Vorkuta

I'm curious to know what Fodorites do when their plane arrives at Heathrow at 6:00 a.m. and their hotel (not surprisingly) doesn't allow check-ins until 2:00 p.m.

Do hotels generally let you leave your luggage at, say, 10:00 a.m. and then retrieve it when you check in four hours later?

Is there a tradition of negotiating an early check-in time, for some sort of fee? (assuming that the room is available) What would be a typical fee?

Thanks for your input on this.

Barbara_in_CT

Most hotels will store your luggage if they don't have your room ready. If your room is ready, in my experience, they will allow you to occupy it at no extra charge.

halfpint

My experience on this is that it may easily take an hour or more to go through immigration (passport control), then more time to access luggage, usually long lines, then you may be going to take one of the transportations into London which can again take the better part of an hour, perhaps arriving at your hotel around 10 a.m. Those I have used always lock your bags in a luggage room (along with many others doing the same thing) and then even though you are tired, the excitement can take over, you can perhaps take the tube somewhere, have a lunch and generally speaking, the room is quite often ready before they say it will be. Otherwise you could wait in the lobby (which never has enough chairs anyway) and you would probably fall asleep (not necessarily a good idea). It is all the part of arriving in London and HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME. Have a good one. Halfpint

Gardyloo

Many hotels near the airport allow early check-ins as a matter of course. If you mean in central London, then it's customary for hotels to allow you to drop your bags and come back later. But once you've narrowed the field, you should ask if they can allow an early check-in; all it needs is an empty room from the night before.

My first reaction to your thread title, is that when we arrive at 6 am, the first thing we do is stand in line for passport control and customs for a couple of hours.

If by some chance you're flying in business or first class, several airlines maintain "arrivals" lounges at LHR, complete with showers, breakfast bars, luggage storage, etc. - the only way to experience Heathrow in the early morning.

Christina

I've never encountered a hotel in any city that wouldn't allow you to leave your luggage there until check-in. The only kind I imagine would do that would be a very cheap 1* hotel or some place like that which didn't even have a luggage storage closet. I've also never had a hotel not allow you to checkin at 9-10 am if the room was already cleaned without a fee. They would have nothing to gain by not allowing you to do that (unless it was a hotel that let rooms by the hour, of course).

mclaurie

You can request early check-in but the only way to be guaranteed is to pay for an extra night. The larger the hotel, the more likely a room might be available. All hotels will hold your luggage until your room is ready. The better hotels may even put your luggage in your room if it becomes available while you're still out.

If it's your first trip to London, do the hop on/off bus tour and get an overview of things first thing. You can also watch the city come alive.

Vorkuta

Great replies - many thanks. (Oh, and yes, I didn't mean an airport hotel...the one we have is near the British Museum.)

wally34949

You can get a shower at the airport. They will provide you with a towel. Very private. You will only flash yourself.

elaine

Let them know when reserving that an early check-in would be appreciated.
They are likely to tell you that they cannot promise such a thing, or reiterate that their official check in time is 2pm. When you arrive, nicely request it again. They'll most likely do the best they can. But don't count on it, and don't plan around it.
Go out and get some breakfast and coffee, and start your day.

suze

I would go directly to your hotel, see if the room is possibly available, if not drop suitcases at the front desk and go out and have some breakfast or lunch, take a long walk, get some fresh air, explore the immediate neighborhood, shop for supplies (I usually equip my hotel room with bottled water, wine, and a few snacks).

Andrew

If you subscribe to the "stay up all day until local bedtime" theory of combatting jetlag, then getting to your hotel and at least dropping your luggage ASAP is a good idea. Walking and exploring is the best way to stay awake in my view.

Andrew

SusanMargaret

Let you hotel know when you book that you will be arriving early and request and early checkin, noting that you understand that they will not able to guarantee this. This has worked for us many times, though on a couple of occasions we have had to leave our luggage at reception for half an hour while room cleaning was completed. I agree with others that it is a good idea to try to stay the pace for the day, but being able to have a hot shower, unpack and put your feet up for an hour or two in your own room before venturing out is wonderful.

losarbolitos

We often stop to shower at LHR--whether going on to the continent--or even just to Ireland. This will refresh you and you will be ready to get your bags to the hotel--and try to charm them into an early room--or they will stow the bags. Then a double decker tour of the city in case you have not been there before. If you have--you know the drill--stay awake---which is why the shower, clean hair and a change of clothes makes you ready to greet the day.

gail

Since your hotel is near British Museum, I would make my way there, ask them to hold your luggage, get something to eat, and head to the British Museum for a few hours.

Bluehour

This is the sitution many, if not most travelers are faced with. I can guarantee your hotel knows exactly what it plans to do with you.

You'll probably get to the hotel around 8:30 - 9. (I'd skip the awkward and, for me, dismal step of showering at the airport. You paid a lot of money to be in ENGLAND, not the airport, right? And it's just more packing and unpacking, an opportunity to lose something.)

The hotel will welcome you, store your bags, let you know what's going on, and when you can REALLY return (maybe a little before 2, maybe not). You can grab a quick change of clothes and your toothbrush, and return them to your bag before you store it, and have a quick tidy in the lobby restroom. (Again, the staff is used to this! They WON'T think it's trashy!)

I would then go off and have a leisurely English "cooked breakfast" with lots of tea or coffee. The suggestion of going over to the British Museum is an excellent one (they now have a beautiful cafe in the glassy modern hall, above the gift shop, where you could park yourself, and get your souvenir/gift shopping out of the way). The area is a busy and interesting place just to wander around, and there are parks, including a famous one at the law courts nearby.

At this point, you'll be so excited to be in London, you'll have something of a second wind. I'd poke around and see whatever I had the energy for, go buy some snacks and drinks for the room etc. until it's time to return to the hotel.
THEN you'll be ready for a little nap (not too long!), a shower, a few biscuits and a Ribena and a reorganization before you go out again.

Stay up until a reasonable hour, and you'll go a long way toward resetting your body clock. You could take a benadryl or tylenol PM (same active ingredient) if you're too excited to sleep, or had too much afternoon tea.

This way, you won't lose a day of vacation sitting in a lobby.

If you've got little kids or mature travellers and you REALLY need the room, inquire about a "day rate" for the room, if they offer this.

Have a great time!

suze

I use the showers at Heathrow and they are fine. But I do this when I have a layover and a connecting flight.

If London was my final destination I certainly would not bother.

Sarah

To be honest I am usually so spaced out from the night flight that whatever I do that morning is happening in the ozone of my brain.

...walk confused around the airport, reorganize in the bathroom LOL. Think I make a few disoriented trips.I get to town later than I need to anyway. subway ride usually helps me focuse. If all else fails there will be an English breakfast waiting for me somewhere.

Sarah

Suze are there showers in the Charles De Galle airport in Paris? How much do they cost? Sorry to piggy back Vorukuta

suze

Sarah, Sorry don't know about Paris. I always transfer thru Heathrow on BA coming from Seattle then on to wherever... so made a point of figuring out the shower thing a couple trips back.

pspercy

Generally speaking I have found UK hotels (and apt rentals come to that) to be really snotty about any kind of early check-in, regardless of whether a room may actually be ready.
If it says 2pm or whatever, that's usually when your door opens.
Individual places may vary, especially the smaller ones.