soitgoes

It's a nuisance fee. I'd expect probably anywhere from $0-$20.

KNRG

That's obnoxious but still less then the alternative - so yay!

Non-NonRev

Another alternative is to ship via FedEx and use their "hold at FedEx Location" service:

http://fedex.com/us/services/options/hold.html

There is a FedEx office that offers this service at 700 S. Wabash, less than a block from the Blackstone.

milepig

I'm not sure if it matters, but that particular location is a FedEx/Kinkos and not a regular FedEx office.

I live a couple blocks from the Blackstone (great new hotel, BTW, but the lobby carpet will make you puke if you're drunk).

Non-NonRev

Some, but not all FedEx Kinkos (or FedEx Office, to use their new name) are designated as "hold" locations - the one on Wabash is so designated (I checked on the FedEx location webpage).

A general rule of thumb is that the larger offices with extended hours tend to offer the "hold" service (for example, I use the downtown Ft. Lauderdale FedEx Office location, whick is a larger, 24/7 location).

chgoeditor

I've shipped a lot of stuff to myself and others staying at hotels. When it works well, it works very well. When it works poorly...the hotel can spend hours or days claiming they never got the package ("Look...here's a copy of the Fedex log showing that you received it!"), that the package got lost or that they already delivered the package to your room.

I've also run trade shows (yoo hoo slawecki, that would be me) and dealt with all sorts of problems with shipments for exhibitors. Here's the key when dealing with shipments & trade shows: When it's a big conference, there's a lot of freight associated with exhibitors. Understandably, hotels don't have the space and manpower to deal with tons of freight, so trade show organizers hire a company to handle all of the freight, help set up the convention floor, etc. In those instances, exhibitors are instructed to ship their exhibits, materials, etc., directly to the exhibition services company. (I always used Freeman.) That exhibition services company receives and logs all of the shipments, and stores them offsite until the show's move-in date. Then they'll show up at the hotel's loading dock with semis full of the exhibitors freight, and deliver each piece directly to the exhibitor's booth. Each exhibitor pays a fee for this receiving and delivery service. (As I recall, the fee was charged based on the number of pieces and the total weight of the freight.) Here's the catch: There are always cheap exhibitors that decide they don't want to send their freight to the exhibition services company, and instead send it directly to the hotel to circumvent the fees, or because they think they'll get their freight more quickly. But hotels are smart--they have a pretty good idea when an arriving package is for a normal guest or one associated with the conference. (For example, if you've gotten a conference rate for your hotel room, it's in the reservation record.) They also know you were supposed to ship your materials elsewhere. If too many exhibitors ship directly to the hotel when they were supposed to ship to the exhibition services company, the hotel quickly runs out of storage space for packages destined non-trade show guests. And the hotel is probably going to get a little annoyed at these exhibitors. I've seen plenty of instances where an exhibitors boxes were "lost" or "delayed" or "misplaced" when shipped to the hotel instead of the exhibition services company. And in some instances, I suspect it's deliberate. You fill up their package room with large boxes, they'll make you sweat a little before "finding" your boxes hidden away in some dark corner.

KNRG

Well, the good news is that i've not committed any of the aforementioned sins.

It's a conference, but it's little, and only a few people should be bringing much of anything major to show/display. I'm not at the designated conference hotel because surprisingly enough the hotel i've chosen is physically closer to the site of my portion of the conference.

The long-story-short is that it's a "to do" for University theater people to show/audition/portfolio for other University theater people in hopes of scoring the illusive spot in a "we'll pay you to goto our school" graduate program. That may seem like an insignificant transaction, but really i'm trying to convince people to give me a free ride that covers upwards of $25k a semester in tuition costs plus living expenses.

While the actors just need to show up physically with a smile on, it's a smidgen more difficult for designers - we need a bit more space to showcase our talents.

So, should me and my model make it to Chicago then life will be good and i've got a good shot at being paid to attend a top-tier graduate program in theatrical design. Should the model or I not make it - shed a little tear for me and feel free to open a memorial fund in my honor.

number_6

Typically USD5 but I've seen as high as $25 and as low as $1 -- makes you wonder why they bother, other than to annoy guests? Note that the same fees apply for sending outgoing packages from the hotel, fwiw, so they get you coming and going.

ESPECIALROB

I worked for a company whose procedure was to ship trade show materials via UPS, always to the hotel, not to the designated advance receiving warehouse operated by the show's official decorator. In nearly all cases, I was able to get my show freight from the hotel upon check in, except one time.

In that instance, many exhibiting companies (like the one I worked for) shipped their materials to the hotel. When I arrived, I was told by the hotel that all materials for the trade show I was attending at that hotel was turned over to the show's official decorator. Upon arrival at the show site, I had to pay up front a drayage charge to receive my freight.

Several exhibitors who also sent material to the hotel protested, but show management said doing this was a violation of show procedures and anyone not paying the drayage charge would not be asked back to participate in their future shows.

I recall the inbound drayage charge assessed here was quite reasonable - about $35 for 6 or 7 cartons (that was ten years ago, in a smaller hotel in Pennsylvania, not at a big city convention center). In fact, back then I paid one hotel $10 per carton for receiving similar materials, thus what I paid in this instance was a bargain.

ElkeNorEast

Having spent 15 years working in hotels at the front desk, guest services, and catering & convention services I have lots of experience with packages arriving at hotels.

If you can, write your name and arrival date in LARGE LETTERS on the sides of the package, preferably with a big black marker. For example: GUEST J. SMITH, ARRIVING 12/26. If you saw the package rooms at the loading docks of a couple of convention hotels you'd see this is a good idea. When someone wants their Fedex NOW, 80 have come in today and all they have to do is look for "SMITH" in huge black letters they can pull it out of the stack pretty quickly. If they have to read every label you WILL wait.

Fedex says "A. Campos" signed for your package, isn't that nice? Actually, "A. Campos" was just the guy standing at the loading dock when they dumped off 200 packages this morning - he did not lovingly sign for your precious box; in fact, he probably just had his badge scanned and has no idea if the packages he is now responsible for are there or not.

Hotels are generally pretty good about trying to resolve package problems, but they can use all the help you can give them.

MilesDependent

Sorry to dredge up this thread, but I have a related question.

I am heading to the USA (SFO) to do some shopping (that AUD/USD rate is just too tempting). I am looking at placing a few orders online and sending to the hotel to avoid shipping charges. 3 in total. Has anyone else thought about doing this?

I think I will email the hotel in advance of booking to confirm they do not have a problem with me doing this.

By doing all my required annual purchases in one hit (towels, sheets, clothes, shoes, new suit, business shirts, underwear etc....), this trip is actually going to save me serious $$$ :-)

chgoeditor

It should work, in theory, and I've done it. The toughest part is that you'll want the address label to read something like:

MilesDependent (Guest staying 12/1/09 to 12/15/09)
C/O SFO Hotel
Street
City, State, ZIP

Not every mail-order place will offer the flexibility in addressing your package that way. Depending on how long you're staying, you may want to place your order timed so it arrives after you've checked in.

underpressure

I just did this last week, I do it often without problems.

iluvcruising2

So am I right that it is standard for hotels to charge a fee for shipping to the hotel?

MSPeconomist

It depends on the hotel. It's most common IME in large USA convention properties. It's also more common in hotels that have business centers that handle outbound FedEx etc. packages/documents for a fee.