Some hotels are beginning to allow their guests to sleep in on Sunday, according to USA Today. A growing number of hotels are ending the immoveable 11 a.m. checkout time on Sundays because they have fewer guests checking in to take the rooms for the following night.
Among the hotels participating in the new, relaxed practice, are the Westin Hotels & Resorts, which recently launched the "Make Monday Better" program, which allows guests a free check-out time of 3 p.m. on Sunday at all of their 193 properties.
La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, California, is offering guests a 5 p.m. checkout time throughout the summer. Guests can choose to stay in their room or take advantage of the extra time to use the 41 pools at the resort.
The new Hyatt Union Square New York lets guests stay for 24 hours from Thursday to Sunday.
"We feel it speaks to our type of weekend guests - young adult leisure travelers who want to make the most of their time in New York and maximize the value they see in the hotel they choose," Chris Holbrook, the general manager of the Hyatt Union Square, said. "We feel it is a great value-add that provides guests with the luxury of time."
According to hotel managers, the service has been popular among travelers who often gripe about paying for a night, but not getting a full 24 hours. It is especially popular with guests who like the leisure time on Sunday to get over their weekend nights out or to wait out the travel rush home.
Hotels set early check-out times to allow housekeeping staff enough time to turn over large numbers of rooms for the incoming guests. Sunday is an ideal day to allow later checkout times because more rooms are likely to stay empty overnight.
"Since Sunday nights are the lowest occupancy nights for most hotels, offering a late check out on Sundays does not put pressure on housekeeping to quickly clean the rooms to prepare them for check-ins," Maryam Wehe, the senior vice president at Applied Predictive Technologies, which does hotel consulting, said.
"Guests often feel that they have paid for a full night and a few hours here or there should not matter," Wehe said. "As hotel brands strive to differentiate the guest experience and move away from 'nickel and diming' guests, being flexible about check-out time will leave a good taste with many guests."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
