Hotel Collection Carry-On Luggage review

The term smart luggage has been thrown around for years, but there’s no real consensus on what that term means. Some luggage brands consider smart luggage a bag with a removable battery bank for charging your phone, while others take it a step further by offering other techie features. One of those bags is the Hotel Collection Carry-On Luggage.

This carry-on luggage has some interesting smart features, including a battery. It also comes with a luggage tracker that’s compatible with Apple’s Find My network and has a built-in luggage scale on the handle. But beyond that, is the bag worthwhile?

I tested the Hotel Collection Carry-On on a recent trip to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. I liked a lot of things about this tech-forward carry-on luggage, but one major issue stands in the way of this becoming my go-to luggage. Let’s take a closer look.

This carry-on smart luggage has a durable polycarbonate shell and smart features like a built-in luggage scale, a removable battery and luggage trackers compatible with Apple’s Find My network.

The exterior is well-built and looks great

I really like the exterior of the Hotel Collection Carry-On Luggage. It’s made from a flexible yet tough polycarbonate material, which stood up well to being checked on four flights during my journey. In fact, the shell still looks as good as when I got the bag earlier this year.

I credit this durability to the flexibility of the polycarbonate shell, which can flex to withstand pressure that might cause other bags to crack. It also does a nice job of hiding scratches despite the glossy finish.

The shell looks good, too. It’s available in four colors, and the shell is imprinted with three “H” markings on both sides, which hark to Hotel Collection’s sleek branding. This gives it a classy look that fits in at any airport lounge, and I think it’s more interesting than competing carry-ons from Away, July and others.

The built-in scale and tracker is useful

As mentioned, this bag includes some unique smart features not commonly found on other carry-on luggage in the $200 to $300 price range. While built-in removable batteries are fairly common, an included luggage tracker and built-in luggage scale set this bag apart. That adds value and a convenient touch.

The scale is my favorite feature. Load up the bag with your clothes, press the on button next to the top handle and pick up your luggage. Then, you can see the total weight of the bag and all of its contents. This is useful when checking the bag on low-cost carriers (think Spirit and Ryanair) as you’re often subject to strict weight limits and could be charged more if your bag is overweight.

The included luggage tracker works well, too. It’s compatible with Apple’s Find My network and works just like an Apple AirTag. Simply add it to the Find My app and you can track the luggage’s location wherever you are in the world. It uses signals from nearby iOS devices to report the tracker’s location to your phone. There’s also a built-in pocket for the tracker inside the luggage.

The included battery bank is stored next to the trolley handle and can be removed quickly. It has two USB-A ports that you can use to charge smartphones, tablets and other devices. That said, it charges with micro-USB, which is an increasingly outdated standard. I’d like to see this updated to USB-C.

Finally, the suitcase has a built-in TSA lock that locks the zippers, so there’s no need to buy a standalone lock if you have this bag. It was easy to set the PIN and lock and unlock the zippers.

One absolute must-have for me when it comes to carry-on luggage is smooth-rolling wheels. Thankfully, this bag delivered. With its four large wheels, I maneuvered the bag through six airports and two train stations during my testing, and they rolled as smooth as butter the entire trip. They even navigated the cobblestone streets of Prague with ease, which is no small feat for any luggage.

The interior of the bag is split into two large compartments. One is a standard zippered compartment with a compression strap on the inside. This is similar to what you’ll find on most carry-on bags and gives you a wide-open packing space to store your belongings.

The other side is where things get interesting. It has a full compression pouch that maximizes your packable space. Just pack your clothes in and open the valve cover, press down and all air will be expelled from the compartment. This let me add a day of extra clothes to the bag and put small items like my toiletry bag on top of the compression pouch.

One big downside to the Hotel Collection Carry-On Luggage is the quality of its interior components. The clip on the compression strap broke on the first trip I took the bag on, and it wasn’t overpacked. Compare this to bags from Away and July — which I’ve taken on countless trips — and their compression straps and clips have never failed me.

Further, the interior zippers on the document compartment and the interior compartment feel low-quality compared to other luggage in its price class. This makes me worried about the longevity of the interior of the bag.

The Hotel Collection Carry-On Luggage retails for $300 but is often marked down to $210 when you buy directly from the manufacturer. At either price point, you can get a comparable bag for less money. For example, you can purchase the Samsonite Freeform Carry-On Spinner for under $150. This is one of my favorite carry-on bags and none of its components have failed me.

See the comparison chart below to see how the bag stacks up to competition from Samsonite, Away and July. If Hotel Collection bag’s smart features aren’t necessary, you may be better off buying something else.

The Hotel Collection Carry-On Luggage has the potential to be an awesome carry-on bag. Its smart features — especially the scale — are actually useful when traveling. Likewise, I like the exterior design and flexible polycarbonate shell.

That said, for the price, we’d expect it to have more durable interior components that don’t break after a single trip. Having a compression strap clip break on the road can make it tough to pack for the journey home. So with that in mind, compare it to the competition and make your own decision on what bag to bring on your next trip.

Looking for a travel credit card? Find out which cards CNN Underscored Money chose as the best travel credit cards currently available.