Cool. For next time and other folks, you can filter search results on booking.com by choosing a requirement for a 24 hrs front desk. If you do, and I do alot, alway double check what that means in the description or comments. Also double check the hotels policy info by by clicking on ‘property policies’. Sometimes it will be a normal desk, but increasingly hotels, especially at the budget end are introducing ‘self check in’ where typically they will send you a code to open a box to obtain a key. Seems to work well in my many experiences!
There are a huge number of filter options on booking.com so you can hone in on exactly what you search and can use this alongside the search function, where you can instruct your needs on price for example.