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Guests arriving from overnight flights

Promoting the Hostel Movement

uktrail started this discussion 15 years 7 months ago

Mention in another thread of Globetrotter Hostel London, which advertised that it was convenient for Heathrow airport, reminded me of this question:

In many cities such as London, many guests arrive after overnight flights, and want to get in to their hostel straight away. Hostels surely realise this. Yet how many hostels cater for such visitors?

So often I see reviews that say a hostel wont let them check in until their standard time of (say) 1400h.

If a hostel boasts about how convenient it is for an airport, wouldn't it be nice, and furthermore a valuable selling point, if they could PROPERLY cater for guests arriving any time between 0700 and 1400h?

They don't need to be given their normal dorm bed. But there could be a room where they could have a rest, get a shower etc. It would not be a great effort for a large hostel with several common areas to allocate a room for this purpose, with a few couches or mattresses. There could be a modest charge eg £5 for such a facility. Many guests would thank them, and the word would get around!

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Rucksack Brian

15 years

We have a pretty flexible check-in and policy. If someone arrives earlier than the check out time (noon), then allowed to leave luggage, use any facilities (including shower, internet, luggage storage, even breakfast), then could choose to wait for the check out time or head to town and come back later any time. If someone took a night train and couldn't sleep, we find the first available bed for him/her and sort it out later without any charge. Sometimes even our sofa will do. Why should we torture people when we work in hospitality?
It might sound strange but we stick to our easygoing way to deal with it! ;)

You hit the nail on the head. Ususally all a guest wants after an overnight flight is a shower or a nap. At that point it's really easy to meet and exceed their expectations.

I am fundamentally against renting out my couches, despite the desperate pleas in peak season when I'm turning people away at the door. It's not fair to other guests who deserve to have the common spaces available as such. If I rent out the couch as a bed then my lounge becomes a bedroom, and all my guests feel cheated.

If a guest shows up early though, that's a whole different story. If there's not a bed available right away I have extra blankets and pillows and some really comfortable couches. Meet their exhaustion with a smile and get them off to sleep wherever you can.

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Fountainrunner

15 years

Fountainrunner: I appreciate your thoughts on the subject, but you've exaggerated the points I made and then said they are not very practical.

I didnt say 430am, I said 7am or later. Most overnight flights, to my knowledge, land at about 0600-0800, so the guest would arrive at the hostel typically 0700-1000.

I didn't imply "hours until their checkin in the morning". The point is that most hostels DONT ALLOW CHECKIN IN THE MORNING, but more often around 1400h.

uktrail, It was not my intention to "exaggerate" your points and nowhere did I say you said 4:30AM. It was merely an example on my part. I had no idea what times you were referring to as I don't know military time (forgive me) but since the subject was guests arriving from overnight flights I assumed it'd be early morning. Anyway, I was simply thinking out loud as to how I'd handle something like that. In either case, it still spoke to the topic at hand.

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uktrail

15 years

OK, no offence intended, let's say you expanded the problem and then said, quite reasonably, that there was no good solution in your situation. I was particularly noting a problem that occurs in London where most flights from North America, filled with hostel travellers including first-timers, tend to land in the early hours because that is the pattern that airlines have adopted. This particular problem (travellers from overseas arriving around 6am) is probably much less relevant in the US.

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KrazyBackoffice...

15 years

I believe you should be as flexible as possible. Of course let the guests use the facilities and as long as the room is free and the bed is available I see no reason not letting them to check in.

Usually when people are about to arrive late (like late night or towards the morning) they do bother to notify the hostel (at least most of them) and in this case we just do not run the night audit until the last expected guest arrives (of those who bothered letting us know). It is not a big deal in the hostels where the reception is there 24/7.

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MelB

15 years

Perhaps the thread about hammocks at the hostel might apply! If you arrive during off hours, camp out in a hammock until your bed is ready and/or you can check in. :)

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AndrewC

15 years

Make them as comfortable as possible, as soon as possible. End of story.

Ps That's a beautiful view Plakian.

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lasagna

13 years

I think I'm reliving a topic here...

But here is the most important question for me... When to consider it a whole night or just an early check in.

We are not a new hostel (2,5 years) and we obviously had situations like this before, but it just happened again last night. Guy arrives with no booking at 5h30am. We book him and give him a bed since we had a free bed. Night guy booked him for the same day. For the 4th of October. The date changes by mid night so it was already the 4th. Since he arrived at 5h30 I would have booked him for the 3rd instead.

So, if somebody arrives at 0030, is that consider the night of the 3rd? I think most of u would agree with me on this?

What about 0100, 0200, 0300, 0400, 0500, 0600? At what time it stops being the 3rd and starts being the 4th?

From a travelers point of view, for me, if I arrive at 5am and I'm granted with a bed and only have to pay for the night ahead, I would think I hit the jackpot, I would consider it a free night stay. Is it fair with the other guests that paid for that night as well? I wouldn't mind paying thou for that night if I had too...

We've always had the same attitude as AndrewC: "Make them as comfortable as possible, as soon as possible." but it just got me thinking now.

Once I arrived in Frankfurt and check in time was 4pm. I was astonished. And I took an overnight flight, but didn't show up at the hostel until I guess 10am. I would be happy to have an early check in even if I had to pay a little extra for that. Not a whole night thou.

So I think theres a lot of little things to consider there... What would be the right thing to do?

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Josh Hostels

13 years

But here is the most important question for me... When to consider it a whole night or just an early check in.

This thread is continued over here: http://www.hostelmanagement.com/forums/early-check-ins.html :)

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