He uses cargo planes for delivery, which is no more than 8 hours before the customers' hotel arrival. Richard Meyers, a sales manager at Tri Valley Growers in San Ramon, Calif., hired the bellhop to deliver his bags when he traveled recently for a business presentation. Others, like Tom Kabat, chief executive of Durst Brokerage in Arlington Heights, Ill., uses the service for family trips. Cippola believes he is tapping a burgeoning market. And travelers sometimes struggle to carry everything they want to bring.
Airlines typically charge extra when a passenger checks more than two bags.
And some airlines are enforcing stricter limits on the size and number of carry-on bags. In addition, suitcases are sometimes lost or damaged on the way. Demand for this service could increase, Cippola says, if the Federal Aviation Administration adopts a proposal to ban curbside baggage check-in. Passengers would have to arrive at airports at least 3 hours before departure if such a plan were approved. Virtual Bellhop also stands out because it does not require packages to be boxed, and customers can request return deliveries, he says.