Can You Rent a Hotel Room For a Few Hours?

Whether you are going on a short business trip, have an emergency stay, or you want to rest after a long flight, there are limitless reasons why you might want to rent a hotel room for just a few hours.

Luckily plenty of hotels do let guests reserve a hotel for few hours and short stay reservations, but some will also insist that you pay for a full night. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to stay the full time, but it does make it expensive.

Keep reading to know more about same hourly room booking, the pros and cons, and some popular websites and apps that you can use to hunt a good deal.

What Is The Meaning Of An Hourly Rate?

An hourly hotel is a kind of hotel specifically designed to allow you to book by the hour, rather than the whole day or overnight.

If you only need a short amount of time in the room, you can have just that.

This kind of hotel is usually utilized by travelers who are going to be in a strange city and need somewhere to rest and store bags for a while, and don’t plan to stay overnight.

This option is usually much more affordable than booking an overnight stay, and it allows individuals to:

• Rest a little without being disturbed, or have a nap
• Hold a short meeting in private without having to book a conference or office space
• Store belongings securely
• Relax for a few hours, for example in a layover
• Have an emergency hotel stay  

What Is The Minimum Length Of Stay In a Hotel?

This really varies from a hotel to another, but for most hourly hotels, the shortest you can book a room is for one hour.

This is probably because for most people, less than an hour isn’t worth the trouble of booking the room, checking in, and then gathering their belongings to leave again – it’s easier to just find a public spot to sit in for a bit.

It’s also likely to do with cleaning and labor rates. If a room is used for 3 hours by one person, it’s going to cost the hotel less in terms of cleaning, laundry, etc. unlike if it is used by 10 people 30 minutes each.

To keep their costs realistic, they can’t really let you use a room for just 30 minutes – they’d still have to clean it before the next person could come in.

You might find a few hourly hotels that let you book for under an hour, but it’s pretty uncommon.

The Pros And Cons For Reserving Hourly Rate In Hotels

Pros:

• You only pay for the time you stay, you can save up to 50% in some hotels compared to booking the standard hotel stay.
• You can use the hotel perks like WiFi, Gym, taking a dip in the pool, some hotels may even include additional meals in your booking.
• The best part is you are not tied to a specific time to leave the hotel, as you can choose the time that suits you to check in and check out.

Cons:

• You may have limited room options, some hotels often save their best rooms for guests staying the night.
• Some hourly rate hotels might not offer extra amenities, like free snacks, tv or swimming pools etc…
• No money back; some hourly rate hotels won’t accept canceling the reservation once it is made (No refund policy),
• Some hotels might allow cancellations, but they will charge you extra for it. So, if you change your mind or your plans, you may have to pay a fee.

Hotel Hourly Rates

Hourly hotels are found all over the world, so you’ll probably find it possible to book one in most major cities, but there are places where it’s more common, of course.

Big cities with lots of layover flights like Boston are more likely to have accommodations where you can just chill out for an hour or two, while small cities and places without airports aren’t very likely to offer an hourly hotel.

No countries or geographic areas are particularly noted for having hourly hotels compared to other spots, but I can guarantee that there are a lot more of these hotels almost anywhere in the state.

I did research some of the popular hotels in the US, and how much they charge for their hourly rate, surprisingly all them offer a 49% / 50% discount rate which is almost the average for most hotels.

You can check this post from UponArriving.com for more hotels, the post includes some of the popular hotels in the largest cities in the US.

It doesn’t matter what type of hotel you book, a big chain, airport hotels, highway hotels, or boutique hotels, you can always save a up to 45% when you book a room by the hour instead of booking it for an overnight stay.

How To Book Hourly Hotel Rooms? And Is There an App For Hotel Hourly Rates?

One of the best ways to book an hourly hotel room is to check out the DayUse website, or even download the app.

This will let you enter the date and times you want, and then browse all your options in the local area, checking out the prices and the offerings. You can then easily book through the site, and turn up when you’re ready!

You can also try the Byhours app, or website which offers pretty similar services.

Final Thoughts

Hotel micro stays are pretty common nowadays.

If you’re looking to rent a hotel room for just an hour or two, you can easily do it, just ensure to do some research and call the hotel to get the most current and correct information.

You can also use apps like Dayuse or Byhours to learn more about the hotel you want to book.

Some big hotel companies like Hyatt even offer special services, like an “office for the day.” which is a handy solution if you are traveling for business.

FAQs

Hope this helps

Happy travels

Related posts:

• Are Hotel Prices Per Person Or Room? (A detailed Guide)
• Do Hotels Have Irons? (What To Do If There Isn’t One)
• Do Hotels Have Microwaves? (What To Do If There Isn’t One)

Alysa is an experienced writer, editor and a digital nomad. She is an over-packer, Alysa has explored over 25 countries, enjoys warm destinations and she firmly believes that traveling should be hassle-free, fun and enjoyable.