It is always fun to listen to stories and if they happen to be about your own childhood, the fun magnifies. This is exactly what happened recently when my father began his usual string of our childhood stories. My father took me on a nostalgic ride over one of our many vacation adventures. Being travel enthusiasts, my parents often planned long holidays. Traveling to far away cities and towns, trying out local food, exploring popular tourist destinations and returning back with loads of memories.
Though during the early ’90s, hotel booking was not as convenient as today. From low-budget to high-end, mid-range to exotic, the hotel industry definitely exhibited a progressive trend towards development.
But one bitter experience during my elementary school vacation translated into great trouble for our parents. Back then hotels didn’t offer early check-in. The rigid check in times were less than jubilant.
A Long wait back then…
An early morning flight led to long waiting hours at the hotel lobby. Giving way to several challenges, as me and my sister chose to create havoc in every possible way. It was almost three hours before the standard check-in time which meant more time for our naughty acts. From demanding candies to running all around the lobby, exhausting our supply of snacks and water to wandering around the hotel rooms, we did every single thing to kill time. But unfortunately, our mischievous approach must have killed our parents’ happiness as they sat in vain. It was probably one of the longest boring periods of their lives. The long wait of three hours turned into a nightmare. The rigid approach of check-in meant boredom for our little minds.
Without much to do, we wasted hours. Excited to start our holiday, the time passed slowly. Though it is boring for every traveler to wait for the hotel room, elders are expected to behave and be patient. But, children, on the other hand, end up making it difficult for poor parents. Keeping track of their mischievous acts and running behind them to avoid inconvenience to others are the only two jobs left.
Modern Hotels with Age-Old Challenges
Though this was a picture from the early ’90s, the scene is more or less the same, even today. Rigid check-in schedule and a long wait at the hotel lobby is true even in today’s so-called “flexible and convenient” world. Several hotels around the globe continue their conventional system of standard check-in and check-out time that makes it difficult for travelers. Especially a hassle for families with little kids. Besides waiting at the hotel lobby for hours, there is no other option in case of early morning flights or late night ones. Long hours of travel coupled with a long wait at the hotel turns into a perfect recipe for boredom, spoiling the fun of vacation.
But wait, the long wait is long even today…
This story of our mischief in the hotel lobby resembled my friends’ recent experience in every way. When my friend and her husband set out on a travel adventure along with their three little kids, they clearly underestimated their children’s capability of creating havoc. A wait of four hours due to an early morning flight converted into horrible scenarios for the parents. Their kids chose to run all over the place. With nothing much to do, their restlessness and boredom coupled with mischief and high energy brought great trouble to those poor parents.
There are few options to keep kids entertained in close, public quarters. After eating or watching videos over the phone, there is nothing else that can keep them quiet. Besides, lack of food options in a hotel lobby or expensive snack shops within the hotel can lead to more troubles.
Free time without any concrete activities allows them to wander near the pool area, walk into the fitness center, climb the stairway or enter into the elevator. With such desires of little kids, it is practically impossible for parents to handle this inconvenience just for a rigid check-in time. Parents are tossed between taking care of the luggage, dealing with tiredness and handling their children all at once.
HotelsByDay Has the Answer
I am sure scary thoughts of such situations often discourage parents from planning a vacation. To avoid this helplessness all one needs is a flexible system to check into a room as soon they enter the hotel. Check in and check out with HotelsByDay were designed with this aim to offer convenience to the guests. By partnering with major hotels in various cities around the globe, the web-based platform allows guests to choose their own check-in and check-out time. Early check in hotels with late check out options as well, decreases the waiting time in the lobby.
I am sure my father must be wondering why didn’t this system start earlier or why weren’t we born later to enjoy such a luxury! Anyways, now this feature is all ready for grabs to ensure kids, wait hours, chaos and irritation do not go hand-in-hand.
