WTF Early Checkin?

[WishfulSpirit]

Ok so it's summer, tourist season (why can't we shoot them? Nothing lethal, just a super-soaker or nerf gun). Anyway...this apparently means all travelers have lost their ability to tell time. I've had people show up wanting to check in at 10am (checkout isn't until 11am, and even then, Mary Poppins quit last week so we can't make the rooms magically clean themselves).

They march up and announce "checking in" like they're not doing anything wrong. Then they whine about how long they've been driving, what time they got up, they have kids with them (none of which is my fault) and can't I tell housekeeping that they're waiting (no I won't, they don't have enough time to do their jobs as it is, I'm not rushing them for some entitled #*^#$%).

We store luggage for guests. There's lobby wifi available, they can use the pool and gym. Or they're in DENVER FFS, one of the best tourist towns in the entire Rocky Mountain Region. If it's too hot out to go to the zoo, botanic gardens, or amusement park, there's the Colorado Children's Museum, the Nature and Science Museum, the Denver Art Museum, about a bazillion restaurants, and plenty of parks, including one less than a block away. Go find something to do and stop sitting in my lobby sighing and tapping your feet. Just for that I'm NOT telling you when the first room is ready. Enjoy your stay next to the elevator.

[April]

I really want to know if I've ever stayed at your hotel haha. Denver is our brand of "staycation". We drive a couple of hours, get a hotel and then go to Elitches or water World, or the museum or......

[WishfulSpirit]

Awww. The odds are actually pretty low you've been to my exact location given how many hotels are in Denver, but if you were right off Colorado Blvd near a certain higher-end neighborhood named after a stone fruit and a small, flowing body of water, you may have stayed with us. Was there a Whole Paycheck and a Bent Staple nearby?

I'm sure you weren't one of the people driving me nuts though.

[Mr Hero]

Luckily I don't see this as often. Mainly because I work night shifts and the latest I'm there is 6 or 6:30. And I'm not afraid to tell people that I cannot guarantee an early checkin. Especially with how busy we've been in Denver.

[WishfulSpirit]

Saying "can't gaurentee early checkin" has no effect on some people. One "lady" and I use the term loosely) showed up wanting a room on X floor, had to be near the stairs, had to be facing the X side of the hotel. We didn't have one ready at 3 FREAKING HOURS before checkin. She came up to the desk every 10 minutes to "check" and whine about how it wasn't ready yet.

[April]

Awww. The odds are actually pretty low you've been to my exact location given how many hotels are in Denver, but if you were right off Colorado Blvd near a certain higher-end neighborhood named after a stone fruit and a small, flowing body of water, you may have stayed with us. Was there a Whole Paycheck and a Bent Staple nearby?

I'm sure you weren't one of the people driving me nuts though.

I'm trying to remember the last time DH and I were up there. I know we went to the mall, but I think we stayed in a hotel in Firestone because I think his company paid for it haha. I always wonder when I read people who work in Hotels if I've met them before.

We tend to be fairly quiet guests, I think. At least I hope so. the amount of time I spent in customer service means I try to be low key in all interactions, even if I'm upset for some reason

[WishfulSpirit]

Got the old, tired "I'm a Yellow Metal Member, why isn't my room ready, I've been here an hour, whine whine whine" today. Your status in the rewards program means NOTHING for checkin. Checkin is at 3pm. End.of.story. Go away. Bother someone else for a while.

[Sliceanddice]

this is one of the reasons my mom is at that point of her life where she says 'f-it' and doesn't leave until 9 am at the earliest. why leave early if check in isn't until 3 anyways

[Monterey Jack]

As long a a hotel could hold onto my luggage for me if I arrived too early for check-in, I would have no problem waiting, either in the lobby w/a good book, or else exploring the immediate area. Granted, I can understand a customer getting flustered if they have a bunch of fidgety kids in tow, but it's THEIR fault if they arrive HOURS too early. Learn to manage your time more efficiently.

[MoonCat]

When I used to go to cons, we usually had to take a Greyhound bus and then either a local bus, light-rail train, etc., to get the rest of the way to the hotel - and these hotels are rarely in a place that is on a direct busline. So we didn't have much control over when we got there. If it was too early for check-in, we'd ask if they had a place they could put our luggage, then we'd go in the attached restaurant, eat, and sit there de-stressing for a while. Or if it was only an hour or so until check-in time, then we'd hang out in the lobby. Never fussed about it. Not the hotel's fault we got there early.

[HotelMinion]

Ugh early check ins. As the night auditor, I get those horrifyingly frequent. Once I remember a Top tier girl in her twenties or late teens, come in at seven o clock in the morning and say, "Like, I'm a top tier member, I need to check in nowwww" and when told room wasn't available, she said, "But I'm like, a top tier Strongest Crystal Member!!!!! I want your manager!!!!"
Manager comes out, says the exact same thing that I said. Girls reaction: "Oh I didn't know."
Then I leave, cause it's time for me to go. See her in her car staring creepily at me in the lot. True story...

[Comechatcha]

That why if you know you want to check in early (if possible), you call that morning and ask nicely. As a front desker, maybe I'll note on their chart to do x room as soon as it checks out, or I'll arrange arrivals so nice person gets the first one of that type cleaned. As a conventioner, I generally get there early, but with the expectation of just checking my bags and maaaybe settling some of the paperwork if they can do that ahead of time. If the room's ready? Happy day. If not? Eh, I'm not in the area to flop around in a hotel room.

[Mr Hero]

Hurray! It's 4:15 in the morning, and I'm getting bitched at because these people made a reservation with the gnome, and even though I show the room as being reserved, I have nowhere to put them because no one has checked out.

[Amanita]

When I visit NYC I routinely arrive hours before check in- my flight is an early morning deal, arriving at JFK a little after 7 am local time. It's usually a little after 8 when I show up at the hotel. I go up to the front desk and hand over my credit card, and check my bags. After that, they tell me to come back around 2 or 3. I'm happy to spend the day sightseeing, armed with my camera. Hey, it's a whole day in NYC, that's a GOOD thing!

[WishfulSpirit]

I am quite seriously thinking of making an early check-in bingo card. Spaces with things like "I drove X number of hours, I have kids with me, but they told me I could get an early check in" exc. Yesterday I had someone call from the parking lot saying that since she couldn't get an early check in and she was going to cancel the reservation. The whole city is sold out. You have fun with that.

EDIT: I made the card yesterday.