Friday 24 May 2013

Lost Property

Managing lost property is an interesting one at a hotel. When something is found it is logged in our lost property book, with the date, time, where it was found and by whom. We will then wait for the phone call from the owner who has forgotten to pack or mislaid their item, be it keys, a phone charger (quite a lot of those), make-up, perfume and other such items. We then take a description, make sure it's definitely theirs and then we will arrange for the item to be returned...

Over the years we have had a lot of the usual suspects, some of which have already been mentioned, but I want to share with you some of the other, more 'unique' items should I say, that get left behind. Some of which get claimed and some that don't. As you can imagine, the items that remain lost are usually a bit too embarrassing to ring and ask for.

The normal lost property items...
Books, phones, laptops, chargers, house keys, clothing, radios, soft toys, suitcase, fancy dress costumes, photo albums, and toothbrushes.

The more memorable ones...
False teeth, glass eye, bicycle wheel, artificial limb, inflatable sheep, wig, toupee, underwear, handcuffs, rampant rabbits and other such cheeky items! Use your imaginations!

We have also discovered over the years...
Pet stick insects, a wedding dress, life size skeleton, a single shoe, and how about this one... A portable douche complete with rubber tube!

Having searched the internet for other hotels stories about lost property, here are a few more things that you managed to leave behind recently...
Breast implants, pilots manual, pet python, 200 Queen Elizabeth masks, Persian kitten, diamond encrusted dentures, £50k Rolex watch, £10k engagement ring, stamp collection worth £250k, winning Euro millions ticket, pop up spray tanning booth and keys to a Bugatti.

I would like to confirm that all of these items were returned to their rightful owners, but how on earth do you manage to leave this all behind? Perhaps it's because you are too busy squeezing our towels in to your suitcase?? ;o)

Wednesday 8 May 2013

What Souvenirs Do You "Borrow" After Your Stay?

According to the latest survey by MyVoucherCodes.com not all of us Brits are as honest and trustworthy as we make out. In fact a huge 69% of you admitted to stealing items from hotels when staying away!
This survey does represent the most popular items to be taken and I thought I would share it with you. So here it is... the top ten things that you like to smuggle out when staying with us.
At number 10, it's The Bible! Now then, what does the 8th Commandment say... “Thou shalt not steal.”

Coming in at number 9, it's the books from our library...15% of you do this and that's all very well, but perhaps to keep it fair you might consider in future leaving the one behind, just to even it up...

At number 8, it's the kettle. I hope you emptied the water out before you tucked it into your suit case. 19% of you admitted to this one!
In at number 7... The curtains! Apparently 27% of Britons admitted to this. We are flattered you like how we have dressed the rooms, but surely they will be too big or too small? How on earth did you get them out without being noticed?

Number 6 is the artwork. People wonder why we started screwing our paintings to the wall and nailing the sculptures down. No longer can we make use of the traditional picture rails, you simply can't be trusted ;o)
Number 5 is slightly more concerning...It's the picture frames. A little bit strange, but hey, who are we to judge! Over half way through the list and number 4 is the cutlery. 45% of you admit to taking the cutlery from the hotel you are staying in. I want to know, did you manage to pinch a whole 8 piece set before you got caught?

Coming in at 3rd place is food and drink. Over 51% of you admitted to stealing from the buffets, mini bars and stocking up in case you got hungry before lunch.
The runner up and in 2nd place is the batteries and light bulbs...57% of you like to nab these. Question...Did you get the bulbs back in one piece?
The winner however at number 1 is the towels and the linen...Fluffy dressing gowns, slippers, fluffy bath towels, bed sheets, cushions and blankets. A whopping 68% of you openly admit to taking these!

Something to bear in mind, we will be watching you!!