If you’re going to lose something, there’s probably no better place than the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront.
That’s because you’ll get it back if you ask.
With more than 900 rooms and a steady procession of business and leisure travelers and conventioneers, on average, 400 items of all descriptions are left behind each month.
“It’s not just in the rooms,” said Michael Mottinger, director of hotel services. “People who come to the hotel for banquets and conventions leave things behind, too.”
The list includes just about anything: cosmetics, toiletries, eyeglasses, books and clothing of all sorts.
One guest forgot to take a surfboard home when checking out of the hotel. Another guest apparently couldn’t fit a barbecue grill into their suitcase.
Mottinger said the most common items found after guests check out are cellphone and laptop chargers.
“People leave it plugged in and they just forget to take it with them,” he said.
When it comes to convention guests, each group has its patterns for the lost-and-found department. Sometimes, there’s an influx of sports memorabilia after a collectors’ convention. Guests attending meetings hosted by faith-based organizations sometimes leave behind Bibles.
“We can predict what people will leave behind,” Mottinger said.
Valuable items like jewelry are kept at the hotel for 90 days. Less valuable items are stored for 30 days. If after that time an item isn’t claimed, the hotel donates it to the Salvation Army, Mottinger said.
If a guest can’t come to the hotel to claim an item, the hotel will ship it via FedEx.
Sometimes, a guest leaves behind something that isn’t so easy to handle and return. There are categories that warrant special handling.
About twice each month, a departing guest will forget to pack a firearm. The weapons are immediately turned over to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, where the guest may claim it.
Also, Hyatt’s policy is to destroy unclaimed items that may contain personal information such as cellphones, tablets and laptops, Mottinger said.
The Hyatt is in the process of a complete renovation of all 963 guest rooms. After the work is complete, each guest room will have a small safe. “It will be intersting to see what people leave behind in those,” he said.
The best way to avoid having to track down an errant possession is to make sure to take a look around the room before turning in the key card.
“Look at all the outlets, check the drawers, check the closet and look behind the bathroom door,” said Mottinger.
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