Typically, I don’t sleep the night before an early morning flight.
I simply don’t trust myself to wake-up on time.
What’s more, the cost of missing my flight would keep me up for months, so I simply remain awake at night and sleep on the plane. This is true if I’m departing from my home or a hotel, though the latter is debuting some new practices to help heavy sleepers like me avoid the costly mistake of missing a flight or an important business meeting.
Properties like The Wolcott Hotel in New York are going the extra mile so guests don’t find themselves paying exorbitant fees for sleeping past their flight departure times. The hotel will send an employee to a guest’s door if a wake-up call goes unanswered.
Yes, an actual human being will knock on your door to ensure you are awake at the time you requested.
Nice. Though, the Westin Resort and Casino in Aruba goes a step further by sending a staff member to your room even if you respond to the first telephone wake-up call, to make sure you actually get up. Meanwhile, at The Adolphus in Dallas, if you miss your wake-up call three times, a security guard will show up at your door.
Other hotels are also jumping on the personalized wake-up bandwagon, including Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos, Mexico. Guests at the luxury resort are roused from their slumber by a butler knocking on the door with complimentary tea, coffee and breakfast breads.
While I love the idea of someone bringing sweet breakfast treats to my door, my favorite “wake-up” call has got to be the one offered by IHG’s Crowne Plaza. The company features a wake-up call guarantee, which promises that if don’t receive a telephone call within five minutes of your requested time, you won’t have to pay for your room.
Now, that’s a good deal.