Last Updated on February 8, 2026 by Christine Kaaloa

I’m always looking for ways to maximize my airport layovers and turn them into an extra stopover trip or sightseeing adventure, so I meticulously research and choose my layovers wisely.

If you’re embarking on a long-haul journey with layovers, taking advantage of airlines’ free transit hotel stays can transform a tiresome trip into a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Many leading airlines in Asia offer these enticing programs, providing eligible passengers with complimentary hotel stays, airport transfers, and even meal vouchers. Here’s a comprehensive guide to airlines’ free transit hotel stay programs offered by some of the top airlines!

Note: As a solo creator, it’s not always easy to stay on top of changes to these lists. If you find a transit hotel is no longer being offered, please let me know, so I can update this list!

This post contains affiliate links. Trip insurance is one of my in-flight trip essentials. Here’s a trip insurance finder tool  to find one that matches your budget. I always buy trip insurance that covers adventures, gear and travel theft. 

What’s included in a free transit hotel?

Hotel star level – Economy passengers usually receive a comfortable mid-range hotel near the airport, while business and first class may be hosted at 4‑ or 5‑star properties.

Free Shuttle between airport and hotel–  Most programs include a shuttle or private transfer; you may have to meet the driver at a specific curb or hotel counter after clearing immigration. When I did my Turkish Air transit hotel stay, we waited for our shuttle group to collect and at the hotel front desk check-in, they told me when my shuttle pickup was going to be according to my flight time and how early I needed to be at the airport for check-in.

Complementary meals and drinks – Some airlines provide full buffet meals or set menus, while others only offer breakfast or a meal voucher for a hotel restaurant.

Visa support– In hubs like Dubai and Doha, the airline may assist with a transit visa or rely on existing visa-free transit policies if your nationality qualifies.

What’s not included: City sightseeing, extra nights, late check-out or adding more guests than allowed.

General eligibility rules: How can I get a free transit hotel stay?

Most travelers miss out on a free transit hotel because they do not know they can get a free hotel stay through their airlines or they do not understand the fine print behind each airline’s policy. Upon booking, you will not be notified of your eligibility to a free transit hotel. Airlines and their freebies are sneaky like that.  Also, while the details vary, most programs follow similar rules:

Minimum and maximum layover time: To be eligible for a free transit hotel with your airlines carrier, many airlines usually require a layover of around 6–8 hours minimum and cap it at 24 –96 hours, depending on the carrier and route.

“Shortest available connection” rule – Your itinerary must show that you chose the shortest possible connecting flight when you booked. This means you cannot intentionally create a long layover just to get a free hotel.

International connecting flights only – Many free hotel programs apply only to international-to-international connections, not domestic connections or open-jaw tickets.

Single ticket / same booking reference – Your connection usually has to be on the same ticket and under one booking reference (PNR), not separate self-made itineraries. 

Eligible fare types and booking codes – Some discounted or codeshare fares are excluded, so the free transit hotel might not apply even if your layover is long enough.

No free hotel if a shorter connection exists – If there was a reasonable earlier connection available at the time of booking, you typically will not qualify—even if you decided to take a later flight.

Visa and entry requirements – You must still meet the visa or visa-free transit rules for the country, even if the airline is providing a complimentary hotel, transfers, or a city tour. It is always best to inquire with the airlines customer support for the program: When I did my complimentary Turkish Airlines transit hotel stay, the website said we were required to get a tourist visa as our hotels were outside the airport, so I got one. This is because the hotel was outside the premises of the airport and in the outskirts of Istanbul city, meaning that I was in Turkey.  

Check out airports with free layover city tours

Step-by Step Checklist: How to check if you’re eligible for a free hotel

1. Search for your airline’s transit hotel program
   Go to the airline’s official website and search terms like “transit hotel,” “stopover program,” “STPC,” “Dubai Connect,” or “complimentary transit accommodation.”
2. Check your itinerary details
   Confirm your layover length (arrival time to departure time), your booking class, and that you are on a single through-ticket.
3. Compare against program rules
   Look for the minimum/maximum layover window, eligible routes, and any excluded fare types or booking codes.​
4. Contact customer service with your PNR
   Using website chat window, WhatsApp or email, ask directly-  “Does my itinerary qualify for your complimentary transit hotel program?”
5. Get written confirmation
   Ask for a confirmation email, voucher or screenshot of the approval, and keep it handy for transit desk staff who might not know the rules as well as you do.

How to book a free transit hotel without getting denied

I just shared how booking must be done in advance or at the airport. This section is about how you can reverse engineer your booking so that you get a free transit hotel. This is what I did for my first free transit hotel with Turkish Airlines.

Book the right type of ticket – When possible, book directly with the airline. Avoid third-party OTA search engines, as most airlines and stopover benefits are restricted to direct bookings and fare classes from the airlines itself. See my tips on booking cheap flights

Use the airline’s stopover or transit hotel page to know the eligibility rules- For airlines like Qatar Airways and Emirates, there is often a dedicated booking page or form where you request the free hotel after you purchase your flights.

