What to do when your flight lands at 6am but you can't check in until 2pm
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Sometimes, no matter how well you plan your trip, you find yourself arriving in a new city at 7am with hours to kill before your hotel room is ready.
In some cases you can store your luggage in a locker somewhere and explore the city, or hole up at a café to kill time.
READ MORE: Simple trick to getting an early check-in at a hotel
After a long overnight flight, the last thing you want is to do more waiting. Getty
Some savvy travellers on Reddit have shared their own tips for how to make the most of the 'dead time' between arrival and when your hotel room is ready.
One user says they always book a room at a hotel that has a spa on site, and schedules a massage for the morning they arrive.
Many hotels have spa areas where you can chill and relax after your treatment.
"I call ahead and make sure I can utilize all the spa facilities until my room is ready. Not a bad thing to hang in a spa after being on an all night flight," they wrote on Reddit.
They added that being on-site means that if their room is ready early, there's a good chance the front desk will let them know.
READ MORE: This economy seat feels like getting an upgrade
Your hotel may have a pool or spa area where you can kill time. Getty Images/iStockphoto
While a massage or facial sounds dreamy, perhaps that's not in your budget.
Another traveller said it's worth asking your hotel if you can get access to the pool, gym, and shower facilities upon arrival.
"You can drop luggage off at the concierge, then go to the shower to refresh yourself before going on with the rest of your day," they advised.
Or maybe they'll let you hang out by the pool - just think of the money you'd save if you're not killing time in a random café, having to order something every few hours.
Day use rooms are also useful when you have a late night flight. Getty
Some hotels actually have specific facilities for this exact reason.
DayUse, available in many major cities, lets you book a hotel room during the day for up to 75 per cent off the nightly rate.
We've also visited hotels in both London and Hawaii which offered specific rooms for early-arriving guests to freshen up and have a reset before starting their day.
Day-use rooms are also useful when you have a late night flight, but need to check out of your accommodation at 11am.
If you're going to arrive late - or the next morning - let your hotel know ahead of time. Getty
The one thing to note is that you shouldn't book a hotel room for the night before you arrive, assuming you can get there at 6am and check in.
If you don't show up on the day you've booked to check in, the hotel could count you as a 'no-show' and sell your room to somebody else.
This exact situation happened to Travel writer Sarah, who arrived at her hotel in Arizona close to midnight after a delayed flight and over 24 hours of travel.
So if you're going to arrive late, no matter the reason, let the hotel know ahead of time.
Drop us an email with all your wisdom to travel@nine.com.au, and your tip could be featured in an upcoming story on nine.com.au.
