Have A Late Flight? Use This Hack At Your Next All-Inclusive Resort Stay

The inconvenient truth of travel is that your experiences may sometimes fall short of your initial expectations, even in settings designed for seamless enjoyment, like all-inclusive resorts. Even though these establishments promise a worry-free vacation, unexpected expenses always emerge. You still have to shell out money for gratuity, off-site excursions, your unlimited margarita fix, and those nightly massages and spa treatments. And when you have an inconvenient flight schedule that doesn't coincide with check-in and check-out times, tough luck, you'll have to strategize how to utilize your time in limbo.

If you're not keen on leaving the resort premises after checking out (really, who does?), you don't necessarily have to force yourself to rot for hours at the airport or feel pressured to fill your time with activities you don't want to do. A lesser-known hack is to inquire with the resort staff about access to the hospitality suite. It's a facility that allows guests to relax and do some last-minute flight preps without coughing up money for room extension fees or succumbing to late check-out penalties.

To the uninitiated, a hospitality suite is exactly what it sounds like. It's essentially a room with all sorts of amenities you can use at your disposal, and more often than not, they're free of charge. In short, it allows you to extend your relaxation to the last moment of your stay. How's that for all-inclusive?

Hospitality suites are often associated with weddings and business conferences, serving as dedicated spaces to accommodate guests' needs. Outside these events, these suites technically have the same function. They are basically just fancy lounges with a range of nifty amenities.

"Oftentimes, the hospitality suites are outfitted with charging stations, card and board games," Christina Mytinger, a director of catering for weddings at a Utah-based resort, told Brides. "For example, a hospitality suite at The St. Regis Deer Valley is conveniently located in one of the resort's stunning suites, such as a deluxe suite, which includes a living room, dining room, fireplace, designer kitchen, full bath, half guest bath, and patios, and can be customized with extra lounge seating, comfortable chairs, coffee tables, and extra outdoor seating." Some establishments go further, furnishing their hospitality suites with daybeds, free-flowing tea, coffee, and water, and even computer stations and copy machines should you need to get some work done prior to your flight.

Not all resorts and hotels have a dedicated hospitality suite, of course; some may have guest lounges instead. It's always best to consult with the concierge to inquire what facilities they have for patrons who want to fill their time before heading to the airport. There's no harm in asking anyway.