Landing at 1am with a 16 month old…

[Iambee]

Really wasn’t sure what board to post this on but want some fellow parents advice and thoughts so landed here.

Have booked a surprise trip for my husbands big birthday in November. Emirates have just changed our flights meaning we now land at 1am local time (it’ll be 10pm out time) our hotel check in is 4pm. I have contacted the hotel to ask if we can pay for an earlier check in and they want £687 as would need to pay for an extra night (booked the hotel ages ago and didn’t pay this per night so must’ve increased). Cancelling isn’t an option as would loose all the money. I can’t justify (or really afford) to pay that much money for a room for 14 hours.

Am I absolutely mental to think our best bet is to check in to a hotel at the airport once we’ve landed, all get some sleep and then head on to our hotel? Have found a airport hotel for £79 with a 12pm checkout time.

Has anyone done similar or perhaps got any better ideas!? My husband would absolutely have a solution but obvs it’s a surprise so I’m sharing my stresses here instead!

I’d go with the airport hotel. Can roll straight off the flight and get some sleep. Before heading to the final hotel later in the day. You should be able to drop luggage even if the room isn’t ready.

Have you contacted Emirates? They might do something for you if you lay it on a bit thick!!

That's what I'd do! Check in when you land, get a few hours sleep and then go to your actual hotel! Xx

Yes £79 to have somewhere to go sounds reasonable but you probably won't get there till 3:30 at the earliest.

Yiur baby will most likely sleep through the whole thing when you land, and wake you at 6am though!

That's a great idea. Book it now before prices go up

@TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclination Sorry I missed that out! Yup contacted Emirates and they can offer another flight but from an airport 2 hours away (but no guarantee of that flight time not changing either).. airport we’re flying from is a 5 minute drive from home so I felt it wasn’t a risk worth taking. This is the 3rd time the flight time has changed since I booked it in March so I also don’t really want to stump out £700 and the flight possibly changing again nearer the time!

Just make sure you let the airport hotel know you won’t be checking in until 2am ish as you don’t want them to give the room away as a no show.

Have already booked the airport hotel yesterday and messaged them to request a cot and that we won’t be checking in until 2-3am and they replied confirming my requests. Also has free cancellation until the day before so I felt if flight does change again then my risk is minimal.

I have zero doubt that he will sleep through half the flight and then be wide awake to start his day as soon as we get to the hotel BUT I’d rather tired parent in a hotel room than a hotel lobby haha!

Thanks everyone for all the replies already, really appreciate it

This is what we did when we went to New York. Landed 9pm at Newark (2am our time I think? We were exhausted either way) , went straight to sleep at an airport hotel there and then woke up next day fresh and ready to head into NYC, it was really just a bed for us. Wasn’t with a toddler though!

With that kind of time difference you might even want to keep little one on their UK timings - would get you later evenings and lie ins in the morning?

Yeah, lots of airlines having a shit time with airports at the moment.

Shame Emirates didn't offer you a room, lots of airlines used to, especially when travelling with a small child & when they changed your flights to anti social arrival times. They used to have deals with airport hotels. But this was all pre covid & I'm out of the industry now.

yep, definitely better to have a wide awake toddler in a room, not a lobby!! At least he can watch TV! & you can snooze, order room service or go & buy snacks.

not try to manage in a busy lobby!!

I hope it goes smoothly & you have a brilliant holiday 🍹

Thanks so much everyone x