wyndham, which can fast-track you to Gold or Platinum elite status:

• Wyndham Rewards® Visa® Card (no annual fee): Automatic Gold status
• Wyndham Rewards® Visa® Card: Automatic Platinum status

These late-checkout benefits are available at any of Wyndham’s 20 hotel brands.

AMEX Fine Hotels and Resorts

Cardholders of select American Express travel credit cards are eligible to book hotels through a program called Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR). This program offers luxury hotel experience at curated premium hotels around the world.

When American Express cardholders book a hotel through Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts, they will receive these extra perks during their stay:

• Room upgrade upon arrival (when available)
• Daily breakfast for two
• Noon early check-in (when available)
• Guaranteed 4pm late checkout
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Unique property amenities, such as spa, food or beverage credits

The benefit of Amex FHR is that they guarantee the 4pm late checkout with no special elite status required. In some situations, such as premium boutique hotels, this is the only way to get guaranteed late checkout. Of course, other benefits like daily breakfast, and early check-in are awesome, as well.

Two cards that offer access to Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts are:

• The Platinum Card from American Express
• The Business Platinum Card from American Express

In addition, both of these cards offer Gold elite status to Hilton and Marriott. So these cards give you a wide variety of options for late checkout.

Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection

If you have a Visa Signature card you can book hotels through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection program. Similar to Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts, this program is reserved for people who have a Visa Signature or Visa Infinite card.

Booking a hotel through this program provides you with several VIP perks:

• Best-rate guarantee
• Automatic room upgrade upon arrival (based on availability)
• Complimentary in-room Wi-Fi
• Complimentary breakfast for two
• $25 food and beverage credit
• VIP guest status
• Late checkout upon request, when available.

Visa Signature Hotels doesn’t guarantee a late checkout or a time, but you are given “VIP Guest Status” during your stay, so it is reasonable to expect that the hotel staff will try to make the late checkout happen for you, if you request it.

If you are looking for a card that is eligible for this program, here are some of the Visa Signature and Visa Infinite cards that we recommend.

Visa Signature:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card
• The World Of Hyatt Credit Card
• British Airways Visa Signature® Card
• Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card
• Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card
• United Explorer Card
• United℠ Business Card

Visa Infinite:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card

Important Considerations

Please be considerate of the hotel when requesting late checkout. Only request late checkout when you need it and not “just because” you want to get the most of your elite status tier. Late checkout does sometimes inconvenience the hotel (especially in the case of 4pm or later checkout).

Most housekeeping staff goes home between 2pm to 4pm, which means that late-checkout rooms are generally left empty until the next morning, preventing the hotel from selling that room after you check out.

Hotel staff also must accommodate guests wanting to check in early and guests from the previous night wanting to check out late. This is a difficult process to orchestrate, so be considerate of the hotel staff.

Busy times like tourist season or convention season can sometimes make it difficult or impossible for the hotel to accommodate late checkout because they are running at near capacity.

Also, don’t forget that most hotels are more than happy to hold your bags for you after you checkout if you want to explore a city before your evening flight home. Hotels are usually happy to do this, regardless of your elite status with the hotel.

Bottom Line

Late checkout is a benefit at most hotels as a perk for elite status with the hotel. Higher elite status usually gets you later checkout.

Marriott has the most generous late-checkout policy among the major hotel chains. They offer guaranteed 4pm late checkout for Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador elite status tiers. Other tiers have late checkout available, but at an earlier 2pm departure time.

Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts is another good option for late checkout because they guarantee 4pm late checkout when booked through the Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts site, in addition to several other amazing benefits like breakfast, property credits and early check-in. Visa also offers a similar program called Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, which offers late checkout (although not guaranteed).

As always, be considerate to hotel staff when requesting late checkout. There are lots of moving parts in a hotel and late checkout can sometimes take some work on their part to honor your request. Being friendly and nice always goes a long way in making special requests like this happen. It is also best to request late checkout as early as possible, preferably at or before check-in.

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