According to a 2015 G6 Hospitality survey, hotel guests leave behind belongings more often than they steal. Some common forgotten items include:

• Clothing (42%),
• Toiletries (42%),
• Electronics (40%),
• Jewelry and watches (15%),
• Underwear (13%),
• And hair-styling products (13%).

The majority of guests who forget things do not bother returning for them. Only one-third of respondents retrieved their lost possessions. Interestingly, people are more adapt to come back for a wallet or electric device than anything else.

Travelodge recently released its annual list of unusual items found and never reclaimed. Besides thousands of laptops, computers, and phones, other discoveries include prosthetic limbs, prenuptial agreements, and stamp collections. A Macleans article also reports that sex toys are common but rarely taken back.

So Where Do Your Belongings Go?

Most hotels run lost-and-found programs. Items that hotel staff finds in public areas and private rooms end up in storage for 90 or so days. After this period, depending on the policy, lost items go to whoever found them or to charity.

When found in common spaces, identifying the owner is sometimes impossible. For this reason, you must initiate the investigation. That said, when found in the room, the hotel knows who stayed there and will call or email promptly.

What Actions Should You Take for Your Lost Goods?

If you do not receive a notice from the hotel, contact them immediately. If someone has yet to clean the room, you may not get a firm answer at first. For this reason, always follow up after a few days in the case your item turns up.

Many people worry about cleaners stealing what they find. However, most hotels log their staff’s duties and can pinpoint who cleaned the area in question. Most people would not risk getting caught in a lie, as this would end their employment.