Submit your request early – Many carriers require you to submit a request 24–72 hours before departure to secure a room at their partner hotel. Some airlines programs require you to book before your arrival.  Other airlines accommodation programs allow you to sign in at the airline’s transit desk or customer support desk upon arrival at the airport.  out.

Prepare your information – Have your booking reference, flight numbers, passport details, and layover times ready when you fill out the form or contact customer support.

At the airport, go directly to the transit hotel or airlines’ customer service or hospitality desk – These customer service desks are never quite made clear and random airport staff will not know where they are. You need to be proactive in seeking them. Do this before leaving Arrivals. Once outside Arrivals, it’s too late.

Show proof of eligibility – Show them your boarding passes, booking confirmation and any approval emails or vouchers so the customer service staff can quickly verify you in the system.

Confirm what’s included – Ask about hotel location, shuttle times, meals included and whether you need a visa to leave the airport. Many layover hotel programs include meal vouchers and airport transfers. Follow the rules and the schedule they give you for your airport shuttles.

Check out airports with sleeping pod hotels

A List of Free Airlines Hotels for Long Layovers

1. Ethiopian Airlines Free In-Transit Hotels – Addis Ababa Stopovers

Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa Stopovers offers eligible passengers a free transit hotel stay for international transit passengers only, at the Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel for layovers of 8 to 24 hours in Addis Ababa Airport.

The free transit hotel offers a complimentary stay, complimentary water and free WiFi. Their site has links to resources in transportation and make sure you claim your essentials such as ATM, tourism kiosk information before you leave Arrivals.

2. China Southern Airlines Free In-Transit Hotels – Free Transit Accommodations

This is something I wish I researched earlier back when I flew a lot of Chinese airlines…

China Southern Airlines Free Transit Accommodations offers a complimentary one night hotel stay and to/from transportation to the hotel for flights with a transit of 6 to 30 hours for major hubs like Beijing and Guanghzou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Dalian, Changsha, Shenyang, Umruqi. Visit the Transit Accommodation Counter upon arrival.

There are very specific and overwhelming eligibility requirements for a free stay, so check the website for fine print.

Free Chinese Transit Visa: Before arriving check your airport to see which free China transit visa is offered at your port.  I’ve seen anything from 144 hour transit visa to 240 hour visa to 30 days (it has been changing), which means if you did not meet qualifications for the free hotel, you could easily find inexpensive accommodations nearby.  If you’re arriving in the morning you can easily make a day trip out of your time, if that’s so, I’d probably opt to use my layover as a sightseeing trip instead like I did in Shanghai and Beijing. China has loads of inexpensive accommodation and airports such as Beijing have Maglev trains directly into the city. I rode one during a layover that shot me to downtown in under 10 minutes!

3. Royal Jordanian Free In-Transit Hotels – Transit Passengers Accommodations

Royal Jordanian airlines has a Transit Passengers Accommodations program that provides one free transit hotel stay for international passengers with Amman Airport layovers from 8 hours (economy) and 6 -24 hours (Crown Class). Meals and transfers are included for qualifying passengers.

4. Royal Air Maroc – Airport Transit

Royal Air Maroc’s Airport Transit program provides one complimentary hotel stay for international passengers with Casablanca layovers over 8 hours. Shorter 4–8 hour layovers may receive meal vouchers only, not a full hotel room.

Complimentary hotel stay is either in or outside the airport.  If your hotel is located outside the airport, you may be subject to a transit visa or exit.

5. Sri Lanka Airlines Transit Accommodation Program

Sri Lanka Airlines Transit Accommodation Program offers a free transit hotel stay for passengers with Colombo layovers 8–24 hours. It includes: complimentary hotel stay, meals and airport transfer.  You must book 48 hours prior to arrival and be connecting to another Sri Lankan flights with a valid ETA.

Watch my video on my Sri Lanka Airlines experience + in-flight meals

6. Turkish Airlines Free In-Transit Hotels – Stopover in Istanbul

Turkish Airlines offers a wonderful free in-transit hotel experience and a free stopover in Istanbul program for passengers with a minimum 20‑hour layover in Istanbul.  The layover must be the shortest possible connection on the available itinerary. You can book up to 72 hours before your flight. Passengers flying internationally must connect through Istanbul. Departure and return must be to the same destination.

• Economy class passengers receive a one-night stay in a 4-star hotel.
• Business class travelers get a two-night stay in a 5-star hotel.
• You cannot use the in-transit hotel and Touristanbul signtseeing tours together on the same layover.
• Watch my Turkish Airlines in-transit hotel experience below and read how I got my comped hotel stay.

7. Emirates Airlines Free In-Transit Hotels – Dubai Connect

Emirates Airlines is world class in its flight experience –even in economy– but did you know Emirates’ Dubai Connect program provides a free in-transit hotel stay for international passengers with layovers 12–96 hours in Dubai. It includes: complimentary visa, hotel stay, airport transfers, and meal vouchers. The layover must be the shortest available connection when booking the flight. Eligibility depends on booking code and fare type.

