Shipping luggage to a hotel

3 tips to consider when shipping luggage ahead to a hotel

One of the most exciting aspects of taking a vacation is staying at an amazing hotel that lets you unwind and get pampered with amenities like 1800 thread count bedding, 24/7 room service, and morning poolside time with a good book (mimosa in hand, of course).

If you have loyalty rewards, there’s a slight chance for an upgrade at check-in. However, if you’re not a preferred guest, one thing you can do to feel like you’ve received an upgrade is to ship your luggage ahead of time to the hotel.  Here are 3 tips before you ship:

• Select the right shipping carrier

  Depending on the purpose of your trip (bucket list vacation or weekend to visit your relatives), you may want to adjust how and who you ship your luggage with for your upcoming hotel stay. FedEx and UPS are great options for shipping luggage inside the US, while DHL is a very popular and trusted option for international shipping.

  Also, there are specialty luggage shipping services as well that provide a bit more flexibility (lower pricing) or added perks (on demand pickups from your doorstep). Regardless, all shipping options provide a better travel experience by not having you lug your bags to and from the airport and possibly paying stiff airline baggage fees to check your bags with an airline.

• Contact the hotel prior

  While most hotels are fully equipped to accept packages (like luggage and boxes) for current and upcoming guests, it doesn’t hurt to call ahead and double check with the hotel staff or concierge.

  For example, if shipping luggage to Las Vegas, and staying in a large hotel with a FedEx or UPS business center, there may be a handling fee to accept a package that could be as much as what it cost you to ship it in the first place. Or, if you are staying at a boutique hotel with no extra storage capacity, your luggage may be turned away and not accepted. So, just give the hotel a call prior to booking your luggage shipment.

• Don’t ship your medications

  Even though it is extremely safe to ship luggage (some say, even safer than checking your bags with an airline) it is not worth the angst or risk to ship your daily essentials like allergy medication or daily vitamins. However, make sure the medications and essentials you are bringing with you on the plane are TSA-approved.

  Also, one more reason to bring them with you is what if your flight is delayed due to weather or mechanical issues? What if your flight is randomly cancelled that day? There are so many things that can change while flying these days, so, just as a pre-caution, bring what you need for 1-2 days with you in your carry-on bag. While most people ship their luggage ahead of time so it is already waiting at the hotel prior to their flight taking off, it makes sense to factor in some of the unknowns delays that may come up on your day of travel.

If you are looking to ship your luggage for an upcoming hotel stay, and are looking to beat airline baggage fees, consider checking out LugLess. Pricing starts at $15 a bag to ship in the US and we provide flexible pickup and drop off options for travelers.

One of the main benefits of using LugLess is guests can start their hotel stay at their front door, not baggage claim; providing a vastly more enjoyable and stressful travel experience that is sure to make you feel like a loyalty member despite not having the official status with a hotel.