Hotels share wackiest room service orders and the crazy things guests leave behind
FILE - Do Not Disturb sign at a hotel in Paris, France. Hotels have seen a trend toward specialized concierge services in recent years. (Photo by Bruno Levesque/IP3/Getty Images)
If you’ve ever checked out of a hotel only to realize you left something valuable behind, you’re not alone. And chances are whatever you forgot to pack isn’t as weird as the items on this list.
Hotels.com has released its Hotel Room Innsights Report, a survey of 400 hotels that reveals wacky room service requests, odd personal items left behind and the hotel perks you didn’t know you needed.
"From guitar concierges to pet healers, hotels are catering to travelers’ unique demands, which may well become the norm," Melanie Fish, vice president of Global Public Relations at Hotels.com, said in a statement.
Hotels have seen a trend toward specialized concierge services in recent years. It’s a way to stand out from the crowded competition.
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"Personalization is not just a travel trend; hotel guests want to experience unique moments, tailor-made for their vacation," Emanuel Schreiner, founder of RVS Hotel Consulting, told The Associated Press.
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According to the hotels.com report, one hotel worker drove 100 miles to return a passport, another ran several blocks to return items before a cruise ship set sail, and another took a shopping trip to replace a lost teddy bear and included a book detailing the bear’s adventures.
Here are some of the unusual – and expensive – findings from the survey.
Most common personal items left behind at hotels
- Chargers and power banks
- Dirty laundry/clothes
- Adapters
- Makeup/toiletries
- Underwear
Most expensive items left behind at hotels
- A Rolex watch
- Birkin bag
- A $6 million watch
- Stacks of cash in the room safe
- An engagement ring
Most unusual items left behind at hotels
- Pet lizard
- Pet chick
- Dentures
- Two full-leg casts
- Rice cooker
- Car tire
- Blender
- Construction pipes
Most bizarre room service requests
- An Evian filled bathtub
- Burnt toast
- 4 pounds of bananas
- A caviar hot dog
Hotel perks you didn’t know you needed
- A "whatever/whenever" button at the W Osaka for guests to order anything at any time.
- In-room guitar concierge at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas.
- Very Important Pets services, like access to top groomers and a pet acupuncturist for stressed pets, at the Sentinel Hotel in Portland, Oregon.
- The "Forgot it? We’ve got it!" program at Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel in Florida that allows guests to borrow accessories like sunglasses and handbags from retailer Anthropologie.
- An "Instagram concierge" at the W Punta de Mita hotel in Mexico helps guests locate and take the best social media-worthy photos while they bask in that vacation glow.