Lawful777,
Send your case AND cues ahead via USPS or Fedex and travel with only a carry-on.
- Get a delivery conformation/tracking number and have a signature required (at the hotel)
- Call the hotel ahead of time and let the front desk know a package is coming for you
- Send the package out early enough so that it arrives the day you check into the hotel
A fully loaded 2x4 case, USPS Priority Mail (2-3 days) from NY to Las Vegas, including delivery conformation, set me back about $15 ($30 round trip). A small price to pay when you consider that :
A) You can insure the package for what you feel it's worth (unlike the airlines where you have to prove what was in the suitcase).
B) It's going to get there and require a signature (unlike the airlines where if it's lost, the only recourse you have is to hope it shows up). IF the package disappears at the hotel, you've got proof that it arrived, and have a recourse for reimbursment. Ever try to get an airline to pay for a missing bag ?
C) Even if it costs a few more bucks, throw some of your clothes in the box with your case. That's fewer clothes you have to take in your carry-on.
Right off the bat, you're saving money. Check into the difference between what shipping it ahead will cost against checking it at the airport. $25 per checked bag seems to be the minimum, and it only goes up from there. For about $5 more, if you do it my way, you're traveling much lighter.
And the best part ? Now, because you're traveling with only that carry-on (and no checked baggage), your options open up a lot more. You can take an earlier connection if it's available, or get voluntarily bumped (because now the airline doesn't have to worry about your luggage).
You can breeze right by the luggage carousel and get a cab before anybody else.
The first time I did this, it made traveling SO much easier. The worry of "Are my cues gonna be there when I get off the plane ?" is non-existent, and I could actually enjoy the experience of traveling.
I love to travel as much as the next person, but I hate hauling luggage around. Give me a carry-on any day of the week. I'll ship the rest ahead.
Then it just becomes a matter of POLITELY talking to the right people.
The key ingredient here is that you call the hotel the day your package is expected to arrive (hopefully the same day as you). Theoretically, you're calling before you even leave for the airport. Alert them, POLITELY, that your cues are en route, and should be arriving that day.
Doesn't matter if it's a hotel in Las Vegas, Derby City, or Cucamonga. Call ahead to confirm the delivery. Try to talk to the same person throughout, because :
A) That person you spoke with on the phone earlier is either going to meet the delivery truck themselves that day, or has already delegated someone to insure that your package is waiting for you upon your arrival.
B) During your check in, make sure your package has arrived (tell the desk clerk who you've been dealing with via phone). Odds are good that the person on the phone will have your cues, and will want to introduce themselves. This is your opportunity to personally thank them for thier diligence. You now have a contact at the hotel.
As far as the hotel staff is concerned, better to make a good impression and have your cues waiting for you when you check in, than it is if your cues are MIA, especially if someone at the hotel signed for them.
In the unlikely event your cues aren't waiting for you at the hotel's front desk or Business Center, that person you were on the phone with earlier will help you track them down without batting an eye.
Believe me, the hotel WANTS to have your cues waiting for you. It's thier job to make sure your experience is a pleasant one.
And your forewarning them that your cues are coming gives them NO room for error.
Good luck...
