Bookexp

I often mail literatures to the hotel I am going to stay before my trip. I just stayed at Sheraton Seattle and was charge $125 for 8 boxes (each box is about 25 lbs with box size 18 x 12 x 8”). I picked up these boxes an hour after FedEx delivered the boxes to the hotel. These boxes took about the same space as the mini bar in the hotel room.

I have done this for years, but have never experience hotels charge for receiving packages. This is especially annoying because when I called the hotel to verify the shipping address, the hotel did not disclose there would be charges for receiving packages.

When I brought this issue to the front desk, they did reduce it to $50.00. I actually don’t mind paying if they disclose in advance. But they charge me after the fact, which made me not too happy about it.

Is it common for hotels to charge receiving packages?

fly co to see the yanks

it is my belief that it is happening more and more.

and, even more than long distance charges and internet, it is insultingly expensive.

i am waiting to be charged for electricity sometimes.

nothing like nickel and diming customers even though rates are at all-time historical highs.

sbtinme

Those are simply egregious charges. No one thinks they are reasonable, including hotel management. However, if they get away with charging it 90% of the time, then they come out winners, don't they?

It's really no different than some hotels in the Northeast US now charging for parking when they have absolutely no business doing so. Two examples that are maddening are the Sheraton Needham (MA) and the nearby Westin Waltham (MA). These hotels operated for well more than a decade with attached parking garages for all guests and never considered charging to park there. Now, each guest gets a delightful $8 a night fee assessed them for the nearby parking. That, to me, is simply outlandish and really upsetting. The $8 is nothing, of course, but the fact that they have the gall to charge for it in a semi-residential neighborhood is ludicrous.

Billing a guest a whopping $125 for what the OP describes as 8 small boxes is just plain nuts. We can ALL agree on that. I think I would've asked for the GM himself and asked for a complete reversal of such a charge based on common sense grounds. My suspicion is that a significant percentage of GM's would quietly reverse the charges.

Flycotoseetheyanks is correct. I, too, suspect that this environment of creeping charges will be with us in the days ahead. If you want your sheets changed daily, that'll be an incremental $7 charge. If you'd like a fresh towel every day, that's another $2.

PersonalFlotationDevice

I've noticed on recent SPG bookings that my T&C explicitly note that there may be "package delivery fees" or somesuch...

DENPremEx

Just wait for the soon coming recesion. As the subprime mess continues to spread and the RE market continues to tank the economy will slide and business travel will dry up. Needless to say I'm looking forward to lower rates, more and better promotions and some groveling on the part of *Wood in order to obtain my business.

I have a list, its the hotel equivilant of a $h!t list, where I keep track of hotels that institute rediculous and aggregious money grabbing policies like the one described by the OP. I've added this hotel to my list.

DENPremEx

If this wasn't disclosed up front I would refuse to pay the charge and dispute it with your CC company. You might find they back down when you take a stand (assuming it wasn't disclosed to you up front).

number_6

You can take pride in being instrumental in creating this new charge, if you have been doing this for years and in signficant quantity. Hotels have had to impose a raft of charges as people have discovered ways to game the system and get free service (paid for by the other guests). Clearly it does cost something to process receiving those packages (but not USD 125 or even 50). However it can be a surprisingly large amount when you consider all the labour involved. The charge of circa USD 15 per carton seems reasonable to me (but then, I only send 1 carton and not 8). Lots of hotels are doing this now, this really isn't a Starwood issue. And I've found the rate you are paying at the hotel has a lot of effect on these charges (pay a high enough rate, and they are waived).

BLI-Flyer

I've also noticed that very much like charging for receiving faxes and charging for Internet, it's the higher-end hotels that are more likely to do this. I've found the package charge to be much more prevalent at hotels that either have a lot of conference traffic or are attached to a conference center.

tyn

In my experience hotels will always accept to store for you a reasonable number of boxes at no charge if they're for a meeting/convention you are holding at that hotel and paying a meeting facility for.

