dcespedes

I need to mail a one night room deposit to a hotel in Florence and would like to hear from others who have done so and what your prefered method of mailing is (USPS vs. Fed Ex, etc.). Thank you in advance!

TC

USPS -- Inexpensive, worked well, arrived within a week, no problems.

ira

Hi dc,

Are you sending money or a check?

Patrick

This is the one thing I've used travelers checks for. I go to AAA and get a TC in Euro for the next highest amount above the required deposit and send it. Simple, no charge and not a horrible exchange rate. I have yet to find any other method including expensive mailing with a receipt or signature that won't cost a whole lot more. You can send a TC in a plain envelope with plain postage cheap.

dcespedes

Thank you, all.

Hi Ira, the hotel requests payment be made by personal check, traveler's check or bankdraft. Before reading Patrick's post I was planning on mailing a personal check and still may do so. Any thoughts?

Intrepid1

I assume this is so the hotel involved can avoid credit card fees.

If you aren't concerned about "protection" that might be afforded to you by using a credit card I would recommend using either FedEx or DHL vs the US Postal Service.

ira

Hi dc,

For a personal check, I would use the USPS.

I believe that in Italy one crosses the check on the front to make it "for deposit only".

LAwoman

I mailed a personal check to Venice for two nights deposit on hotel, used USPS, arrived in 6 days or so, no problems.

Betsy

I've done this through the USPS several times without any problems.

LarryJ

You don't say if the hotel wants the deposit in US dollars or euros. If euros you will have to make the check for the amount of the deposit in dollars X 1.35 (current best bank exchange rate) + a banking transaction fee paid to the hotel's bank of 38.50 euros or 38.50 X 1.35. The 38.50 bank fee is what my realator in France charges so you might want to check with your hotel to find out what his bank charges. Sending deposits in dollars to Europe is extremely expensive. I would either send a traveler's cheque denominated in euros or look for another hotel. I rent an apartment in France and what I do is pay the realtor the deposit for my next trip before leaving from my current trip. I can get the euros from an atm at the best exchange rates possible and pay no fees to anyone this way.

Good luck.
Larry J

Patrick

I'm with you LarryJ. I'm curious what all these people are talking about who simply say they sent a check. In euro or in dollars? What was the final conversion rate? What was the cost of doing a check in foreign currency? What was the cost of sending it?
It's not so simple as people seem to indicate to simply write out a US check for 200 euor and think it doesn't cost you a lot somewhere along the line -- if it is even possible to do that!

LAwoman

Patrick -

My check was US dollars. The room rate is euro 186 per night. The conversion rate was in the hotel's favor at the time - more like euro 194 per night by my calcualtion - however that was a few months ago so I probably already made that back with the dollar dropping. It cost around $6 - $8 to mail. For this I have one of the best canal front rooms in the Venice hotel reserved and am very happy. I like to scrimp as much as the next person and will not pay for some things that are important to other people, private cars to Amalfi Coast etc. - but this little transaction was no big deal to me.

Betsy

At the request of the hotel or B&B, I've always sent the deposit check in USD, figuring the exchange rate at oanda.com. The hotel or B&B holds the check until I arrive. When I check out, I pay the entire amount of the stay in Euro, and they hand my check back to me. If for some reason, I didn't show up, they'd cash the check and I assume, take a hit on any fees charged by their bank.

TC

I've sent a personal check for USD many times. B&B requested amount and I complied. Often they cash the check, some of the times they simply hold the check until we arrive. We then retrieve the check and pay in cash.

Like my husband, you must be an engineer, Patrick. You're way overthinking this.

dcespedes

Hi LarryJ, the hotel accepts checks in dollars. The room is 171 euros which converts (today) to $227.52 which the hotel agreed to accept as a deposit. Thank you for your input.

Robespierre

United States Postal Service

Global Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope (Small) - $5

Typical delivery in 2-3 days to cities where US mail planes land. Can take longer to other destinations depending on the efficiency of the local postal service.

Michel_Paris

May I add another question? It would seem that a bank draft in euros would be the best for the hotel, since it could be cashed with no charges to them, and is in their currency. Can a hotel that requires a deposit cash a personal cheque from a country other than theirs, a country that is not using euros? Does a hotel usually cash a deposit, or just use it as an indication that you will be showing up?
Thank you and pardon my interruption
Mike

dcespedes

Good questions, Michel_Paris, to which I don't know the answers. The hotel specifically mentioned, in bold type, that a personal check should be written in dollars and that the remaining nights can be paid for with credit card once we arrive.

LarryJ

If the hotel only holds the US dollar denominated check as security and does not cash it but returns it to you upon your arrival there will of course be no exchange costs, no bank transaction fees etc. My experience in this regard has been with realtors concerning apartment rentals and they do execute the instrument immediately putting in motion all the bank charges etc. I avoid this now by using the same realtor each visit and leaving a deposit with him for my next trip before leaving. The euros I get from an atm at the best possible bank exchange rates. I can assure you that nobody in Europe is going to accept a US dollar denominated check without passing on to you the very significant bank charges involved in the execution of the check.

Larry J

LAwoman

My check (in US $) was cashed for face amount. My bank did not charge me any fees. Also, have saved on the transaction due to declining dollar, but of course that could change.