Hotel check in times

[ChristianPFC]

31 minutes ago, asnstudent said:

I have spent quite a few hours online .. emailed to some hotels including a couple US chain brands, talked to one over the phone, used my phone calculator to compare prices of different possible options by using various permutations and combinations. After sacrificing some of my black hair, I have come up with one final decision. 

Maybe you are too concerned about hotels?

When I'm alone, I don't need much. So for first night I book some cheap place near bus or railway station or city center. And following days, for inviting boys to my room, something more luxury.

In case of recent trip in Myanmar that would be a guesthouse with only cold water in shower for first night for 15 USD, and the following nights a hotel with breakfast included for 30 USD per night.

In Thailand, I rarely book hotels, mostly walk-in. Even when I went to Indonesia in 2015, and Vietnam in 2016, I didn't have a hotel for my first night, just walk around tourist area and choose one. But nowadays immigration might ask for address or want to see hotel booking, so I book one for first night.

[Boy69]

I don't mind book hotels by walk in but it turned to be more expensive than on line booking so I stopped doing it .

[PeterRS]

If I may be permitted to go off on a slight tangent, how you fill in the time between checking out and  getting to the airport can throw up odd experiences. Checking out of a New York hotel about 15 years ago with 4 hours before I had to leave for the airport. I decided to get the subway down to the Village and buy a few gay DVDs. Purchase made followed by a nice coffee and cake, I returned to the hotel, got my bags and popped the DVDs into a back pocket in my carry on. I then locked that part.

Checking in for my flight to Los Angeles, I was surprised to see SSS in rather large letters on my boarding pass. I asked what they meant. Confidential, I was told. So I slowly ambled up to the security check, took off my shoes, took my lap top and my small bag of liquids out and walked through. No problem. No alarm or anything. But a very large lady waddled over to me and asked me to move to the side. She then proceeded to all but strip search me. Satisfied, she then turned to my carry-on and I realised too late that the porn DVDs were inside. Naturally I had to unlock everything and let her go through the lot. She found the DVDs whereupon she laid them individually on the table for all other passengers to see. I was more than slightly embarrassed.

When she found nothing, she asked me to pack it all, get properly dressed and proceed to my gate. Once in my seat, I heard my name mentioned. I was being asked to go to the first class cabin with my luggage. Great, I thought. An upgrade. Unfortunately no. There were two airport cops waiting to escort me out to the boarding area. They were extremely polite but would not tell me what was happening. Once outside, nothing happened. Then one shouted at the top of his voice, "Get over here fast. Were holding up the aircraft." Soon I saw the overweight security lady waddling as fast as she could. When she arrived, one cop asked her, "Where?" She pointed to the back pocket of my carry-on. As requested I opened it and they found the DVDs. They then became extremely angry - but not at me. "You held up this flight just for this?" "Yes, these should not be allowed!" The cop angrily shouted at her to go back to he post, repacked my bag and then apologised very profusely. They then asked me to fill up a form which I understood would enable me to claim some form of compensation for harassment. I waived that right and said I just wanted the plane to get on my way to LAX.

On board, the purser came up to me and offered me a bottle of wine as compensation - but sadly no upgrade!

It was only weeks later that I discovered what SSS meant. Airlines have access to the full details of a ticket. Since mine had originated in Bangkok and Thailand was still regarded as a 'sensitive' country, the SSS stood for "Special Security Screening". You live and learn!

[vinapu]

9 hours ago, Boy69 said:

I don't mind book hotels by walk in but it turned to be more expensive than on line booking so I stopped doing it .

I always book at least first night in advance wherever I go. Even if I travel lightly , looking for a room with luggage is not my idea of fun , specially in a new place.

Hotels in Thailand are such good value that price saving consideration  for me is of limited, another advantage of booking in advance is need to carry less money.

one observation from booking my hotels before last trip was that if one site doesn't have free spaces is to try other . If agoda say 'all booked ' go to expedia or booking.com or hotels.com and they still may have rooms. Some hotels are not on all  websites so if you are keen on particular place , comb the net for it.

I find hotelscombined.com site very useful for comparizon shopping 

[spoon]

When i study in the states, 4 years after the 9/11, each time i go through security, my boarding pass will be labelled SSSS. Yes each time. And they will like your case peter, asked me to remove all content of my carryon and checked luggage for a check. Ive just went pass through US immigration in houston today, and i dont have any issues going through immigration. It was a breeze. I purposely took a connecting flight at a later time in anticipation of the imnigration and luggage security hassle and now i have 3 hour before my next flight. 

 

Back to topic, ive done separate bookings at the same hotel for the same reason, cheaper overall price compared to one booking. What u should do is when u checked in on your first booking, show the reception your second booking and ask if the can combine it so you wont have to check out and check in again. Seeing that u booked similar type room, there should be no issue.

[18past19]

Thank you spoon.

I have notified Raya of my "late arrival" to ensure its availability until the next morning. they replied back to me, saying that they will make sure to keep my room as in the booking. the total cost of having two separate bookings for a grand deluxe room at Raya for 6 nights + one night at Wall Street Inn for my last day turned out to be cheaper than my original booking which was for a suite room at Raya for 6 nights.