Traveling to another place, whether for business or pleasure, usually means checking into a nearby hotel for your lodging needs. The check-in process should be easy and straightforward, with just a few other considerations depending on the establishment. But what are the things you need to prepare when you check into a hotel?
The three basic things you need are the following – any means of identification, a reservation confirmation, and a credit card. These should make the process and the experience seamless and hassle-free.
Items Required Upon Hotel Check-In
While the requirements may vary depending on the hotel and the location, those three mentioned previously are absolute must-haves. Let look deeper into each and why you should keep them handy.
Identification
Upon checking in, the first thing you’ll be asked to present is some sort of identification. It can be your passport, your driver’s license, or any government-issued ID. It should have your photo, complete name, and birthday at least.
There are many reasons why this is absolutely required, but the most obvious one is to ensure you’re the person the reservation is named after, or if someone checked in for you. Furthermore, it also helps them identify if you’re above 18 years old, as most hotels, if not all, require guests who book rooms should be of legal age. Lastly, this ensures that guests are protected from possible card theft, especially upon payment.
Reservation Confirmation
After booking a hotel room, you will be provided some sort of confirmation that the reservation is successful. It may be an online notice sent to your email or an actual print-out.
Regardless of whether it is a digital or physical copy, it is something that you’ll need to show upon checking in. This is to ensure that you’ll have a room ready and waiting for you. Otherwise, it could turn out to be a huge mess, and in worst-case scenarios, you may be turned away, especially during peak seasons.
Credit Card
Last but not the least is your credit card. It’s one of the requirements of many hotels whenever you make a reservation, and it is usually the preferred payment method for your stay.
While you may opt to pay using cash, some hotels would still need a credit card on file. This is considered a safety net, both for you and the establishment, when there are additional charges during your stay. It’s also some sort of security measure, adding another layer of identification aside from your ID upon check-in.
Other Things to Remember
Aside from knowing what you need to check into a hotel, here are other pointers you need to remember.
For starters, you must know the check-in time. A lot of hotels have this in order to give time to their staff to tidy up for the next guests. There are other big establishments, like Hyatt for example, who allow early check-in for free, that is, as long as you have the appropriate membership type.
Another thing you need to take note of is the hotel’s cancellation policies. Unforeseen circumstances may cause you to have to forego your reservation, so it pays to know if they can reverse the fee or if they have other terms and conditions, depending on the situation.
Since you’re already there, ask all the questions you can think of. It can be about their vaping policies, the amenities you can take advantage of, or tourist spots you shouldn’t miss while you’re in the area.
Finally, if you’re there for quite some time and you brought a lot of stuff, don’t forget to tip your bellboy! The staff has to bring your luggage up to your room aside from their other tasks, so tip accordingly and show your appreciation.
