Comments on: Warning: If you overnight your luggage, don’t forget to notify your hotel

By: I Goldman

I Goldman — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:20:32 +0000

What is the name of the hotel that fixed its mistake? I would have, at most, expected a “Sorry.” Instead, the hotel did what was right. Kudos.

By: BriCo

BriCo — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:40:32 +0000

Before everyone gets too excited about using shippers rather than airlines for luggage, keep in mind that despite Laura’s cheap fees in Japan, the U.S. fees will not be anywhere near that inexpensive, compared to an airline’s$30 R/T. And if you naively believe those shippers don’t lose or delay shipments, think again. I once shipped via FedEx paying extra for ‘Next Morning’ delivery, and the package arrived the 2nd day. Their response (with NO refund) even after I quoted them their advertised TV clip (“if it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight”): “we don’t guarantee delivery day or time”.

By: Chad Davidson

Chad Davidson — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:20:55 +0000

I have been shipping my luggage to hotels for the last several years. At first I started like Steve using Fed Ex and UPS, but I have found a few companies that specialize in the luggage delivery service. After testing the waters with a couple of them, I have become a loyal customer of Luggage Forward (www.luggageforward.com). Whether I have been traveling for business or pleasure I use the service all the time. No more hassles of waiting at the baggage claim or worrying about the airlines loosing my golf clubs.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:33:42 +0000

We just came back from Japan, where doing this sort of thing (“takkyubin”) is very common and cheap. We were able to send our big bag from Kyoto to Tokyo for around $13, and then between Tokyo hotels when we were taking a brief 2-day excursion to the north for $10. With two kids in tow, it was bliss to be able to travel with just small backpacks. You could send the suitcases from almost any hotel or convenience store, and no hotel had any problem holding the bags. I wonder if the increase in checked bag fees will eventually inspire someone to create this sort of specialized service (or make it a special division of FedEx, UPS, etc.) in the US.

By: Kevin Muray

Kevin Muray — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:55:58 +0000

I still can not see shipping my stuff via UPS / FEDEX / DHL cus more times then not, even for ground shipping, its going to cost more then the 30 dollar roundtip bag fee on American Airlines.

Now yes, the shipping companys do a lot better job at keeping track of your baggage then airlines seem to, but overall, even with the charge, I think its going to be better to just keep checking your bags.

By: Amy Bradley-Hole

Amy Bradley-Hole — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:19:43 +0000

Thanks for this Chris — great tip.

The more info you put on the shipping label for a package heading to a hotel, the better. These are things you must put on a label:

Guest name, and the word GUEST written after it (I once worked for a hotel with over 2000 employees and nearly as many guests. Trying to figure out if addressee Joe Brown was an employee or an arriving guest was a chore.) Even better, if you know the arrival date of the package, write either IN-HOUSE GUEST or ARRIVING GUEST.

Arrival date

Confirmation number

Contact details

Group or function name, if applicable

All of this should be written CLEARLY in more than one place on the shipping label/box. Hinton’s future shipping plans are excellent and cover all bases.

P.S. I think hotels charging for guests to receive packages is just stupid.