This day hotel hack could save you hours and hours of waiting
Updated . First published
There's nothing worse. You arrive overseas on the first day of your holiday early in the morning and you've got a seven or eight hour wait to check into your hotel.
You're exhausted, you've got luggage, maybe kids, can't shower, can't change your clothes and can't lie down or sleep.
Admittedly, most hotels will store your luggage for you (not the kids, though) but you've still got to fill in time till 2 or 3pm. That means wandering around a shopping centre, sitting in a park or camping at a McDonald's but everyone's tired and restless.
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There is nothing worse than having to wait for your hotel room after a long flight. Getty
One solution is to book an extra night at the hotel so you can check straight into your room when you arrive but that can be an expensive option and seems a waste in some ways because you've paid for a full night but only used a few hours.
The answer is a day hotel. A hotel room you rent by the hour.
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Now, before you think this sounds like something only offered by sleazy establishments, it's not.
There are hotels set up across the world for this very purpose and many regular hotels that offer the service for extra income - although don't widely advertise it. Savings can be up to 60 per cent off the regular room rate.
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An example booking for a property in LA. Supplied
Recently, I was on a three-day stopover in Singapore and was booked into a $400 a night hotel. I landed around 7am so was exactly in the situation I've described.
I didn't want to pay for an extra night at that price so I used an excellent website called dayuse.com and booked a clean, comfortable room with private bathroom and wi-fi from 8am-2pm for $128.
It was centrally located on Beach Rd. I had a shower and a sleep, walked across the road for something to eat and then it was just a short cab ride at 2pm to my booked hotel.
You can also avoid long waits at the airport before a late-night flight. Supplied/John Walsh
Six hours seems to be the standard offering but you can find them for as little as four hours. The filter on the website will allow you to nominate the length of your stay.
The hotel you've booked for your holiday may also offer this service so it's worth checking with them at the time of your booking then you won't need to change hotels at all.
It's also a useful option at the end of your holiday if your flight back to Australia is later at night – as it often is from Bali and Los Angeles where your flight may be around midnight.
If you have a 10am or 11am check-out you have a VERY long day to fill in. Getty Images/iStockphoto
So, if you have a 10am or 11am check-out you have a VERY long day to fill in.
By booking a day hotel for later in the afternoon you can still go the beach or on a last-minute shopping spree.
Then freshen up at the hotel, put the kids down for a nap so they aren't too wired for the long trip home and arrive at the airport relaxed not rattled!
John Walsh was Executive Producer of the TV travel series Getaway from 1999-2024. You can follow John on Instagram @thegetawayexpert.
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