Can the 24-Hour Checkout System Become a New Direction for Hotel Service? We Asked Consumers and Industry Professionals

Recently, a hotel in Chongqing introduced a "24-hour checkout system," attracting public attention. The so-called "24-hour checkout system" means that checkout occurs 24 hours after the guest's actual check-in time.

The emergence of the "24-hour checkout system" breaks the long-standing industry norm of "checkout before noon." Some consumers said that when they check in late at night, they pay for a full day but have to leave after only a few hours; others argue that the "noon checkout" rule is too rigid—especially inconvenient for those traveling with children—and hope the "24-hour checkout system" will be rolled out more widely.

Industry professionals at hotels that have adopted the "24-hour checkout system" said the policy was introduced both to meet guests' diverse needs and to address low occupancy during off-peak and slack seasons.

There are dissenting voices as well. Some professionals noted that the "24-hour checkout system" increases the burden on frontline staff and creates difficulties in managing available room inventory.

In response, Song Changyao, director of the Tourism Management Department at Beijing International Studies University, acknowledged that the "24-hour checkout system" allows travelers to plan their itineraries more freely and avoids the sense of being shortchanged when they don't get a full 24 hours of service; for hotels, it can also improve brand reputation and customer loyalty. But in the foreseeable future, it is unlikely to be adopted on a large scale.

Some Hotels Apply the 24-Hour Checkout System to Selected Rooms

As previously reported by Jimu News, a hotel in Chongqing launched a "24-hour checkout system" campaign that breaks the industry's "noon checkout" convention, calculating from the guest's actual check-in time so they can stay a full 24 hours before checking out.

On the afternoon of July 7, Wen Xin, Chief Operating Officer of Shenzhen Qinzhu Culture and Tourism Hotel Group, told The Paper that the hotel applies the "24-hour checkout system to selected rooms" so that guests can stay a bit longer—so that those who arrive very late at night don't have to leave after only a short rest. "Arriving early is more relaxed, and arriving late doesn't put you at a disadvantage," Wen said.

On pricing, the hotel's "24-hour checkout" rooms are priced the same as standard rooms in off-peak and slack seasons; during peak season, individual properties may raise prices independently by 20% to 30%. To support the "24-hour checkout system," the hotel upgraded its management system so check-in and check-out times can be clearly tracked.

On housekeeping, Wen said the hotel added a night-shift cleaning position, with night-shift staff paid slightly more than regular staff. The exact cleaning time depends on circumstances; if occupancy is low the next day, cleaning may be deferred to the following day.

Wen admitted that "guests who check in and check out in the middle of the night are actually quite rare. Most guests who choose these '24-hour checkout' rooms are mothers with babies who stay longer, or people who want to watch TV, drink, or dine. During the World Cup, we also opened many rooms for 24-hour booking, so that after watching the matches in the morning, guests could leisurely sleep until the afternoon or evening before leaving—the feedback was excellent."

Wen explained that currently nearly 40 of their properties offer the "24-hour checkout" service on selected rooms, but the proportion of rooms is dynamically adjusted based on the city, commercial district, and peak or slack season. Not all rooms are opened; some properties may release half their rooms in the off-season, while those in popular business districts open only 10% to 20%. For example, properties that mainly serve university crowds release more of these rooms during summer and winter holidays when foot traffic drops.

Can the "24-hour checkout system" be rolled out universally? Wen believes it is "unlikely. Properties still need to make a profit. Our core goal with the 24-hour checkout system is to solve the poor occupancy problem at certain stores during slack seasons, while meeting guests' personalized and differentiated needs. We do require all group properties to follow suit, but some stores aren't really willing to do it."

Consumers Call for Wider Adoption of the 24-Hour Checkout System

"Every time I stay at a hotel, I can't leave at noon and have to request an extension, but sometimes when rooms are tight, I can't extend even by paying more," said Ms. Yuan, a frequent hotel guest, on July 7, who is very much looking forward to the "24-hour checkout system."

She often travels with her one-year-old child, but hotels only allow check-in after 2 p.m.; if she arrives early, she has to wait in the lobby holding her child. And she must check out by noon the next day—often right when the child is napping.

Ms. Yuan's case is far from unique. Many consumers have posted on social platforms expressing dissatisfaction with the "checkout before noon" model. One wrote: "I pay for a full day, stay only a short while, and then have to move out before noon—isn't this an implicit unfair clause? The current checkout system has long harmed consumer interests. The 24-hour checkout system should have been implemented long ago."

Travelers on red-eye flights and late-night high-speed trains are even more vocal in calling for the "24-hour checkout system." One netizen said that checking in late at night means staying in the room only a few hours before having to rush out—inconvenient and offering no real rest.

It is understood that "noon checkout" is not a legal requirement but a long-standing industry custom. The "China Tourism Hotel Industry Standards," issued by the China Tourism Hotel Association in 2002, once explicitly required "checkout by noon the next day." In the revised 2009 standards, the rule of "noon checkout, with extra charges for overtime" was removed; Article 10 states that hotels should prominently display room prices and the method for settling accommodation time at the front desk, or confirm that the above information has been communicated to guests by appropriate means.

Ms. Yuan said the "24-hour checkout system" may represent a shift in the hotel industry from a "hotel management mindset" to a "consumer service mindset." She now prioritizes such hotels, but there aren't many of them.

How Do Hotel Professionals View the 24-Hour Checkout System?

What is the attitude of hotel professionals toward the "24-hour checkout system"?

On July 7, Ms. Ma, who has worked in the hotel industry for nearly four years, told The Paper that her hotel still follows the "noon checkout" rule. In practice, guests check in after 2 p.m. and check out before noon the next day, staying at most 22 hours. "You always need to leave two hours for the hotel to clean. If we adopted the '24-hour checkout system,' not to mention anything else, frontline staff would be exhausted first—the system means staff have to remember each room's check-in time and urge guests to leave at intervals."

Ms. Ma said, "Some hotels now apply this model to part of their rooms, but promoting it widely would be very difficult. Aside from the frontline staff…"

Originally published by The Paper (澎渐新闻) at: https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_33581628