The hotel-booking site that saved our first day in Paris

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Our flight landed in Paris shortly after 7 a.m. Our Airbnb wouldn't let us check in until late afternoon. We had two tired adults, two tired kids, and most of a day to fill before we had access to our apartment.

I had heard of day-use hotels before but had never used one and honestly didn’t have the impression that they were for families. But with some quick Googling, I found Dayuse. It ended up being a lifesaver for our trip.

For travelers arriving on an overnight flight, there is often a gap between landing and check-in. You might land at 6 a.m. but your hotel or Airbnb doesn’t allow check-in until 3 p.m. So you’re stranded in a coffee shop with your bags, biding your time (or begging for an early check-in).

Dayuse lets travelers book hotel rooms for a few hours during the day rather than overnight. It’s a close cousin of the one-night stay strategy for bookending a trip, just compressed into a single morning or afternoon.

A few hours before departure, after I knew our flight was operating on time, I booked a room through Dayuse at the 4-star Drawing Hotel in central Paris.

The reservation ran from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and cost €95, including fees. I paid a small deposit at booking, with the balance due at the hotel. Cancellation was free, though I would have forfeited the deposit.

I was a little nervous about booking so close to the check-in time but was pleasantly surprised that there were lots of hotels available all around Paris.

It worked better than I expected. My only regret is not trying it sooner.

We arrived at the hotel, had breakfast, took showers, pulled the blackout curtains shut, and got several hours of sleep. We woke up and were refreshed to journey to our Airbnb and out to dinner.

As I was using it, I kept thinking that families may be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this service.

Adults can usually power through a day of sightseeing while tired. Not little kids.

A hotel room provides a place to nap, decompress, use a bathroom, change clothes, store bags, and reset after a long flight. Parents who have spent hours wandering a city with exhausted children before accommodation check-in will immediately understand the appeal.

Not every hotel on Dayuse offers the same hours. Some properties offered very early morning check-in times, while others started later. Check-out times varied as well. I also found there wasn't much flexibility to customize the time block. In most cases, you choose from the windows that the hotel makes available.

The hotels themselves were also nicer than I expected. Dayuse markets openly to couples looking for a few private hours, so I went in half-expecting something seedy. What I found instead were legitimate upscale properties in desirable locations.

I also noticed that the hotel didn't ask for my ID at check-in, even though the reservation confirmation indicated that identification would be required. My guess is that this varies by property.

While Dayuse appears to have the largest inventory, especially in Europe, there are other similar companies worth knowing about:

• ByHours: Fixed 3-, 6-, or 24-hour blocks with a check-in time you choose
• HotelsByDay: Another option to be aware of, with hotels in the U.S. and abroad
• ResortPass: Best for resort amenities (like if you just want to use the pool or spa)

For our Paris trip, a daytime hotel room made the arrival day noticeably easier and more enjoyable. I'm glad I know about it now, and I'll almost certainly look at it again for future trips with and without kids.

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