When I'm shipping boxes care of the hotel for my own convenience and for events not held at the hotel, I've found that one box is considered reasonable and will usually not be charged, more than that falls into the storage category and is therefore a service you are expected to pay for. Space is a limited and very valuable thing in a hotel.

Did you contact the hotel beforehand to let them know you were sending over all that stuff and checked with them if they were okay with it? I would never dream of sending so many boxes of stuff over without making sure they will accept it or without knowing if there is a cost involved for the service

imakinov

Last year at Westin Detroit Airport, I got charged for a 1 box dropshipped by westin online shop. Both parties agreed to ship/store until my arrival, but never mentioned about charge.

At the time of check-in, they told me there'll be $10 charge, but finally get that charge off(same reason what everyone talk about-no advance notice).
--If westin.com's goods, they shouldn't be even charging S&H I think but...

sbtinme

I really don't think I can agree with that. We all know that virtually all front line hotel employees are making small hourly wages. What could possibly constitute what you refer to as "a surprisingly large amount (of cost) when you consider all the labour involved?" What labor?!?

FedEx shows up on the back dock of the hotel and drops off 2 boxes with the receiver. The receiver calls banquets or someone in the sales department to come pick up the 2 boxes, which takes about 90 seconds. The boxes are then stored in the bellman closet, or more frequently, in the banquets storage areas. Case closed. Why would this cost $50 or more?

I'd estimate the dedicated labor cost at somewhere around $1.10.

Now, if we're talking a pallet of meeting materials and lots of odd shaped, very heavy containers shipping in, that's a different story. But the usual case is that a few small boxes (or large envelopes) are mailed to the hotel for the guest's collection -- I can't see any more than a very marginal cost being assessed for that.

Sorry.

christianj

Westin La Canterra in San Antonio, TX just charged me $5 for receiving a UPS Next Day envelope this past week.

blort

Sheraton Boston dinged me $8 for receiving a 2lb box. But that's not the best part.

I had the box sent FedEx Priority Overnight, with a 10:30am delivery guarantee. Shortly before 10am, I get an e-mail from FedEx with the dreaded "exception." The reason? Recipient not available or business closed!

I immediately called FedEx. The rep explained that the driver tried to deliver the package, but the shipping/receiving docks at the Sheraton were full and that he would have to return later. Fortunately the driver did indeed return about an hour later, and the second time was a charm. Of course, nobody bothered to call me to say a package had arrived (I guess that isn't part of the $8 fee).

Needless to say, I was a little irritated for being charged to receive a package when the hotel clearly doesn't have sufficient facilities to handle deliveries. If you're going to charge me to receive a package, I don't want to hear some excuse about how your dock being full caused my package to be late.

Oh, and I asked about it at check out. "Sir, that's a separate department, so I can't do anything about the charge. But I'll let them know there's a problem!"

itsaboutthejourney

In the Op's case, I have to say that charging a fee is legit (Although not $16/box)

I've shipped truckloads of boxes to the Sheraton NY & Towers & other Starwood hotels for events. They charge a few bucks per package, but here is the value I see in the charge:

- Someone is there during biz hours to receive the packages, I'm still traveling. Nothing "left" at the door.
- Every received package is logged, so the hotel helps "track"
- The hotel holds the boxes until I need them
- The hotel delivers the boxes exactly where I need them (meeting room, my room, etc.)
- With mission critical materials the items are "looked after"

The Op was conducting business with the literature in the boxes, so it's a business expense.

Remember, if you are doing a meeting or many boxes, it's polite to inform the hotel ahead of time. Space is always an issue in busy hotels. Also, everything is negotiable, so include a box rate in your deal if signing a meeting contract.

Now if it's just one package and it can easily be carried with one hand, I'd hope the hotel would waive the fee at least for SPG Elites.

tinkybelle

I just ordered 2 new carryons and they were delivered a week before my arrival at Conrad Chicago.
On my checkin the lady walked out with them and they were quite large.
No charge.^