Sometimes travel schedules simply don’t line up. You might land early in the morning, hours before your hotel room is ready. Or you may have to check out at 11 AM even though your flight doesn’t leave until late that night.
That leaves you with an awkward question: What are you supposed to do with yourself—and your luggage—for all those hours?
We ran into exactly that problem before one of our longest flights. Instead of spending the entire day at the airport, we booked a hotel room for just the afternoon through HotelsByDay.
Why We Booked A Hotel Room For The Afternoon
We used HotelsByDay to book a day room at the H Hotel near LAX before a flight to Singapore.
Our international flight wasn’t leaving until late at night, but we arrived in Los Angeles that morning. Our choices were to hang around the airport all day, drag our bags around Los Angeles or find somewhere comfortable to spend the afternoon.
We chose the comfortable option, and it was absolutely worth it.
Once our reserved time began, we checked into the hotel, took a nap, showered, changed clothes and did some plane spotting from the rooftop. We then headed to the airport feeling refreshed and spent some time in the Star Alliance Lounge before our 17-hour flight.
How HotelsByDay Works
HotelsByDay allows participating hotels to offer rooms for blocks of time during the day instead of requiring an overnight stay. The exact hours are set by each hotel, so you might find a room available from 9 AM to 3 PM, 10 AM to 5 PM or during another window that fits your schedule.
You’re reserving a regular hotel room for that specific period. That gives you a private place to rest, shower, work, change clothes and keep your luggage with you until it’s time to leave.
It can be particularly useful when you:
- Arrive on a red-eye but can’t check into your hotel until the afternoon
- Have a long layover and want somewhere more comfortable than the terminal
- Need to check out hours before an evening flight
- Want a quiet place to work, nap or shower during the day
Some hotels also include access to amenities such as the pool, fitness center or Wi-Fi. However, what’s included varies by property, so check the listing rather than assuming you’ll receive every benefit available to overnight guests.
Things To Know Before Booking
- The available hours are fixed: You don’t pay by the hour or choose any arrival and departure time you want. Each hotel lists a specific time block. You can arrive later or leave earlier, but you’ll still pay for the entire reserved window.
- Availability can change: Hotels control how much day-use inventory they release. You may find more choices closer to your travel date, but there’s no guarantee that additional rooms will become available.
- Payment and cancellation rules vary: HotelsByDay offers Pay Now, Pay Later and, at selected properties, Hold with Card reservations. The cancellation deadline depends on the rate. Some prepaid or card-guaranteed bookings generally must be canceled more than 25 hours before check-in, while some Pay Later reservations are more flexible. Nonrefundable rates may also be offered, so read the terms before booking.
- You may still need a credit card: Even if you prepaid, the hotel may require a valid ID and a credit card matching the reservation name for an incidental hold.
- Confirm the hotel shuttle: Airport hotels are often the most useful choices for travelers, but don’t assume every property provides free transportation. Check the listing or contact the hotel directly.
- Make sure you’re booking the right type of stay: HotelsByDay now also offers overnight reservations. If you only need the room for a few hours, confirm that you’ve selected a day stay with the correct arrival and departure times.
Final Thoughts
A day room won’t make sense every time you have a few hours to fill. Depending on the price, you may decide that storing your bags and exploring the city—or waiting in an airport lounge—is good enough.
But before a 17-hour flight, having a private room where we could nap, shower and change clothes was far more valuable than spending the entire day at LAX. We arrived at the airport rested instead of already feeling worn out before the flight began.
If your next trip leaves you with a long and awkward gap between hotel checkout and takeoff—or between landing and check-in—it’s worth checking whether a day room could make the day much more manageable.
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