At the time of booking, they let you know if you are eligible. If you are uncertain if you qualify, use the customer support messaging system on the website. After booking my Emirates flight to Nepal to speak at the Nepal Mela creator conference, I messaged them to find out if I qualified for an transit hotel experience. Unfortunately, I booked a flight code that did not qualify for a free hotel stay.

• First class and business class passengers receive a luxury hotel, while economy passengers get a comfortable standard hotel, so it pays to upgrade your seat.
• Participating hotels are not shabby: Capthorne Hotel Dubai, Le Meridian Airport Hotel Dubai, JW Marriot Marquis and others. It depends upon availability and flight tier.

Otherwise, Dubai Airport has limited lounge seats you might be able to score. Check out my airport sleeping pods article!

Watch my Emirates Economy + Dubai Airport Tour

This video takes you inside my in-flight experience of Emirates economy, meals and a tour of Dubai Airport, Emirates wing.

Check out my in-flight essentials checklist

8. Qatar Airways Free In-Transit Hotels – Stopover in Doha

Qatar Airways’ Stopover in Doha program offers free or discounted hotel stays for passengers with a 8–24 hour layover in Doha with no shorter connection available. Economy and business class travelers can take advantage of this offer.

Heavily discounted 4-5 star hotel stays for up to four nights, depending on class of travel. Discounts as low as under $20/night is practically unheard of!

Book in advance- the Qatar customer support desk at Doha can experience long queues!

Personally, I arrived thinking I would inquire about my eligibility but the line was long and slow with passengers urgently needing assistance to get to their connection. I decided to forego the hotel and opt for the city tour instead.

The Stopover in Doha program also offers optional city tours for those looking to explore Doha. I did a Doha city tour during my layover and although it was not free, it was very inexpensive and worthwhile!  I was surprised that they skirt me through immigration and the bus tour came with a guide, an air-conditioned bus and complimentary water. While I would have loved to stay longer at some of the sites, this layover tour piqued my curiosity of traveling Doha in the future. This is open to anyone who fits within the tour schedule window (likely around 5-6 hours at minimum). A fellow traveler was able to book both, the transit hotel stay and a Doha city tour, so if you have enough time

Common mistakes that cost you a free transit hotel

You might wonder why you didn’t get a free transit hotel or your transit hotel request was denied. Here’s common reasons:

• Booking separate tickets – Travelers often combine cheap flights on different tickets and then discover that the airline’s free hotel program only applies to through-tickets on the same booking.​
• Choosing a long layover when a shorter one existed – This one is a mistake I made myself… If the system offers a shorter connection at the time of booking, many airlines will reject your transit hotel claim, even if the longer layover is on the same day. The airlines is claiming a shorter connection was offered, yet you purposely chose not to take it.
• Arriving at the wrong desk (or too late) – I’m guilty of this one too. Some passengers wander the terminal or clear immigration before finding the transit desk and by the time you locate it, the desk is closed or the shuttle has left.
• Ignoring visa rules – This is a common mistake for budget travelers looking to skimp on paying for a tourist visa for that layover.  Not checking whether you qualify for visa-free transit, or failing to obtain a required e-visa or ETA, can mean you are unable to leave the airport for your “free” hotel.
• Assuming all fare types are eligible – Ultra-discounted tickets, group fares, reward tickets, or codeshares can sometimes be excluded, even when the itinerary otherwise qualifies.​
• Not keeping proof of eligibility – Without a confirmation email or voucher, you may end up arguing with airport staff who are rushed and may not be familiar with every detail of the program.

How to turn a long layover into a mini vacation

Pack a layover‑ready carry-on

I suggest packing a small layover kit with toiletries, fresh clothes and basic medications so you never need to touch checked luggage. This is why I travel with my airlines compliant carry-on convertible backpack as my main bag.

Use trip insurance and flight alerts

I highly recommend travel insurance that covers missed connections, medical issues, and lost luggage. You can use this trip insurance finder tool.

Consider paid upgrades or stopover packages

Some airlines sell heavily discounted stopover hotel nights for travelers, who do not meet the free transit rules, which can still be cheaper than booking independently.

Combine with airport lounges and sleeping pods

If your layover is just under the eligibility window, you can still make it comfortable by using lounge day passes, airport sleeping pod hotels or nearby airport hotels.

Can I leave the hotel and go sightseeing during my layover?

Sightseeing the city is typically not part of the complimentary transit hotel deal -unless it allows you to use an in-transit or stopover city tour like Emirates Air does when connecting in Dubai. Airlines like Turkish Air make you choose between the hotel stay or city tour.

What about my checked luggage?

If you checked your luggage all the way through to your final destination, you may not be able to collect your luggage. If due to your layover, you are required to re-check your luggage upon check-in, then you will be allows to collect your luggage.

I fly with a convertible carryon that meets flight requirements so last minute opportunities like these are never a problem for me- I automatically avoid luggage check-in if I know I have long layovers.

Final word about airlines complimentary hotels

That the availability and conditions of these programs may change, so it’s essential to verify the details on the respective airlines’ official websites or contact their customer service for the most up-to-date information before planning your travel. Have fun!

If you are interested in this guide to airports’ free transit hotel stays, you might be interested in free airport layover tours !