As a regular traveller, people sometimes confide in me that they have an unfortunate habit of leaving things in a hotel room when checking out. It’s something that affects many people, and the top suspects for items left behind are mobile phone or laptop charging units (with electric plug). You have plugs, the hotel has sockets.
I was once staying at the Rowton Hotel (then known as the Paragon) in Birmingham with a phone that was out of charge. I needed to email an important file and was expecting to waste time the following morning finding an internet café to complete my work.
When I explained my predicament to the receptionist, he burrowed under the desk for a cardboard box which was full of mains cables for all types of phones left by previous guests. In no time we found an appropriate lead and he just said, “keep it overnight, drop it off when you checkout”.
As an aside, compare the Rowton’s position on Tripadvisor with that which is generally rated the worst large hotel in England: the Grand Hotel in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. January 2022 scores are as follows:
Trip Advisor Rowton Hotel Grand Hotel
Rating Birmingham Scarborough
Excellent 40 768
Very Good 71 1,564
Average 65 1,673
Poor 74 1,404
Terrible 208 3,967
% Poor or Terrible 61.6% 57.3%
Given this is a hotel about which 62% of customers rated poor or terrible, (and four percentage points higher disapproval ratings than the acknowledged worst!) I thought that solving my problem quickly and at no cost to me was excellent service, and it was rated no better then than now. If you want an interesting half hour, read the customer reports on Trip Advisor!
So, back to the subject. On arrival in a hotel room, you have a decision to make. Are you going to unpack completely, or live out of a suitcase? For suitcase read bag, rucksack etc as appropriate. The answer to this is simple. If you are staying for a single night, you probably won’t have much stuff and there is no need to unpack completely. If you are staying three nights or more, it is only sensible to unpack. However, if you have a two night stay you have a choice of one method or the other. Choose the suitcase or total unpack. If you have things which you don’t need for your trip, you have to consider why you brought them at all!
When unloading from your bag for method one, keep everything clearly in view. Nothing in drawers or cupboards, everything in close sight. No pyjamas under pillows. Then in the morning, get dressed and, if appropriate, have breakfast. Pack last, and only when you have finished your morning ablutions, cleared the bathroom out and closed the door. Assemble everything, including your case, on the foot of the bed. The desk is probably not big enough and there will be hotel clutter (menus etc) obstructing the view. Pack everything away, being especially careful to store tickets / admission passes etc required for the day.
When the bed is clear of all but your suitcase, don’t close it up until you have made a visual check around the room. If you are on the three nights method, this is when to check the drawers and cupboards.
The next move only takes 20 seconds but is vital. The bathroom should already be clear but make a 360-degree tour round the room with your finger pointing up and down (and look properly!) to check there is nothing else left. There should not be, but there might. Particularly a mobile phone charger unplugged and ready to accidentally leave behind. Using this fool proof method, whether for one night or for the three nights plus, you will never leave anything behind. A two-night stay requires a choice of 1 or 3+.
Book train tickets in advance, and happy travelling in the knowledge you cannot have left something behind.
