How To Get Late Checkout at Hilton Honors Hotels
Hilton Honors is the loyalty program for Hilton hotels. One glaring weakness to the Hilton Honors program is the lack of guaranteed late check-out even if you have Hilton Gold or Diamond status. There are three things you could try to secure late checkout at Hilton properties.
Book Hilton Hotels through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts
Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts is a good way to secure guaranteed 4pm late checkout at certain Hilton hotels. Amex FHR can only be accessed for Amex Platinum cardholders, both business and personal cards. With the Amex Platinum Card, you can get $200 hotel credit that can be used towards Fine Hotels & Resorts stays.
Some important things to consider about Amex FHR are that the Hilton brands that participate are on the higher end of the spectrum like Waldorf Astoria, LXR, Conrad, and Curio Collection (rarely). Prices will be on the higher end, and not all hotels belonging to those brands will participate within Amex FHR.
The bookings made through Amex FHR cannot be covered with Hilton Honors points or Free Night Reward. Mixing Hilton points with cash wouldn’t be possible also. You can, however, earn Hilton points and elite nights from an Amex FHR stay after inputting your Hilton Honors loyalty number during the booking process.
If you wish to book with points, it has to be redeemed with Amex Membership Rewards instead, which would yield less value when redeemed this way.
Hilton Impresario is an alternate Hilton program that you could use to enhance your Hilton stays. However, Hilton Impresario does not give guaranteed late checkout compared to Amex FHR.
Book Hilton Hotels with AARP Rate
If you have AARP membership, you may book Hilton hotels at the special AARP rate. AARP rates at Hilton hotels typically include a guaranteed 2pm late checkout (regardless of your status) with the price similar to the most flexible rate. You’d also earn a bit of extra Hilton points on top. It can even work on Hilton hotels that’s quite off-beaten like Hilton Tashkent City in Uzbekistan!
To use the AARP rate, it has to be paid fully in cash however. Thus, points redemption is not an option. Although, it’s still a qualifying rate to earn Hilton points and elite nights.
While AARP’s rate checkout isn’t as late as the one offered with Amex FHR, AARP rate will show up in pretty a lot more Hilton hotels, including their mid-range and budget brands like Hampton, Hilton Hotels, Doubletree, and Garden Inn.
Ask the Front Desk Politely
Even though Hilton Honors program itself lacks a late checkout guarantee, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re completely out of luck. You can definitely try asking the front desk politely if they could extend your checkout time during check-in, day before checkout, or morning of checkout. I find from experience, the hotel staff would gladly do their best to accommodate your requests that’s outside of bounds of a loyalty program so long as you conduct yourself in a positive manner.
Your case can be strengthened if you have a legit reason on why you need the late checkout like having an evening flight. Some hotels may let you hang around in the Executive Lounge if the hotel has one. The most important thing is to not be too pushy about it, and sometimes accept if you’re not able to get the later checkout you wished for.
Asking is possibly the “best” method to get late checkout especially if you’re redeeming Hilton points or Free Night Reward for the stay. It could also work in getting room upgrades as well.
Conclusion
These are the three ways you could try to get late checkout at Hilton hotels. Amex FHR is the only third-party travel program that allows for guaranteed 4pm late checkout, but is mostly restricted to select few higher-end Hilton hotels. AARP rate is more flexible in terms of use, but it still requires an all-cash booking. Lastly, you can always ask the front desk politely about extending your checkout.
The human element is very underrated as most people rely too much on their hotel status to get extra benefits they want.
Some examples of my past successes were getting 6PM late checkout at The Ritz-Carlton Almaty and Ritz-Carlton Tokyo after politely asking the front desk if they could extend my checkout time even after the guaranteed 4pm late checkout that Marriott Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassadors get. Even though they don’t belong to Hilton, they’re examples of what asking politely can get you!
By treating the staff with respect and kindness, they may reward you with special treatment! However, sometimes things may be out of their hands and they’re unable to comply with your requests, so it’s important to not be too pushy or get upset at them should your wishes be denied.