By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Editor

This is the dilemma of many a traveler. Your flight arrives in the morning (sometimes early in the morning) to your destination, yet the hotel where you are staying does not have a check-in time until 2 p.m.

So what do you do in the meantime? Here are some tips from travelers who have posted on Quora, plus some of my own. This has happened to me many times and I always take the same approach.

• I go to the hotel. At the front desk, I ask if there is an early check-in available or if my room happens to be ready. Half the time it is ready and I can go directly into it. Once I figure out how the room key works, anyway (haha).

• If the room is not ready, I ask if they can store my luggage (the answer is always yes) and then I see if the hotel’s restaurant is open or I ask suggestions of where to go to get something to eat or drink or if there’s something of interest close to the hotel.

• I sometimes use the hotel’s WiFi and hang out in the lobby until the room is ready.

• Be polite. Ask in a nice manner. I always say “hi, I’m here. Is there any chance of checking in now?” And I always say “thank you,” whether or not I can get into the room. Sometimes, the room may not be immediately available but I have been told many times that one will be ready soon and just to take a seat in the lobby or come back in an hour or so and then I can get into the room.

Tips From Seasoned Travelers

• Jeremy writes that a hotel offered him breakfas at its restaurant and let him use the pool.  I never thought of asking if it was okay to hang out by the pool. There, you can lay down, catch some sleep and even go for a swim. This is a great idea!

• Dori writes that, while traveling with the family and facing a 2 1/2-hour drive while exhausted after a long flight, they got a room for a few hours at an airport hotel. This, too, is a great idea because some airports do have hotels that rent rooms for a few hours and you don’t pay the full rate.

• Dick 54768 stated that he sometimes sleeps in the lobby. That works, too, for short naps.

• Bunny 97, who identified herself as a hotel check-in employee, advises to contact the hotel ahead of time to let them know your estimated time of arrival. That way, the check-in staff is prepared and might be able to hand you a room key upon your arrival. She also said to be polite and do not to get mad or yell if a room is not immediately available. I completely agree with that last part because a bad attitude will put you at the bottom of the hotel’s priority check-in list. In fact, it’s a good policy to have wherever you go or whatever you do while traveling.

• Bob, a business traveler, states that he always books his hotel room a day in advance so he can check into it immediatley upon arrival. That’s great if you have the extra money to spend or, as in Bob’s case, are on an expense account. Still, it’s a solid idea, espeically if you’re traveling for business and have meetings that day.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that sometimes you can check in early but if not, then make the most of the situation by doing some sightseeing, going to a local restaurant and above all, being polite to the hotel staff.