I'll need to check out of hotels in Venice and Florence hours before my train to the next destination. Do most hotels have bag checks? It's too late to call reception and the answer will affect my packing decision.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
151 posts
Als, while it's hard to answer without knowing the specific hotels in question, I can tell you this: We have never had a problem in Europe checking our bags when we have arrived too early to check in or leaving our bags at the hotel for several hours after we have checked out. Some of this may depend on your comfort level as well. The "bag check" may consist of the hotel reception stashing your bag under a table or behind a desk, not necessarily in a locked area. Hope this helps a little. Have a wonderful trip!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23235 posts
Every hotel we have ever used had some system or method of storing bags for a few hours. A very common request.
Posted by
Grass Valley, California
506 posts
Most hotels will be happy to help. People come in at all odd times from international travel. Most hotels we deal with will quickly respond by email if you ask them.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32198 posts
Als,
Another solution would be to take earlier trains to your next destination. Hotel check-out is usually around 11:00 or so. I find that arriving in the next destination about mid-afternoon works well, as the hotel rooms have been serviced and I can check-in straight away.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
If the train station is convenient, perhaps you can check your bags there. Be sure to check opening/closing hours.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I have never had a problem leaving a bag before the room was ready, or after I've checked out but before I leave a city. A few points to be aware of:
- As said above, the place your bags will be kept is not always "secured." You may want to plan to carry around any valuables.
- The only hotel that charged for this was an EasyHotel; it's part of their business model. All the others did this for free.
- If you are using an apartment rather than a hotel, the situation is very different (another recent poster kept saying her "hotel" wouldn't hold her bag, and it turned out it was actually an apartment). Apartments usually have no way to store bags, so you have to make other arrangements.
If you're going to leave bags at a train station, allow enough time for both drop off and retrieval. You must wait in a line, then your bags are scanned before they are accepted. You don't want to miss your train because of a long line.