Left item in hotel room uk

gypjack

Stupidly left my new laptop in hotel room, 100% it was left, now I'm getting stonewalled by hotel they have given me a case number that was 7 days ago, no further corrospondance, called the hotel premium number but was just told it was not there, I know it was.
Where can I go from here 

la531983

Claim on your insurance for it?

eskbanker

Not sure whether there's any actual legal liability on the hotel as such, but how long was it between checking out and reporting it?  If it was minutes or hours then you should have had a decent chance of recovering it, but if it was days then that would obviously increase the number of people who'd subsequently have accessed the room.

swingaloo

Claim on your insurance is the only way with this.

flaneurs_lobster

Any chance that Find My Device might help?

Brie

I don't want to pass to much judgement but cleaning a hotel room is a carp job at (I assume) minimum wage and so it's a standard thing (I guess) that if there's something left behind it's fair game.  Yes people are generally honest but if you're in a stinky old flat paying £1200 for the privilege and you're cleaning rooms that get 2 or 3 times that amount in a week you might develop an entrepreneurial attitude.

Alderbank

eskbanker said:

Not sure whether there's any actual legal liability on the hotel as such, but how long was it between checking out and reporting it?  If it was minutes or hours then you should have had a decent chance of recovering it, but if it was days then that would obviously increase the number of people who'd subsequently have accessed the room.

Clearly then you are not familiar with the Hotel Proprietors’ Act 1956!

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/4-5/62#:~:text=Under%20the%20Hotel%20Proprietors%20Act,or%20staff%20of%20the%20hotel.

@gypjack, a few questions:

1. Did you deposit your new laptop for safekeeping in the hotel's safe?
2. Is the hotel in Greater London?
3. Did the hotel have on display a notice about Loss of or damage to guests’ property?

If the answers are no, no and yes, then you can claim a maximum of £50 (a sizeable amount in 1956) towards the cost of your missing laptop from the hotel.
Note that no claims can be made for the loss of a guest's motor car or his horse while he is asleep (it's a very old Act).

However in 2004 the London Local Authorities upped the claim value to a more realistic £750 within their area. That would be worth pursuing.

Also, if the prescribed notice was not on display in reception (maybe removed for decorating and not put back) the cap of £50 or £750 does not apply.

Pollycat

Brie said:

I don't want to pass to much judgement but cleaning a hotel room is a carp job at (I assume) minimum wage and so it's a standard thing (I guess) that if there's something left behind it's fair game.  Yes people are generally honest but if you're in a stinky old flat paying £1200 for the privilege and you're cleaning rooms that get 2 or 3 times that amount in a week you might develop an entrepreneurial attitude.

I think that's pretty judgemental.

Grumpy_chap

Alderbank said:

Clearly then you are not familiar with the Hotel Proprietors’ Act 1956!

I would imagine the percentage of hotels not displaying the prescribed notice is vanishingly close to zero.

I also assume there has to be some verification of the claimed lost items, otherwise this could be open to widespread abuse (particularly in London).