Lionel Spalding arrives at the five-star Majestic Hotel on Wednesday, March 22, 1995 where he is accidentally drenched by an overflowing fountain due to a prank by Kyle and his older brother Brian, much to the stress and frustration of the hotel manager and the boys' widowed father Robert Grant. He is disappointed with the boys but they are guaranteed a vacation in Barbados afterwards, only to be forced to cancel the trip for a third time by the ruthless hotel owner, Elena Dubrow, due to the upcoming Crystal Ball where one of the guests is revealed to be a critic from the Le Monde Traveller Organization who they hope will reward the Majestic with a sixth star. At that moment, "Lord" Rutledge a jewel thief, arrives with an orangutan named Dunston, intending to steal the guests' jewelry. Dunston and his deceased brother Samson were both trained in thievery their entire lives. Now Dunston has been wanting to escape from Rutledge's poor treatment and life of crime ever since. Meanwhile, Rutledge distracts and causes Kyle to accidentally set a sterling rope mini-pulley free from his hand where Brian falls down and out from a laundry chute. Dunston flees from Rutledge and is later found by Kyle, who befriends the poor orangutan and promises to keep him safe. However Dunston soon begins causing disruption in the hotel such as ruining Mr. Spalding's workout and interfering with Mrs. Dellacroce's massage. After realizing Dunston's presence, Robert calls for an animal control specialist named Buck LaFarge to remove Dunston from the hotel. Rutledge searches the hotel for Dunston, and after locating him, ties Kyle up and gags him. Dunston and Kyle escape to the ballroom where the Crystal Ball is taking place, obtaining a picture of Rutledge, Dunston, and Samson from Rutledge's room. Kyle and Brian show the picture to their dad, and Robert is infuriated when Kyle says Rutledge tied him up. Brian and Kyle search for Dunston, avoiding LaFarge and Mrs. Dubrow, while Robert and Rutledge fight in the kitchen. Robert eventually stands up to Mrs. Dubrow, but is fired in the process. However, it turns out that Lionel Spalding, who had been humiliated, injured and inconvenienced by Dunston's antics, was the critic all along. As a result, Mr. Spalding declares Mrs. Dubrow managed to go from a five-star hotel to a one-star hotel. Rutledge is arrested and LaFarge apologizes to Dunston, who then punches him. In the end, thanks to the more kind-hearted Mr. Dubrow, Robert, Kyle and Brian relocate to Bali, to manage a Majestic hotel there and have even managed to keep Dunston as a pet. They invite Mr. Spalding over with a complementary room and meals to make up for all the trouble he experienced and assure him that nothing will go wrong this time. However, in the last scene, Dunston causes further trouble by dropping a large coconut which lands on Mr. Spalding's head.
The film received mostly negative reviews from critics, and holds a 12% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Some contemporary reviews were more generous, however. Desson Howe and Rita Kempley of The Washington Post referred to the film by saying "it ain't half bad", and a "plucky, prank-filled family farce" respectively. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times stated that Dunston Checks In "is a delightful and funny family film of exceptional high style", "as light as a soufflé and just as delicious", and "plays like a tribute to the resourceful, unpretentious studio productions of the past". According to an article published in the Chicago Tribune, "The cast is talented, the hide-and-seek action is silly, and the bond between a sweet little boy and the adorable ape is touching." Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on a scale of A+ to F. Faye Dunaway's performance in the film and in The Chamber earned her a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress. The film was also nominated at the 18th Youth in Film Awards for Best Family Feature Film: Musical or Comedy, and Eric Lloyd for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Actor Age Ten or Under. The film was successful at the box office in India, where it was dubbed as Ek Bandar Hotel Ke Andar.
Home media
Dunston Checks In was much more successful in home video than in theaters. the studio had an estimated $41.6 million in video sales, receiving 75%, greatly exceeding box office gross. The film was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on VHS on May 27, 1998. It was released on DVD on May 25, 2004 and October 8, 2013.
