Hotel lost property: a practical guide for hotels

Every hotel has a shelf, a box or a back room full of things guests left behind. Handled well, lost property turns a mistake into a reason to recommend you. Handled badly, it becomes a pile of items, unanswered emails and a front desk that spends its day on parcels. Here is a simple way to run it.

A simple process in 6 steps

1. Log every item the same day

Whoever finds the item records it immediately. Keep the form short so people actually use it:

• Date found and room number
• Short description, with brand, colour and anything distinctive
• Photo
• Name of the person who found it
• Storage location and a reference number

2. Store it safely and tag it

Give every item a numbered tag that matches the log. Keep ordinary items in one clearly labelled place, and keep valuables, such as phones, laptops, jewellery and cash, in the safe. Decide in advance what you do with perishable items and medicine, and write it into your policy.

3. Contact the guest quickly

Use the room history to find the guest, and write within a day. A short, warm message works best, for example: "We found a black umbrella in room 305 after your stay. Please reply with a description so we can confirm it is yours, and we will tell you how to get it back." Never put the full description of the item in the first message; ask the guest to describe it.

4. Verify before you release anything

Ask the guest to describe the item and compare the answer with your log. For valuables, also check ID and keep a record of who received the item. This protects you from releasing an item to the wrong person.

5. Offer a clear way to get the item back

Guests usually need one of three things: a pickup at the front desk, a parcel sent to their home, or a courier collection. Decide which ones you offer, and who pays. The cheapest option for your team is to let the guest arrange and pay for shipping themselves.

6. Write down a retention policy

One short paragraph is enough. For example:

We keep guests' lost property for 90 days. Valuable items are kept in the safe. After this period, unclaimed items are donated or recycled, and personal items such as documents are securely destroyed. We contact guests by email when we find an item.

Adjust the period to your local rules, and keep the log for as long as you need it to answer claims, and no longer than your privacy policy allows.

Keep guest data to a minimum

A lost property log contains names, rooms and stay dates, so treat it as personal data. Share it only with the staff who need it, do not post photos of items on public boards, and delete entries when your retention period ends.

The part that takes the most time: shipping

Finding and logging items is quick. Returning them is not. International parcels need packaging, a customs document, a courier booking and a trip to the post office, and staff rarely have time for any of it. Hotels also carry the risk if the item is damaged or lost in transit.

SpeedPorter removes that part. Your guest finds your hotel on speedporter.com, describes the item, sees the price and pays. DHL Express collects the parcel from your front desk, and your team receives the shipping label and customs document by email. The guest pays for shipping, and the hotel pays nothing to take part. Your only job is to keep the item ready and hand it to the courier.

Common questions

How long should a hotel keep lost property?

There is no single rule, so choose a period that fits your local regulations and your storage space, write it down and tell guests. Many hotels keep ordinary items for around 30 to 90 days and valuables longer.

Does it cost the hotel anything to use SpeedPorter?

No. The guest orders and pays for shipping. The hotel only keeps the item at the front desk and hands the parcel to the DHL Express courier.

Does the hotel need to pack or label the item?

No. The guest's order generates the shipping label and the customs document, which the hotel receives by email. The courier takes care of the rest.