Early Check-In Requested - Hotel charging me Extra

zagfles

Fruit_and_Nut_Case wrote: »

Do they have a cheaper room available for your first part-day? That sounds quite pricey; I make that about £325.

:eek::eek: Have prices gone up in Thailand? Last time I was there you could get decent a/c rooms for less than a tenth of that price!

Doshwaster

MasterPoo wrote: »

Yep, I think you are all right, I will do that. :beer:

Still disappointed though, who knows, I will arrive and they might decide to cave and give it to me early, wait and see I guess.

It can't hurt to ask when you get there as they may have a room available (unless you have booked a specific suite) that they will let you use for free. If you are polite then a smile goes a very long way in Thailand. Getting stroppy and demanding a room will get you nowhere.

Otherwise, it's not worth paying that much just for a room for a few hours so I'd dump the bags and hit the town. Maybe go for a massage (without the "happy ending") to help you recover from the flight.

littlereddevil

zagfles wrote: »

:eek::eek: Have prices gone up in Thailand? Last time I was there you could get decent a/c rooms for less than a tenth of that price!

Doesn't seem right to me either!
I just came back where I had a 5 star club room for a third of that

k3lvc

MasterPoo wrote: »

Yep, I think you are all right, I will do that. :beer:

Still disappointed though, who knows, I will arrive and they might decide to cave and give it to me early, wait and see I guess.

Setting up camp in reception is always an option - who knows how quickly a room might become available to a snorer on the sofa :rotfl:

littlereddevil

Is this still the Shangri La you are going to?

MasterPoo

littlereddevil wrote: »

Is this still the Shangri La you are going to?

Yes it's the Shangri La.

k3lvc that's always an option.:rotfl:

peachyprice

MasterPoo wrote: »

They offer very late checkout at no extra charge because I'm a priority member, but don't offer early checkin, why do hotels do this?:mad:

Because they can't use that room the night before, it's quite simple. If you want an early morning check in you pay for the night before.

SW17

MasterPoo wrote: »

Still disappointed though, who knows, I will arrive and they might decide to cave and give it to me early, wait and see I guess.

If a room is ready earlier than 14:00 they will give it to you, just depends how full they were the previous night in that room category (and how specific your reservation is about the room reserved). You only pay to have it guaranteed.

Send them a brief note 24-48 hrs before arrival with your booking ref, saying "please note early arrival at 09:30". It sometimes helps, though reservations and room assignment are often on different systems in large hotels. Can't hurt though.

System

But wanting the room at 09:35 means that it can not be used at all the previous night. If the time that the room is required is before the latest time for checkout then they there is absolutely no way that the can rent that room to another guest, therefore the OP will need to book the room for the previous night as well to ensure that it will be available

Doshwaster

MasterPoo wrote: »

Flight arrives in Bangkok at 07h35, so lets add 1h30/2h00 to clear immigration, get luggage, drive through traffic etc. I think I will be at the hotel 09h35?

Have you got the airport transfer sorted out? I certainly hope you don't try to drive through Bangkok traffic yourself! If the hotel has arranged your transfer then then are more likely to try to make a room available as they will know you are coming. There's no guarantee though.

Any of the top end hotels in Bangkok will be happy to do a limo pickup from the airport to save you the hassle of dealing with a taxi driver. As soon as you say "Shangri La" you ma find that the price doubles.

If you are arriving on Business Class you'll be able to use the fast track immigration (you'll be given "VIP ticket" on board the plane) which is usually fairly quick but luggage is always unpredictable.