Additional fee for checking in early?
Just out of cuiosity, I wanted to ask the following:
I'll be arriving at the Westin at about 5-6am on Weds. morning. Check in time is usually not until around 3pm from what I've heard and read. If I asked the hotel if it were possible to check in earlier, Then would there be any addition hotel fee to check in earlier and get my room earlier?
Has anyone ever checked in much, much earlier than the 3pm check in time? Was there ever an additional hotel fee for doing so?
early check-in is based on availability. If the cleaning staff has had time to get the room ready, you can check in. If not, you can't. It's simple as that. There's no fee.
Need advice.
As I mentioned earlier, I'm arriving at the Westin about 5-6am Weds. morning. Unfortuneately, I'm taking the Amtrak train to Pittsburgh. Trains can, and sometimes usually do, run late. A good example of this happening was when I went to AC2008 and I didn't get to Pittsburgh till about 1-2pm in the afternoon when I was originally supposed to get in at about 5am Thurs. morning. Luckily at that time, I was sharing a room with someone.
Even if I ask the hotel for a early check in time, Can they hold a room even if I'm hours late coming by train?
I just checked my reservation confirmation and found the following on it that will answer your question.
For reservations guaranteed with a form of payment at time of booking, rooms are held until hotel check-out time the day following arrival.
Since any Anthrocon reservation requires a deposit the room will be held until checkout time the following day. So if you ask for early check-in but do not make it until later you do not have to worry loosing your room unless you do not arrive by check out time the following day.
Do you have a cel phone? Nothing says you can't call the hotel and say, "Hey, I'm running late."
Yep. Got a cell phone.
This is not official anything, but I have a few rules of thumb concerning early check-in.
A) Early check-im is based on the availability of a room before the official check-in time. So, I consider it effectively impossible to find a room before the check-out time for the previous day. (If people are checking out at 11am, the room will not be empty and cleaned at 10am if I arrive. Unless the hotel had empty rooms the night before. Don't count on that for the Westin at AC, ever.) So, I don't ever consider early check-in until at least 30 minutes after checkout time, preferably more than an hour after.
B) So long as you don't need to get into the room, you should be all right. Go to the hotel front desk, show your reservation, and ask them to HOLD YOUR LUGGAGE until you check in later that day. (So long as they know you're set to check in that same day, virtually all hotels will happily provide that service. Just remember to tip the guy a buck a bag.)
C) Now you're in town and just holding a small bag for your day's activities. Go freshen up in a rest room, then get a leisurely meal, then saunter over to Con Ops and find out what's to do-they could always use another volunteer. Soon it will be check-in time, so you return to the front desk, check in, unpack a little, shower, nap, then find some dinner.
Alternately, you can just plan to arrive at check-in time or later, which I prefer. And yes, I usually have them note the rough time I'm expecting to arrive. (I add an hour to any estimate just in case.)
What blackjack said.
My advice? Get as much sleep as you can on the train; with a little artful arrangement, i can usually cram myself into two seats lying down (assuming i can find two empties together, which i usually can) and get a fair amount of sleep, with periodic rearrangements. Set the alarm on your phone to go off a half hour or so before your stop is expected, so you can stick your snout up and see where you are.
Then when you get in, go to the front desk and say, "Hi. I'm expecting to stay with you this evening, but i know it's way too early to expect you've got a room ready for me. Could i maybe tuck my bags into your storage closet while i go eat some breakfast and take care of a few things?" I'll bet you anything they say yes.
Then you can go eat, volunteer a little, or just greet folks as they arrive. Check in later and take a nap if you need it. Just be ready with a few singles for the bellhop who takes care of your bags for you.
My first year at AC I stayed at the Courtyard. We got an early check-in and did not have to pay an extra fee. Don't know if it will be the same for the Westin. Best thing would be to call and ask.