Three Tips To Prevent Leaving Important Items Behind In A Hotel Room
The first thing I do when I get home from being away from home for a few days is unpack everything. I can’t stand unpacked suitcases sitting around. They must be emptied, immediately. Unpacking from a recent weekend away, I was keeping my eye out for my phone charger as my phone was almost out of power. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it. I was also on the lookout for my GPS watch charger, which also was not found in any of our suitcases.
I remember both chargers were plugged in on the night stand on my side of the bed. The GPS watch charger was plugged into a USB port on the clock/phone docking radio. My phone charger was plugged into an outlet on the base of the lamp. I assume I left both in those positions as we checked out.
I called the hotel, stating the items I had left behind and asked if they had been found. They said that they would have housekeeping call me the next day. After not having my phone call returned, I called again and talked directly to housekeeping. I wasn’t surprised that they claimed to have not found either item. I don’t know for sure, but I would suspect that they likely throw away anything insignificant they find in rooms, since it’s more trouble than they’re worth to try to get back to the owner after the customer returned home.
I now have to replace the two items that I left behind. The phone charger isn’t a big deal, I can get a new one from anywhere that sells phone accessories for about $13. I’d rather not have to shell out $13 to replace something I left in a hotel room, but it is what it is. The GPS watch charger, unfortunately, is a different story. It’s a non-standard charger, one end being a USB connection, the other a claw-like attachment that wraps around the phone, with the teeth of the claw matching metal connections on the watch. I can’t find a replacement charger anywhere. Without it, my $150 GPS running watch will be rendered useless once the current charge drains. I have an email pending to the manufacturer inquiring as to whether they sell replacement cables.
This isn’t the first time we’ve accidentally left something at a hotel room. Usually the results are the same; housekeeping claims they didn’t find it, we pay to replace it. Basically, if you leave something behind in a hotel room, it’s going to cost you. It’s time I put some kind of process in place to make sure everything we bring with us to a hotel, makes it home with us:
Unpack as Little as Possible
My wife likes to unpack everything we bring with us to a hotel stay. Clothes into drawers, bathroom stuff laid out onto the counter tops, and formal shirts hung up in the closet. Personally prefer to leave everything packed. Take something out, use it, put it back in. If I had adhered to this rule, as soon as I unplugged my phone I would have put the cord back into my laptop bag where I normally store it.
Make a List
Before leaving home, make a list of all the important things being brought along. When packing up to go home, go through the checklist and make sure a visual is made with each item on the list.
Dummy Check
Once everything is packed up, on the cart, or in the hallway, go through the room. Check the closet, drawers, nightstand, bathroom and shower. You’ll be amazed at how many things we’ve found during that final walk through the room.
Going on a trip is supposed to be fun. Having to take the time and spend the money to replace items left behind just ends the experience on a bad note. By following these three easy steps, hopefully we can avoid leaving anything behind in the future.
Have you ever forgotten something important behind in a hotel room? Did you get it back?
Brought to you courtesy of Brock
Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.
These are some useful tips for making sure you don’t leave anything behind in a hotel room. I actually hadn’t considered that you could make a list of everything that you have packed, and that it could serve as a checklist when you are heading home. I also appreciate that you mentioned to have a visual along with it. Seems like a great way to make sure that you have everything in one place, and that you can see it as well. I’m kind of interested to learn if people have some tips for organizing a checklist, so that you don’t have to dig through all of your stuff.
My husband came home from a business trip the other day, and he told me that he left his favorite shirt in the hotel drawer. I agree that leaving everything packed during a hotel stay is a good idea so as not to leave anything behind. I’ll share this article with him so that he will not leave his things the next time he goes on a trip alone.
I couldn’t agree more when you mentioned making a list of all the items you will be bringing if you’re going for a vacation and will be checking in a hotel. This way, you would be able to manually check each item when you start unpacking and before you check out of the hotel. It is recommended that you put this list in your wallet or purse so you won’t misplace it somewhere. If I were to go on vacation and check into a hotel, I would make sure to keep this in mind. Thanks.