Passports- Should we let hotels keep them

HopelessCase

Often when you arrive at a hotel they ask you for your passport which they say they will return in 24 hours.You are usually tired after a long day, and do not think twice about it. However friends of ours had problems when he went to collect their passports from reception as they claimed they had no got it. Eventually after 3 days reception told them it had turned up. Our friends found out that they been handed to other guests in the hotel who did not check until the day there were going home!!!. There was also a similar incident in Turkey featured on the television programme "Rip Off Britain". Should you hand your passport to reception and should you demand a receipt. A lost passport is a major problem on holiday.

jackieblack

Often?
Is this in any particular area/region/country?
We have stayed in dozens of different hotels and have only ever been asked to show my passport for ID purposes. We have never been asked to hand over our passports and would never allow this.

paulsad

Not permanently; No.

Indie_Kid

I wouldn't. If I had one, I'd need it for ID for other purposes too.

balletshoes

as a regular visitor to Turkish hotels and apartments over the last 20 years, I have to say I've often (including last year) been asked to leave our passports with reception overnight when we check in, and pick them up the following morning. I've never thought twice about it, always done it, and never had a problem?

eta - I can't remember, but I think we used to be asked to leave the passports with reception in Greece too many years ago?

System

It depends on how good the forgers are. Most need 3-4 hours to make a good copy so that is why they ask to keep the passport overnight.

dzug1

In some countries it's a legal requirement for the hotel to register you with the local police - for which they need your passport

Wammer

I haven't been asked to leave my passport overnight for many years. Most European hotels I have used have taken a photocopy of it and handed it straight back.

Delree

I travel often and I have NEVER been asked to hand over my passport for 24 hours and if I was asked I would absolutely refuse.

Why would reception need it for so long? I can't think of any legit reason.

photome

I havent been to anywhere for a while that has asked for the passport overnight but many european countries have asked in the past. I used to hand over no questions asked, i think these days i would ask them to photocopy it instead.

having said that maybe they have to have the original

photome

Delree wrote: »

I travel often and I have NEVER been asked to hand over my passport for 24 hours and if I was asked I would absolutely refuse.

Why would reception need it for so long? I can't think of any legit reason.

have you been on packages to greece and turkey as from memory thats when it happens