How to Get Back Belongings You Forgot in the Hotel

According to research by the British newspaper Metro, the following items are the most frequently forgotten in hotels.

• Chargers. These may be left in sockets or fall behind the armchair, bed or chest of drawers.
• Phones and tablets. Sometimes when packing a suitcase or bag, travelers plan to pack their gadgets at the last moment so as not to harm them — and end up forgetting them on beds or tables. 
• Documents. Business papers, presentations, contracts. Especially if you put them in the safe or a drawer in the table. Documents may be forgotten not only in the bedrooms but also in the lobby or restaurant.
• Clothes. The unluckiest are pajamas (left under the pillow), socks (drying on the radiator), and ties (in cupboards). 
• Toiletries. Combs, toothbrushes, and cosmetics get left in bathrooms. To reduce this risk to a minimum, we suggest you ask in advance whether there are cosmetic sets in the bedrooms, or else use mini-versions of your favorite products. 

What happens to forgotten items?

Items are usually found when the rooms are cleaned. A maid usually cleans 10-15 rooms in her shift and finds, on average, four forgotten items. Sometimes belongings are found by waiters or other hotel staff.

In small hotels, the administrator is usually responsible for lost items, while the head of facilities is usually responsible in larger ones. He records the item and date it was found in a special log and sends the item to storage. Depending on the hotel’s policy, the item may be stored from anywhere from a few days to half a year. 

Can an item disappear?

If a guest left something in the hotel, the administration will try to help the guest and may even carry out an internal investigation (if the item was particularly valuable). For example, they might check CCTV to try and discover exactly where the item was lost: maybe it happened in the lobby or the lift, and not in the room.

How the item may be returned

If you forgot something in the hotel, don’t get upset straight away. You can get it back, even if you are separated by continents, while it will be even easier in neighboring towns. The hotel will send the package anywhere in the world, but you will have to absorb the cost yourself. 

If you don’t ask for the item back, they might give it to the staff member who found it or donate it to charity. 

What to do to get the item back

1. Contact the hotel.

2. Describe the item, and where and when you lost it.

3. Provide your stay details: dates, your surname, and the room number if you remember it. This will help the staff to locate the item in the lost items log.

4. Confirm your identity. The hotel might ask you to do this if the items are valuable (gadgets, jewelry) or documents. Maybe you will need to send a copy of your passport photo or passport details.

5. Pay for the postage. Occasionally the hotel may absorb this cost itself.

6. Draw up a power of attorney (PoA) if somebody other than you will collect the item from the hotel. Maybe you have friends or relatives who live in the same town, or one of your colleagues will go there soon on a business trip and is willing to help. The hotel might hand the forgotten item to them, but most probably will require a PoA. 

It’s less of a shame to leave something insignificant in the hotel, but if it’s important documents, gadgets, or other valuables, then it’s a different situation. If you have time, follow some simple rules: get a good night’s sleep, leave 30-40 minutes for packing and draw up check-lists. 

Book a hotel