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Handle guest property left in room from which the guest has departed
From time to-time departing guests leave items in their rooms.
Sometimes this is an over-sight on their part and sometimes it is intentional.
Regardless, all guest property found in a check-out room must be handled in accordance with house policy.
Dealing with lost property
There may be times when you come across items in check-out rooms that have been left behind by the guest.
Such items should be treated as valuable in the first instance, no matter what the actual dollar worth of replacing such an item may be.
For example, a simple, partially used bottle of facial foundation, a camera, piece of clothing or an item of jewelry. They are all the same in terms of being a „lost and found‟ item.
All such items should be taken to the housekeeping department and recorded in the „Lost and Found‟ log book.
It is the housekeeping department‟s responsibility to keep accurate records of all items found in guest rooms or public areas.
Information that needs to be recorded about the item may include:
Date found Room number – or other location as appropriate (corridor, guest laundry etc.)
Exact location in room where item was found – „under the bed‟, „in the bathroom‟
Description of item – such as „Gent‟s briefcase, brown, locked, Avon brand‟, „ladies Seiko watch, gold with leather strap‟
Name of person who found the item
Date item was returned to the owner - after item has been claimed or sent to the rightful owner.
Generally, lost property is kept for three months, however during that time the establishment may attempt to contact the owner, especially if the item appears valuable or the guest is a regular.
Where forwarding address or phone number is available, the guest is contacted and asked if they would like the item returned.
The guest may be asked to forward postage before the item is sent.
A „With Compliments‟ letter generally accompanies the return of the item and a copy of this letter should be filed in the lost property correspondence file.
Some items that have not been claimed within a three-month period, after all channels to contact the owner have been exhausted, will be given back to the finder or handed to police depending on the value of the item and what it is.
Lost property should never be taken off the premises without the correct authorization. You cannot assume that an item is yours simply because you found it and the owner has departed.
Is it ‘lost’ or has it been left on purpose?
Where the lost property is clothing (especially lingerie) or other items of a delicate nature, the decision about whether or not to contact the guest must be made with due consideration to all the possible ramifications. Tact and diplomacy may dictate that no contact is made in order to avoid embarrassment and other potential problems.
This highlights that not all items left in a guest room are „lost‟. They may have been deliberately left there.
Perishable food
Where perishable foods are found, two options are commonly available.
The first option is that you may have discretionary powers to deal with any perishable food you find.
This may include minor quantities of things such as leftover takeaway foods, a few biscuits in an open packet, or a couple of slices of cheese, a tomato and some slices of bread left in the fridge.
If the items have been left by a departed guest, you may elect to throw out such items.
Naturally the food would be left where it is if the guest was staying on.
The second option is that Standard Operating Procedures require all staff to take all found perishable food to the Executive Housekeeper‟s office, and to allow that person to make the decision.
Liquor
Again, specific house practices will vary between establishments.
Commonly, any unopened bottle of liquor – spirits, wine, beer or whatever else is logged in the standard way, and the liquor may then forwarded to the central liquor store for safe-keeping or retained in the Housekeeping office for three months.
Opened bottles may be stored in the normal Lost and Found store, or can be forwarded to another department.
It is useful to remember that what is actually inside a bottle of open beverage could be anything.
What is on the label may not be what is in the bottle so you should definitely guard against having a drink from any bottle, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, that has been already opened.
Other items
There is really no end to the nature of items that can find their way into the Lost and Found area from the very ordinary to the highly exotic!
In general terms, however, they can include:
Inexpensive items – these must still be handed in as, despite being inexpensive, they may still have significant sentimental value. These items may include cheap pens, disposable items, handkerchiefs and socks
Expensive items – objects of obvious worth such as cameras, lap top computers, electric razors, jewelry, cash, or clothing
Documents – this can cover a wide range of papers including business and personal documents, as well as related items such as passports and credit cards.
Given this wide variety of items that could be found it is worth checking house rules in regard to the following:
Newspapers, magazines and books – while it is common practice for staff to dispose of newspapers from check-out rooms, check your house rules to make sure.
Also, find out about the house rules that relate to the disposal of magazines and books. Can they be thrown out, or is there a requirement to hand them in?
What criteria apply, if any, to making the decision about keeping or throwing out these items?
Cash – check to see if your venue has a special rule about cash that is found.
Regardless of what is considered is to be lost or found; it must be reported and recorded according to organisational requirements.
Provide additional housekeeping services
Provide turn-down service
Turn down service is service commonly found in four and five star hotels. It is a service that prepares the room at the end of the day for the comfort of the guest. It is designed to make the room soothing and inviting for rest and relaxation.
Quite often a guest will be using the room during the day and by the afternoon it may be dirty or in need of fresh amenities.
„Living‟ in a hotel is different from home. Normally at home a person has a variety of rooms that they use, with clutter being spread. This is not the case in a hotel room, where only one room is used, with all activities contained within this one room.
This service is normally provided in the late afternoon or early evening and is performed at a time when it is expected that the guest is not in the room.
Turn-down steps
Preparation
The first step is to prepare the items that may be used as part of turn-down including:
Linen – bed sheets, bath towels and pillows
Amenities – shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion, moisturizer, sanitary items, toilet paper, tissues
Give-aways – newspapers, chocolates, fruit, messages, flowers.
Enter the room
There will be a good chance the guest is in the room and may request:
No service
Supply of more and replacement items whilst not allowing you to enter the room
Turn-down service as normal.
Regardless of their request it is your job to complete your tasks with minimal disruption to the guest. Time is of the essence in this situation, therefore clever thinking is required. The aim is to minimize movement and unnecessary trips in and out of the room. Plan what you are going to need.
Complete turn-down service
Normally turn-down includes:
Closing of curtains
Turning on lights to a soothing level
Playing appropriate music through the radio or television
Preparing the bed by removing or folding back display quilts and blankets making access to bed easier
Placing items on the bed including fruit, messages, flowers or chocolates
Replace dirty towels
Clean basic and bathroom surfaces
Clean used crockery and cutlery
Clean bins
Conduct a general clean and tidy.
Complete turn-down service
Once you have completed the turn-down service:
Ask guest if they require any additional services – they may have laundry for submission
Excuse yourself and leave the room at the earliest possible convenience.
Do Not Disturb (DND) Rooms
A number of rooms may have their DND signs out. In this case you must not knock on the door or enter the room. You should:
Record the time
Go back after you have completed other rooms to check if the room is ready for service
If the DND sign is still there, slip an appropriate card under the door, requesting the guest to call housekeeping if they require turn-down at an appropriate time.
If performed correctly the turn down process should take approximately 10 minutes per room.
Video # 1: Turn-down Service
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