Choice's Top 7 facts about things people leave in hotel rooms

By Julie Chan-McConnell

TORONTO — Did you ever get that sinking feeling while
travelling because you left something behind in your hotel room? You’re not
alone; a new Choice Hotels Canada survey reveals nearly half of Canadians admit
to leaving a personal belonging in a hotel room while on the go.

The Leger survey questioned Canadians on their travel
habits and found that 43 per cent have forgotten personal belongings in hotel
rooms when they’re away from home.

1.
Albertans were the most forgetful of all, with 51
per cent saying they’ve left belongings behind, while only 32 per cent of
Quebecers have done the same.

2.
“It’s easy to forget items in your hotel room,” said
Julie Chan-McConnell, director, marketing and loyalty at Choice Hotels Canada.
“If it’s important or valuable, our hotel staff do everything they can to
return the belonging to its owner, but more often people leave minor items
behind, like toothbrushes. If you check into one of our hotels and are missing
a toothbrush or other small personal items, the front desk will be happy to
help find or source a replacement.”

3. We
 forget 
the 
little 
things. It turns out
toothbrushes are the most common belonging travellers forget in hotel rooms (18
per cent), but the next most common item is phone chargers (15 per cent). A lot
of people would rather have dirty teeth than an uncharged phone. If you’re one
of them, always check your hotel room’s electrical outlets before you depart.

4. So
 what
 else
 are
 people 
forgetting? Here are the most
common personal belongings people reported as lost during a recent hotel stay:

— Sunglasses (14 per cent)

— Books (10 per cent)

— Hats (9 per cent)

— Makeup (8 per cent)

— Shoes (7 per cent)

— Toys (7 per cent)

— Prescription glasses (6 per cent)

— Goggles (2 per cent)

— Wallets (2 per cent)

5. Men 
forget 
more
 often 
than 
women. Women probably
won’t be surprised to learn that men are more likely to report they’ve
forgotten personal belongings in hotel rooms. While only 38 per cent of women
say they’ve left items behind while travelling, 48 per cent of men say they
have done so.

6. Harried
 parents
 also 
forget
 personal
 belongings when
they check out of their rooms. People with children have a higher than average
chance of leaving items behind in hotels, with 50 per cent saying they’ve done
so.

7. Youngsters 
are
 just
 as 
forgetful. They say people
become more forgetful as they age, but that obviously doesn’t include leaving
belongings behind in hotel rooms; older respondents were a lot less likely to
do so than younger ones. Only 32 per cent of travellers over 65 years old say
they have left personal belongings in their hotel rooms, while a substantial 56
per cent of those under 34 have done so.

While being forgetful happens from time to time, an
easy thing to remember is the Choice Privileges rewards program. With more than
27 million members and counting, check out Choice Privileges rewards to see how
you can reap the benefits.

Contact: Vicky Rivers, tel.: 905.206.7333, email: vicky_rivers@choicehotels.ca