Reaching too early? MakeMyTrip’s new feature has you covered

Travellers arriving at their destination before sunrise or heading to the airport late at night may no longer have to spend hours waiting in hotel lobbies.

MakeMyTrip has introduced a new Early Check-In and Late Check-Out feature that allows guests to reserve additional room hours at the time of booking, according to a report by Curly Tales. 

The service is available across more than 10,000 hotels, villas and homestays in India, along with over 1,000 properties across 20 international destinations.

Under the new offering, travellers can book an early check-in or late check-out slot in three-hour, six-hour or nine-hour windows while making their reservation. The slots are confirmed and prepaid, replacing the uncertainty of requesting flexibility at the hotel front desk upon arrival.

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According to MakeMyTrip, this is the first early check-in and late check-out service of its scale to be offered through an online travel agency at the time of booking.

The feature appears to be resonating with travellers. Booking data shows that early check-in accounts for 77% of all slot bookings so far, while late check-out makes up the remaining 23%.

The demand reflects a common travel challenge. Many guests arrive early in the morning after overnight flights, train journeys or bus rides, only to find that hotel rooms are unavailable until the standard afternoon check-in time. As a result, travellers often end up waiting in lobbies, carrying their luggage around the city or hoping that their request for an early room is approved.

Late departures present a similar issue. Travellers with evening or late-night flights are often required to vacate their rooms by noon, leaving them without a place to rest for several hours.

MakeMyTrip’s booking data indicates that 53% of travellers reach their destination before 9 am, while 54% depart after 3 pm. The mismatch between travel schedules and hotel timings can be particularly inconvenient for families, senior citizens and travellers with tight itineraries.

The trend is also visible on international routes. On popular short-haul destinations such as Singapore, Bangkok and Hanoi, as well as long-haul destinations including New York, more than half of travellers land before 8 am. However, hotel check-in times in most markets remain fixed between 2 pm and 3 pm, often resulting in waits of several hours.

To avoid this, some travellers book an extra night’s stay solely to gain access to a room for a few hours in the morning—an expensive workaround that the new feature aims to address.

MakeMyTrip said the platform automatically identifies the most suitable early check-in or late check-out window during the booking process using available flight, train or bus details. The company said the arrangement benefits both travellers and hotel partners by providing confirmed access for guests while helping hotels monetise room inventory that might otherwise remain unused.

The service has been launched in partnership with more than 10,000 domestic hotels, villas and homestays across India and over 1,000 international properties in destinations including Dubai, Bangkok, Pattaya, Bali and Kuala Lumpur.