Hotels: Peninsula – check-in and check-out when you want

One of my favourite hotels in the world is the Peninsula Bangkok and if money was no object, I would stay in a Peninsula hotel wherever they have them.

Unfortunately my budget is not infinite, but this latest initiative will allow me to justify the expense to myself even better!

Arrive earlier and stay longer

As part of a raft of initiatives, the Peninsula is introducing the concept of ‘Peninsula Time’, which is brand-speak for the ability to check-in from 6am, and to check out as late as 10pm – with no additional charges applying. From the wording of the press release, it looks like you might need to pre-arrange this.

This initiative is available from January 2021.

Other initiatives

The hotel group has announced a further range of initiatives for 2021:

Destination specific sustainable amenities

. . . or again in brand-speak:

‘Custom-created by local fragrance curators to embody the essences of each Peninsula locale, the amenities – shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body milk, and soap – offer guests a delightful sensory immersion in their hotel’s destination.’

These sort of public relations created sentences tend to make me barf at the mangling of language and meaning. Peninsula, your hotels are better than this!

Guaranteed adjoining rooms at the time of booking

This includes a 20 to 25% discount on the room rate when booking two rooms or a room and a suite, plus free breakfast and a US$100 credit at the hotel restaurants and spa. These benefits come under the heading of ‘Right Connection’

New cancellation policies

You can now cancel a booking right up until 3 pm (local time) the day prior to arrival. Early-bird bookings which attract a discount (Luxury in Advance) can now be changed without penalty for 12 months from the original booking date. The group is also suspending cancellation fees on group and banquet bookings made through to 30 June 2021 if the event is rescheduled within 12 months of the original event date.

E-concierge services and gift cards

‘PenChat‘ allows guests to text requests or inquiries to the concierge team using apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, and Facebook Messenger and receive responses in English and the language local to the destination. This avoids the downloading of a hotel specific app to arrange your dining, tourist, business, or room amenity requirements.

Peninsula is also rolling out a gift cards for use in their properties. Available at a few properties now, this is being rolled out to cover all properties during 2021. Purchasers will be able to order online and select from physical or digital cards.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

These initiatives are not groundbreaking, but the ‘Peninsula Time’ flexible check-in and check-out time is something that I and I am sure other patrons will value. In reality, if you arrive early, or want to depart late, Peninsula hotels will give you access to their amenities, like gym showers and bathrooms, if not access to an actual room, even if it is not the room you are/were to stay in. This has happened to me in Bangkok and Singapore over the years.

I’m sure that the Peninsula Group is doing it as tough as every other hotel group around the world during COVID-19. Some of these initiatives, like the cancellation policy are just bringing it into line with virtually all hotels who are offering free cancellation or date change at the moment. Others like the flexible check-in and out policy are brand advantages I hope will stay beyond the COVID-19 era.