Kal: LOL!! I love it!

I left my credit card in the hotel room. I realized it when I was on the plane flying home. I called the hotel once on the ground - they said they'd have to check and get back to me. Low and behold, about an hour later my cell phone rang. They had the credit card and sent it back to me free of charge (and without any charges on it!!)

Patrick -

I'm with you. I left a dead (but not obviously so) umbrella in a waste basket in a hotel in Copenhagen. We had breakfast and then went to check out - and had the umbrella returned to us at the front desk - with a note form the maid that we had forgotten it. I don;t know which impressed me more - the maid's honesty - or her writen english.

maybe not hotel room but...in sonoma and napa this october with my mother and sister...our last name is murphy, and we went to the murphy-goode vineyard. (which is wonderful btw) of course we joked about our last name, and of course it was on my amex card when i paid for my stuff. they were unusually busy, the clerk forgot to give me back my card, and i forgot too! ...we had no set plans, but the clerk overheard that we maybe were thinking about going to this vineyard in napa, chateau montelana, 35 minutes away. i hadn't even realized about my card until we got to the chateau montelana and the clerk said "You must be the Murphy's!!" The clerk at the first place was kind enough to call just in case we went there, and told us that one of us forgot our card!
they ups'ed my card back with a lovely note.

When I travel, I've developed this method of discarding the clothes I wore the day before in the hotel wastebasket. I used to leave them nicely folded on the bed (never the underwear, just the pants and shirts) thinking the maid might be able to use them, but several times the maid had ran me down in the lobby to give me back my clothes that I had "forgotten" and once, on a tour, they were forwarded to the next hotel on my itinerary. I take older clothes that I don't wear as often and am ready to discard on trips to wear for a day or two then I throw them away. This frees up space in my luggage for new purchases and souvenirs. It also frees up space in my closet at home.

This thread reminds me of a funny incident in Orvieto. I had bought new shoes in Italy (of course) and left an old pair in the trashcan in our hotel room. We had checked out and started walking to the funicular when the maid came running down the street carrying the abandoned shoes.

There seems to be no middle ground here. We leave things of value that we never see again and the things we want to discard follow us around.

I've been very, very lucky always getting things back that I've forgotten. Once, I called to let them know I left my nightgown on the back of the door and I also got my ex boyfriend's robe, too!

I tend to leave nice tips for housekeeping, especially when they have been extra nice to me. I think this helps get items returned.

Maybe when you leave shoes, clothes, etc., behind on purpose, a little note telling them to keep or give to someone who wants them would be nice.

I'm certain there are housekeeping staff who take items, but found the honest ones outnumber the dishonest ones. Even though I do a quick once-over before leaving, I occassionally miss something if in a hurry. Also, I consider the items gone forever and if the hotel finds them and returns them, then I consider myself very, very lucky.

Regarding pillows.... whenever I take my own, I try to put it in a colorful pillowcase so it doesn't get mixed in with the ones supplied by the hotel (I know the difference in the pillows, but the staff might not notice in their haste to clean the room.) Also, when packing, the different colors on the pillows reminds me to take it with me...LOL! I do the same in hospitals, too.

If it was valuables like jewelry I might consider possibilitiy of a theft. But for worn sneakers left behind and not called for immediately, my guess is that they were treated as trash and tossed or recycled.

Heavens, I have never heard of someone bringing there own pillows to a hotel room! Wow, that is being really fussy. I hope the maids threw your pillows away so someone else didn't have to use them. Do you have a caravan to haul all that luggage? No wonder you couldn't find a pair of shoes. Tip O' The Day: Leave the kitchen sink at home next time!

Jor, you must've missed the thread on "Other" forum. There is a looooong thread about people bringing things with them. It started with a question, or was it the topic "do you bring your own sheets". I kid you not!!

Faina, that was one of my favorite threads! I can never quite believe how germophobic some people are. The poster was not only bringing her own sheets, but she was staying in 4 star hotels. As I recall, she had a few other eccentricities as well, such as a phobia about using cloth napkins in restaurants.

This thread is killing me! I work in a hotel where our housekeeping staff is well paid. Why in the world would someone want a) anyone's used sneakers or b) anyone's used clothing? If you want to get rid of your junk, bring it to a collection bin. Please do not insult hard-working housekeeping employees by foisting your discarded items on them.

My thoughts exactly, Leona. Do these same people offer their leftover restaurant meal to their waiter to take home to finsh?

Perhaps it does not apply in the US, but in some 3rd World countries, Leona, the housekeeping staff would be happy to get a pair of barely-worn sneakers or clothing. Not that they would necessarily "steal" it, but they sure wouldn't throw it away. We have taken duffle bags of Tshirts and other clothes to places like Cambodia and people are thrilled to get them.

Marilyn, that thread was disgusting! The germ phobia was particularly graphic about describing bodily fluids and seemed a bit whacko.

I know, GoTravel, TMI for sure.
(Too Much Information)
After sleeping on some rock hard pillows in other parts of the world, I have considered carrying one of those small down travel pillows, but in the end I never have the space.

Once I lost consciousness in the hotel room. They said they can't find it, but I think somebody benefitted from it! Probably the maid.

I may regret this posting but I always bring my pillow with me. It is regular size, down filled and not too thick. I put it in my carry on. It has saved me during delays in airports, made for comfortable flights and saved my neck (literally) in some hotel rooms. And once it was returned to me (from Kansas).

This thread is starting to go the way of "Things That Go Bump In The Night".

OK, I bring a pillow with me to hotels but not to add or substitute ... we just need one in the car and don't want to leave it in the car overnight. Simple. And yes, we've had to learn to put a colored case on it so we don't forget it.

Now this thread has me going, too. Why don't you want to leave your pillow in the car overnight? I am sure it is a very nice pillow, but they are not usually theft magnets.