You know the situation: you have just spent unforgettable days in a hotel, you are relaxed, rested and your head is still on the pool, on the beach or in the mountains. But those things that accompany us during our holiday are not unforgettable. It can happen that one or the other thing remains in the hotel room. Be it the bikini on the balcony, the sunglasses in the bathing bag or the shampoo in the shower.
But what actually happens with my forgotten objects if they are found in the hotel and I have already started my journey home? The good news: Those who forget something when leaving the hotel have a good chance to get their belongings back.
The rules are very clear and are not defined by the hotels themselves, but by the legislator, the Chamber of Commerce and insurance companies. That is why there is a clear Lost & Found policy in the Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences: forgotten items are kept in the hotel for one year. If they are items that can be clearly assigned and it can be assumed that their absence may cause the guest concern or even problems, an attempt is made to establish contact wherever possible. In concrete terms, this means with ID cards, laptops, apartment keys or similar items that tend to be job or life essentials.
However, a partly used cream, a half-empty toothpaste tube or a disposable razor left on the edge of the tub ends up in the trash. The same applies to forgotten food or a worn, single sports sock.
Falkensteiner is well aware that what is forgotten and left behind is sometimes a very sensitive topic. Namely when it comes to things that our heart is attached to. A child’s forgotten blanket, a stuffed animal, a piece of clothing with memories attached – this often has nothing to do with the actual material value of the forgotten piece.
Julia knows this from Deines, Residence Manager at the Falkensteiner Schlosshotel Velden and gives us an insight into how the legendary 5-star hotel on Lake Wörthersee deals with the topic: “We keep everything that is found because you never know – it happens again and again that things that are supposed of no value to us have a very emotional value for the guest. So here we try to make sure that nothing gets lost.”
However, the discretion and privacy of the guests always have top priority: “For data protection reasons, we do not contact the guests ourselves, but wait until they contact us. Otherwise unpleasant situations could arise for the guest. We have defined for our house that after a call by the guest we send the found objects insured so that they are covered by insurance“.
Is there a story that she has especially remembered, we wanted to know from Julia about yours? “It happened once before that a diamond ear stud disappeared in the ripped off bedding. By the time this was noticed, the linen was already on its way to our cleaning partner and mixed with other hotels. But there our partner pulled out all the stops and the earring was actually found again. We were so happy and grateful!!! The guests have become regulars since then 🙂“
Thus, those who notice on the way or also only at home that he or she left something behind in the hotel, should in the first step contact the hotel directly and ask for the forgotten objects. With a little luck, they are quickly found out and are safely sent to the person in question.
