Check luggage day before?

[Toofarfromthesea]

Our cruise ends in a couple of days and we will fly from Hamburg to Heathrow, stay overnight in a hotel near Heathrow, and then fly home to Denver the next day.  The 2 flights are on different tickets, because I booked a transatlantic Round trip Denver/Heathrow and a separate Round Trip within those dates Heathrow/Hamburg to get to and from the cruise port at Kiel.  It would be very convenient to not have to schlep our luggage back and forth from the Heathrow area hotel, as we can put everything we need for the overnighter in a carry-on bag.  So I was wondering if either of the following is possible:

1) check our luggage all the way through to Denver when we check-in for the Hamburg-Heathrow flight even though they are separate tickets. 

2) if not, when we arrive in Heathrow can we get our luggage and then go check it in for our next day's flight.

In case any of these things matter, we are flying BA economy from Hamburg to Heathrow and BA business class from Heathrow to Denver.  In both cases the flights are nonstop.

[klfrodo]

I think both of your options are a nogo however, there is a luggage storage area in the arrivals hall at LHR.

I stored my luggage there for 2 days while we toured London, then retrieved our luggage before checking in for our continuation flights to Venice. The cost was reasonable in my opinion.

Edited May 9, 2019 by klfrodo

[ldubs]

1)  I found myself in a very similar situation with two separate bookings on the same airline.  In my case, I was able to check the bags all the way through.  However, my flights were basically a same day connection.  Because you have an overnight involved with separate itineraries, I question that they will book your bags through.     

 

2) In my experience you cannot check your bags on a flight that far in advance.  

 

Well, I've been wrong before (plenty of times).  Let us know if it works out for you.  

[SRF]

If same airline, or possibly same alliance, you may be able to check through.

 

Different alliance, virtually no chance.  But ask.

 

And some airlines and airports do not allow overnight holds on bags.  If you are over night, you need to pick up your bags.

 

Although Heathrow is not bad.  Walk out, pick up a taxi or the hotel shuttle, and you are at the hotel.

 

 

[ldubs]

Toofarfromthesea -- curious how it actually worked for you?  

[Toofarfromthesea]

12 hours ago, ldubs said:

Toofarfromthesea -- curious how it actually worked for you?  

 

Well, I had plans A, B, C, and D.

Plan A - get them to check the bags all th way through despite being separately ticketed - no go

Plan B -  after claiming bags from first flight check them in, for second flight immediately - no go, can't check in early (plus, see plan c)

Plan C - put luggage into storage at airport, overnight - no go, as we came into Terminal 5 and were going out of terminal 3 so we would have had logistical problems getting them from one to the other

Plan D - once at overnight hotel, have them hold the bags in their luggage storage and only take the carry-on with necessities to the room -  what we ended up doing

So we ended up saving a little effort, but not that much. 

  

[SRF]

By the time you do Plan D, I would have had the bellman bring them to the room.  That way, if I needed them, they would be there.  For little difference in effort.

 

 

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Well, I had plans A, B, C, and D.

Plan A - get them to check the bags all th way through despite being separately ticketed - no go

Plan B -  after claiming bags from first flight check them in, for second flight immediately - no go, can't check in early (plus, see plan c)

Plan C - put luggage into storage at airport, overnight - no go, as we came into Terminal 5 and were going out of terminal 3 so we would have had logistical problems getting them from one to the other

Plan D - once at overnight hotel, have them hold the bags in their luggage storage and only take the carry-on with necessities to the room -  what we ended up doing

So we ended up saving a little effort, but not that much. 

  

 

Glad it worked out.   👍👍👍

[Korimako]

4 hours ago, SRF said:

By the time you do Plan D, I would have had the bellman bring them to the room.  That way, if I needed them, they would be there.  For little difference in effort.

 

 

'What is a bellman??

[cb at sea]

A bellman is a "porter" that works for the hotel....they typically bring your luggage to the room for you.

 

I wouldn't want my luggage out of my hands for that long.  I'd get them and re-check them the next day.

[Korimako]

OK, so what you in the US would call a 'bellman', we would call a 'porter'?

Edited May 18, 2019 by Korimako
Spelling

[Underwatr]

So named because the front desk clerk would ring a bell to summon him.

 

[Rala]

1 hour ago, Underwatr said:

So named because the front desk clerk would ring a bell to summon him.

 

Also sometimes called a bellhop...maybe because when the bell sounds he "hops to it"  ? 🙂

[Korimako]

I've never heard/seen that. Is it a North American thing?

[Toofarfromthesea]

18 hours ago, Korimako said:

I've never heard/seen that. Is it a North American thing?

 

Many (most?) places that are not upscale don't have them, whether they are called porters, bellmen, or bell hops.  You bring the bags to your room yourself - if you are lucky they might have a luggage cart for you to use.  Hence our desire to just have the hotel hold the bags (I am neither paranoid about leaving them in hotel storage, nor unable to pack a carry-on with the needs of an overnight stay).  In the event it worked out well.

[Rala]

2 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Many (most?) places that are not upscale don't have them, whether they are called porters, bellmen, or bell hops.  You bring the bags to your room yourself - if you are lucky they might have a luggage cart for you to use.  Hence our desire to just have the hotel hold the bags (I am neither paranoid about leaving them in hotel storage, nor unable to pack a carry-on with the needs of an overnight stay).  In the event it worked out well.

I agree...porters, bellman, bellhops are really only seen now in very upscale hotels.  You see the bellman being "rung" for in a lot of old movies from the  30's, 40's and 50's.  

[Korimako]

29 minutes ago, Rala said:

I agree...porters, bellman, bellhops are really only seen now in very upscale hotels.  You see the bellman being "rung" for in a lot of old movies from the  30's, 40's and 50's.  

 

I didn't mean I hadn't heard of bellmen, hops or porters!😀

In the 'upscale' hotels where we usually stay in Europe and Australasia, they discreetly materialise when needed. Which was why I thought the summoning by bells was a North American thing.

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Many (most?) places that are not upscale don't have them, whether they are called porters, bellmen, or bell hops.  You bring the bags to your room yourself - if you are lucky they might have a luggage cart for you to use.  Hence our desire to just have the hotel hold the bags (I am neither paranoid about leaving them in hotel storage, nor unable to pack a carry-on with the needs of an overnight stay).  In the event it worked out well.

 

We also use Hotel bag checks pretty routinely and without concern.  Would be kind of lost without them.  

[SRF]

On 5/19/2019 at 1:46 PM, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Many (most?) places that are not upscale don't have them, whether they are called porters, bellmen, or bell hops.  You bring the bags to your room yourself - if you are lucky they might have a luggage cart for you to use.  Hence our desire to just have the hotel hold the bags (I am neither paranoid about leaving them in hotel storage, nor unable to pack a carry-on with the needs of an overnight stay).  In the event it worked out well.

 

I guess I just stay in "upscale" hotels. 😄

 

Most of the hotels around LHR are more "upscale"