Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/early-check-in-extortion-how-to-avoid-paying-50-just-to-get-into-your-room-at-11-am/

You’ve just landed after a red-eye flight. You’re exhausted, you haven’t slept properly in hours, and all you want is to get into your room, shower, and collapse onto a bed that isn’t a reclined airplane seat. You walk up to the hotel front desk at 11 AM, and then it happens – the clerk tells you there’s a fee to check in now. A fee. For a room that’s sitting right there, already clean, already made.

It sounds absurd. Yet for millions of travelers, this is becoming a very familiar story. The hotel industry has quietly turned early check-in into one of its most lucrative side businesses, and most guests don’t even realize they have options. Let’s dig into what’s actually going on, and – more importantly – exactly how you can beat the system.

The Early Check-in Fee Explosion Is Real and It’s Getting Worse

The Early Check-in Fee Explosion Is Real and It’s Getting Worse (Image Credits: Unsplash)

Here’s a number that should make you pause: the average early check-in fee has increased by about 18% since 2022, and now commonly sits around $45 per hour before the standard check-in time. That’s not a small surcharge. That’s approaching the cost of a decent restaurant dinner, just for the privilege of getting into a room a few hours early.

A 2024 study of 1,000 hotels worldwide found that nearly three-quarters now offer early check-in for a fee, compared to just 35% in 2020 – a near-doubling in just four years. Think of it like a tidal wave…

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Author : Matthias Binder

Publish date : 2026-02-22 10:19:00

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