Late Hotel, Late Hotels, And Late Arrivals?

The term Late Arrival refers to a situation where a hotel guest arrives late at the hotel and a hotel room is generally available for the guest, but is not guaranteed to be available.  This situation differs from the “Guaranteed Late Arrival” in which a hotel and a guest (or hotel booking agent or website) makes a reservation that actually holds the room exclusively for the guest that is going to arrive late to the hotel.  If the guest does not arrive at all the guaranteed reservation remains a firm rental contract and the guest’s credit card that was used to hold the reservation will be charged, either way, show or now show. A guaranteed late arrival is also referred to as a guaranteed hotel reservation or guaranteed late reservation.

When You Just Need a Late Room Booking

So it’s possible to book a late hotel or a late room without using a credit card to hold the room.  Travelers that make last minute travel changes and need a different hotel room for the night or longer are ideal candidates for a Late Hotel, or a Late Room.  However, this does not guarantee that the room will be available through the entire night into the next morning.  If the traveler needs a guaranteed late room in the hotel it is necessary to commit to purchasing the room and securing it with a credit card.

Guidelines for Booking Late Hotel

Here are some general guidelines for booking late hotel. If you are travelling and your current hotel is not meeting your needs and you have time to check out by mid-day and relocate to another hotel, you’ll often profit by getting a late room deal in a nearby hotel that has availability.  Check with the concierge or the front desk for recommendations.  They won’t want to lose your business but more than that they will generally want you to have a pleasant travel experience.  If their hotel is not meeting your needs they’ll usually either rectify the situation for you, or recommend a hotel in the area that can meet your needs. Sometimes they will even call the other hotel as a courtesy and assist you to book a room.  When you prefer not to seek a recommendation from the hotel that you’re staying in due to unsatisfactory conditions or experience, try a search for hotels on a site like LateRooms.com or Late-hotel.com, both high quality hotel booking sites with plenty of late room availability.

When You Need a Guarateed Late Arrival Booking

If contrary to the example above, you are travelling to a distant city by plane, including layovers and plane changes, you’ll fall into the category or higher risk for arrival on time.  The best way to mitigate this risk is to make a guaranteed late room reservation with a credit card.  If your arrival is delayed into the late hours or early morning hours, the hotel room is still yours and the hotel has passed up opportunities to rent the room to other guests that either walk-in or call-in looking for late hotel availability. You’ll pay for the room whether or not you arrive and use it, but if it’s just a matter of securing the room for an uncertain arrival time, a guaranteed late arrival is a top consideration to avoid disappointment and the unpleasant experience of trying to find a hotel at hours when it’s more difficult to travel in an unfamiliar city.