Hey, you forgot something. It's okay. Everybody does it. We interviewed hotel concierges to find out which important items travelers tend to forget the most, and we got some advice on how to best deal with your loss. We even found one hotel chain that specially caters to the harried, the hurried and the just plain heedless with an onsite Lending Locker and What You Forgot Box. Next time you pack, take a look at this list. And then check it twice. And then one more time.
Candlewood's Lending Locker
1. A necktie
Did you forget this super essential item for your cousin's wedding? For an important meeting? "Sometimes a guest will spill coffee on their tie right before a meeting, and they'll come ask us for help," says Adam Collier, general manager at the Candlewood Suites in Fayetteville, North Carolina. No problem. You'll find plenty of loaner ties in the hotel's What You Forgot Box. Candlewood Suites, an extended-stay brand of the Intercontinental Hotel Group, takes this service even further with its Lending Locker, a cabinet where guests can sign out everything from portable fans to golf clubs and kiddie pools.
2. Prescription medication
It's probably sitting on the bathroom sink. Or the kitchen counter. But it's not with you. Hotel staff can direct you to the nearest pharmacy. Collier advises, "Always keep your medication in the bottle with your name on it—if you are searched at the airport and they find unidentified pills, they will be confiscated."
3. Condoms
No shame in the game, but if you don't want the hotel staff knowing your business, you could always hit up the nearest gas station. On the other hand, if you're not shy, check in with the front desk. "A lot of people do ask for them, so we have them for free," says Collier. "Better people use them than suffer the possible consequences of not!"
4. Reusable shopping totes
Yes, you will continue your life as a card-carrying (and hopefully environmentally conscious) consumer while on the road, packing your reusable bag with a sightseeing lunch, souvenirs or other goodies. If you forgot to shove one in some unsuspecting luggage crevice, ask the front desk for one. After so many requests, the Candlewood Suites got hip to the trend and had some made with their logo.
5. Laptop power cords/phone chargers
Did you really forget your charger? Again? Really? Join the club. In this technological age, hotels will have extras, and some brands such as Marriott even have USB outlets in the rooms at some properties for your beloved iPhone/iPad. Candlewood Suites keeps a universal charger on hand, and like any hotel, can assist with ordering/shipping/receiving your umbilical cord connection to the rest of the world.
6. Games
Oh. My. God. You forgot to pack the iPad that's packed with games and apps to keep the kids busy all vacation long. Now what? Go old school. The Lending Locker stocks games like Monopoly and Battleship, which are also available in travel versions. Or just toss a deck of cards in your bag (works well, too, if you're traveling solo and your only option is Solitaire).
7. Photocopies of your IDs
It sucks to lose your IDs, that's a universal truth. If you forget to make copies of them before you leave, ask the concierge to do it when you check in.
8. Cash
Sorry, there's no cash in the Lending Locker! Or at any hotel—unless you find it on the ground (which, hey, does happen). So in the event that you lose your plastic, keep some cash on your person. And don't forget you put it there when you undress or use the bathroom! That's not the good kind of cash flow.
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