Why We Love the Hyatt Regency Day Use Rooms at MCO

For travelers with late flights home, trying to fill the time before you are allowed to board your plane can be exhausting – especially if you are traveling with little ones.

But what if you could spend those final hours of your trip relaxing in a private room just steps away from your gate? You can if you book a Hyatt Regency Day Use Room at Orlando International Airport (MCO).

Here’s how it works.

What is a Day Use Room?

Known as “Day Use Rooms”, many hotels (especially those near or inside airports) rent unused rooms for a block of hours during the day.

Day Use Rooms are a win-win for both hotels and travelers. Hotels get paying customers in rooms during times of the day when those spaces are between overnight guests, and weary travelers on long layovers get a place to relax.

Who should consider a Day Use Room

Day Use Rooms can be a great option for some people. Here’s who we recommend them for.

People with late flights

Have you ever booked the last flight out of Orlando because you just knew you’d want to squeeze every last drop out of your vacation, only to get to the end of your trip worn out and just wanting to relax?

Or maybe you’re still full of energy, but the departure day weather is terrible and the last thing you want to do is spend part of the day in the parks getting soaked.

Whatever the reason, if your flight is leaving late in the day, you’ll need to figure out what to do between the hours when you have to check out of your resort and when your flight takes off.

Spending your time relaxing in a Day Use Room at a hotel steps from your gate is one way you can fill that gap.

Cruisers

Debarkation time for many cruises is scheduled to happen quite early in the morning. But in general, it is recommended that you book your flights home for later in the day just in case you are delayed for any reason.

That means you’ll likely have a lot of hours to fill between the time you get off the ship to when you board a plane.

Day Use Rooms are a popular way to pass the time – especially if you are prone to being a bit wobbly after being at sea and you need some time to get your land legs back.

How it works

Day Use Rooms at the Hyatt Regency inside MCO are available between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. daily.

Policies for Day Use Rooms at other resorts can vary, but at this resort, guests that book a Day Use Room have access to not only a private room (with 1 king or 2 queen beds) but also all the resort amenities like the pool, fitness center, and when available, room service.

How to book

Unfortunately, you can’t typically book a Day Use Room online.

Although Hyatt says you can sometimes see the rooms on their website, the surest way to check on their availability ahead of time is to call the front desk at (407) 825-1234. If you are already in the airport, you can also visit the front desk to inquire on rooms.

And, keep in mind that Day Use Rooms are limited so the sooner you can book the better your chances of snagging one.

Price

The price will vary depending upon occupancy and room size (either king or 2 queen beds), but you can expect to pay between $109 and $149, and that price isn’t discounted even if you only use the room for part of the day.

Location

When you enter the atrium of the main terminal and you look up, you’ll see the balconies for the hotel.

The entrance (and the elevator) to the Hyatt Regency is located near the East Security Checkpoints, inside the Main Terminal

Other things to think about

Day Use Rooms are often a great option, but here are some other things to consider before you decide to do it.

Late checkout at your original resort

Depending on when your flight is, it may make more sense to see if you can snag a late checkout at your original resort instead.

Late Checkouts are subject to availability, and while some late checkouts are free, there are sometimes options to pay a bit to checkout even later in the afternoon.

In full disclosure, we have had pretty poor results with getting late checkouts at Disney Resorts. Most of the time when we have asked we have either been denied or checkout time has only been extended by an hour. This is understandable since Mousekeeping has lots of rooms to turn over every day.

But, if you are staying offsite, it won’t hurt to ask about a late checkout, especially since some hotel rewards clubs offer late checkouts as one of their benefits.

Can’t book it with points

Unfortunately, Day Use Rooms at MCO can’t be booked with points. But, if you have lots of points to use, it may be worth it to compare the cost of paying cash for a Day Use Room vs. using points to just book a night at the resort.

It may make more sense to book a night

Day Use Rooms aren’t cheap; you’re paying for convenience, so before you commit to it, make sure you do some comparison shopping.

For example, it may be cheaper to just book an extra night at your original resort or if your flight is really late at night, to book a full night at the Hyatt in the airport.

Checking luggage

If you are checking your luggage, keep in mind that you won’t be able to check your bags until you are within 4 hours of your flight.

And, with Disney suspending Resort Airline Check-in, you’ll have to keep your luggage with you until you get close enough to your flight to check it.

Pack what you’ll need

If you plan to swim or think you’ll want to clean up or shower, make sure you have what you’ll need with you.