When housekeeping finds an item left in a room, a phone form logs a photo and the room number. The property management system shows who stayed there last, and that guest gets a WhatsApp message with the photo and a ship-or-collect form the same day.
Typical results
Under 2 hrs
Typical time from a find to the guest's WhatsApp
≈3 hrs/wk
Front-desk time on tracing owners saved
100%
Shipping fees paid before an item is packed
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Housekeeping at a busy hotel finds chargers, jackets, toys and jewelry every week. Items go into a box with a paper tag, and the front desk tries to work out whose they were, emailing guests days later when there is time. Many owners are never reached, and guests who call about a missing item wait while staff search the box.
Before and after
Found items returned to their owners
+83%Hours from a find to first contact with the guest
−96%Front-desk hours per week tracing owners
−75%The automation
Housekeeping logs each find on a phone form with a photo, the room number and where it was found. The automation finds the room's most recent checkout in the property management system and sends that guest the photo on WhatsApp. A short form lets the guest choose shipping, with a flat fee paid on the form, or collection at the desk. Each choice lands in the lost-property log for the front desk to pack or hold the item.
How it works
- 01
Housekeeping logs the find
A phone form records a photo of the item, the room number and where it was found, such as the bedside drawer or the bathroom.
- 02
Last guest found in the PMS
The automation looks up the most recent checkout for that room and pulls the booking dates and the guest's WhatsApp number.
- 03
WhatsApp with the photo
The guest gets the photo and a short form to choose: ship it for a flat fee paid on the form, or collect it at the desk.
- 04
Choice reaches the front desk
The choice, address and payment land in the lost-property log, and the front desk gets a note to pack or hold the item.
- 05
One reminder, then flagged
Guests who have not answered after 3 days get one reminder, and the log shows which items are still waiting.
Starts from
- Found-item photo and room
- Stay history in the PMS
Delivers
- WhatsApp with the photo
- Ship-or-collect form
- Lost-property log
The impact
About 55% of found items get back to their owners, up from roughly 30%, and most guests hear about a find within 2 hours. The front desk saves around 3 hours a week of tracing guests, shipping fees are paid before anything is packed, and the storage box stays small.
Questions about this automation
What if it is unclear whose item it is?
For items found in a room, the most recent guest is contacted. If a new guest has already checked in, the find goes to the front desk to confirm first. Items from public areas, such as the pool or the lobby, are logged with a photo and no guest, so staff can match them when someone calls.
How are valuables like jewelry or passports handled?
Housekeeping ticks a valuables box on the form. Those items skip the shipping option: the guest is asked to contact the front desk, and the duty manager gets a WhatsApp alert to lock the item in the safe. Each handover is written to the log with the time and the staff role that released it.
What does the hotel need to set this up?
A property management system with an API or a daily departures export, the hotel's WhatsApp Business number and a form tool that takes card payments, such as Jotform. Housekeeping uses the form on the phones they already carry. Simple automations like this are usually live within days, starting with in-room finds.