Chapter 11: Heading back home 11.1: Checking out of the hotel 11.2  Heading to the airport

11.1 Checking out of the hotel

Las Vegas hotel check out time is usually 11:00 a.m. or noon time. (Check in time is typically 3:00 p.m.) You will generally want to have breakfast before you leave and a local breakfast buffet is an excellent choice.

If your flight leaves later in the day, call the front desk and ask for a check out time extension. You can usually get an hour or two extension without charge. Check-in and checkout times are standardized because the hotel staff needs time to clean rooms.

Housekeeping employees typically work 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Due to the way rooms are sold, Las Vegas hotel occupancy rates are very high, and stays are short ...usually 3 or 4 days. Early arriving and late departing guests are a problem for hotels. It takes about an hour to clean a room and hotels can’t afford to get behind.

At any Vegas hotel, you can generally increase your chances of getting an early check-in or a late checkout, by being a frequent guest or by joining the casinos’s Players Club. The opportunities for early check-in or late check-out also increase on days when there are fewer guests, that is Sunday through Thursday.

If you're denied early check in or late check out, the hotel will store your luggage and give you a claim check until you need it.  Just call or go to the bell desk to retreve your bags. When packing your bags, be sure to put important items in your carry on luggage ...such as plane tickets, itineraries, medication and other items that will be needed in the event your checked baggage does not arrive when you do.

Check the bathroom counter top ...also the hook behind the bathroom or closet door to make sure that your bathrobe or any other items are not left by mistake. And check under the bed for shoes ...or anything else that may be hiding.

Does your room have a balcony? If so, check for swimsuits and other possible items you may have left out there to dry. Check the bed sheets, blankets and comforters to be sure that nothing has been overlooked.

And make sure all your items have been removed from the room safe before you head down to the front desk check out counter. Leave the safe open and empty.  Call the bell desk a half an hour ahead of time if you need help with your luggage.

Las Vegas hotel room safe

Be sure to watch -- or have another member of your party watch -- your luggage at all times. Did you use the hotel’s safe rather than a room safe? If so, make sure all your items have been removed. Allow adequate time for checking out, there may be a long line.

While at the front check out counter, be sure to go over your bill thoroughly and verify that all the charges are correct and discounts have been applied before you sign off on your bill. Be sure any reward, frequent guest or loyalty club credits have been properly applied. Make certain all charges are placed on the correct credit card and that you get a receipt. If paying in cash, make sure your receipt is marked "paid in cash."

Be sure you turn in your hotel room keys to the front desk ...including those electronic access card keys. It has been publicized that some of these key cards have been known to carry unencrypted name and credit card information. (An inexpensive card reader purchased at a local retail store and plugged it into a laptop computer’s USB port supposedly can read this information!) I don’t know if this is true, but it is enough of a concern for me not to leave them in a hotel room when I leave.