Every day, thousands of hotel rooms are vacated, leaving behind a trail of forgotten belongings. Housekeeping staff are the first to discover these treasures, ranging from the mundane to the truly bizarre. While hotels have strict policies for high-value items like wallets, jewelry, and electronics, a surprising number of smaller items fall into a grey area. These are the things guests leave behind that are often too trivial to mail back but too useful to throw away. For the hardworking staff who clean up after us, these forgotten remnants become unofficial perks of the job.
Unopened Toiletries and Travel-Sized Items
It’s perhaps the least surprising item on the list. Guests often buy or bring travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and toothpaste, only to leave them behind nearly full. Rather than throwing away perfectly good products, housekeepers will often collect these for their own use or to share with family. It’s a small, practical perk that reduces waste and saves them a few dollars.
Magazines and Books
A vacation is a prime time to catch up on reading, but that paperback thriller or glossy magazine often doesn’t make it into the suitcase for the return trip. Books and magazines are frequently left on nightstands or by the pool. Unless it’s a rare first edition, the hotel isn’t going to track down its owner. These items are happily snapped up by staff for their break room or to take home.
Phone Chargers (The Most Common Find)
The humble phone charger is the undisputed king of forgotten items. People are so used to seeing them plugged into walls that they become invisible during the final packing sweep. Most hotels have a drawer overflowing with them. While policy dictates holding them for a period, the sheer volume means most are never claimed. After a set time, these chargers often become part of a communal staff collection, saving everyone from buying a new one when theirs inevitably breaks.
Non-Perishable Snacks and Drinks
Travelers often stock their rooms with snacks, bottled water, or sodas to avoid the pricey minibar. When it’s time to check out, those leftover bags of chips, granola bars, or unopened drinks are heavy and inconvenient to pack. These goodies are a welcome treat for housekeeping staff who are on their feet all day and can use the extra energy boost.
Generic Clothing Items
While a designer coat will be sent to lost and found, a simple t-shirt, a pair of socks, or a generic hat often falls below the threshold of a high-value item. These common clothing items are among the things guests leave behind that, after a holding period, may be claimed by staff, especially if they are a perfect fit. It’s a practical find that’s better than letting the item go to waste.
Kids’ Toys and Art Supplies
Traveling with children often means traveling with an arsenal of entertainment. Small toys, coloring books, and packs of crayons are frequently left under beds or behind curtains. These items rarely warrant a call to the front desk. For hotel staff with children of their own, finding a perfectly good toy car or a set of markers can feel like a small, heartwarming bonus to take home.
Slightly Used Gift Cards
This is a surprisingly common and valuable find. A guest might use a gift card for a local coffee shop or restaurant and leave it on the desk with a few dollars still on it. They may not think the small balance is worth holding onto, but for a local staff member, that remaining value is free coffee or a discount on lunch—a small but appreciated bonus.
Novelty Souvenirs
Tourists buy all sorts of trinkets—keychains, snow globes, funny hats, and other keepsakes. Sometimes, in the rush to pack, these less-sentimental souvenirs don’t make the cut. What was an impulse buy for a guest can become a quirky desk decoration or a fun gift for a staff member’s child. These items find a second life instead of a landfill.
The Unofficial Perks of Hotel Housekeeping
While hotel work is demanding, these small discoveries can brighten a housekeeper’s day. It’s a silent, unwritten exchange where one person’s forgotten item becomes another’s small treasure. So the next time you leave something behind, don’t be too upset. While your wallet will be kept safe for you, that book or phone charger might just have found a happy new home with the person who tidied your room.
What’s the most valuable or strangest thing you’ve ever left behind in a hotel room?
Read more:
Why Sharing Hotel Rooms With Friends Isn’t Always Easy
5 Hotel Room Mistakes That Could Put You at Risk While You Sleep
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