How to Check in to a Hotel Without Hassle

As a former hotel front desk clerk, hands-down nothing is more annoying than a guest who takes forever to check in. To make it easier to check in effectively and quickly, follow these tips to get you checked in without hassle.

A good hotel clerk can check in a guest in 5 minutes or less (typically 3 minutes) provided the guest is prepared and makes the process easier. Always have your credit or debit card in hand before you hit the desk, because if you have to run out to the car to get it (the card must be swiped at check-in, even if you already used the card to guarantee the room) the clerk will move on to the next person in line and you'll have to wait. Clerks will not hold the line for you if you have to run out to the car to grab you ID, credit or debit card, or your reservation confirmation. They're busy and want to minimize their line.

Don't bring your luggage in with you. Your room may be in another building, and if you didn't make a reservation or call to confirm availability of the hotel and they're booked, you'll just have to drag your stuff back out to your car and look like an idiot. Check in, then grab your luggage once you know where you're going.

Please leave your family and friends in the car. Not only do they fill up the lobby, but they're distracting to you and the clerk trying to check you in, and there's not room at the desk for everybody. Plus, screaming, hyper kids and your giggling friends are annoying to other guests. Only bring in individuals essential to check-in with you to get you out of the lobby faster.

If you don't have a reservation, know what you want. I can't tell you how many times I've asked a guest what kind of room they'd like and they've said "One with a bed in it" and rolled their eyes. Do you want one bed, 2 beds, first floor, 2nd floor, smoking, non-smoking, pet room or no pets? Hotel clerks are not mind readers. Also let us know if you need 2 rooms and how many beds.

When you arrive late at night without a reservation, for the love of everything take what's available or leave and go somewhere else. After 10 pm in the summertime most hotels are down to single bed rooms on the upper levels, or just smoking rooms. Don't argue that you MUST have what the hotel is out of. A clerk isn't going out of their way to piss you off, they are letting you know what they have. Don't hold up the line arguing when the clerk tells you that a ground floor room with 2 beds with parking right in front is just not available. It is what it is. The clerk will give you your options and you can take it or leave it.

Don't cut in line to ask the clerk a question, as this irritates the guest they are helping and distracts the clerk. Wait until someone is available to help you. Also, if the clerk is on the phone when you arrive at the desk, wait until they are off the phone to start checking in. The clerk knows you're there and will get to you as soon as they can.

Get off your cell phone when you're checking in. Don't just throw your reservation at the clerk and expect them to just take care of you. The clerk has to verify your reservation, has paperwork for you to fill out, needs your credit card and ID, etc and when you are on the phone the clerk has to wait for you to get off the phone to finish the process. It's rude to take up the clerk and other guests' time when you won't get off the phone.

Make your needs known. If you need a handicapped room, don't just say you need a room on the ground floor. If you need two beds, don't just say you need 2 kings. Verify your needs so you end up with the right room. Clerks don't want you back in the lobby chewing them out because you said you wanted 2 queens and you got 2 queens in one room, when what you really wanted was 2 rooms with 1 queen in each. A proper hotel clerk will re-verify your room to you, but so many people don't pay attention they don't know they have screwed up until they see the room then blame it on the clerk.

Make sure your credit or debit card has funds on it prior to checking in, and don't assume the hotel will take cash or traveler's checks upfront. Most hotels must guarantee the room with either a valid (funded) credit or debit card, and you can only pay cash or via traveler's checks at checkout. Don't waste your or the clerk's time trying to check in with a card that will decline or try to wave cash in their face when the hotel simply cannot accept that form of payment at check-in.

Pay attention to details on how to get to the room, and where other amenities are, like bar, restaurant, and pool. This keeps you from returning to the desk later going "Where was my room again?" You get a map for a reason. Use it.

Don't lie about having pets. We can see your car, and eventually we will catch you walking your dog or cat and charge you for it. On that note, DO NOT bring your pet into the lobby, even for pet-friendly hotels. I don't care if it's a tiny pet, it's a distraction and annoyance to other guests and clerks. If you DO bring in your pet, leave it on a leash, don't just let it wander around, and do not put your pet on the counter next to you. People do this all the time, and it's gross and makes the hotel look bad.

Know who the reservation is under when you check in, and if you're not the one paying for it, you better have a credit card anyway. So many people try to check in early under, say, their parents names and try to get keys to check in before it's paid for because "Dad is 30 miles out." No payment, no keys. Period. Clerks don't care if you arrived before the rest of the party, you'll just have to wait in the lobby if the person paying for the room hasn't arrived yet because their card still needs to be swiped.

Many people are under the misconception that their room is already paid for since they guaranteed the room with their credit card already. The credit or debit card is not charged or authorized until check in, so don't assume you don't need to bring your card with you, or else you cannot check in. Unless you actually prepaid through an outside party such as Priceline or Travelocity, you still have to swipe your credit card at check-in because you have not been charged yet.

There are many ways to check in without difficulties into a hotel, and these are just a few of them. All I can say is, be prepared and know what you want, and listen to the clerk when they tell you about actual availability. This makes the process easier for all.