Glossary Term Explanation AM Ante meridiem meaning ‘before midday’. 10:00AM is 10 o’clock in the morning Bailment A legal position where the ownership of goods is transferred from one person to another CRS Computerised Reservation System Claimant Person making a claim Contraband Any illegal item being used, possessed or smuggled Fax Facsimile Floor Supervisor A management person in the Housekeeping department with responsibility for one or more floors of guest rooms and facilities Generic information Information that is generally applicable Gratuitous bailment Bailment where a person finds and looks after lost property and there is no charge made for this Grossly negligent Serious failure to take care; deliberate disregard for duty of care obligations; to succeed in a ‘grossly negligent’ claim the evidence must show the person liable demonstrated more than ‘ordinary’ negligence Hard copy materials Printed or hand-written materials (as opposed to electronic/on screen versions) ID Identification Lost and Register A bound book containing details of all lost and found items enabling processing of lost and found items to be documented and tracked PM Post meridiem meaning ‘after midday’. 10:00PM is 10 o’clock at night
Treating/handling items with respect and care – treat them as if they were your own personal and prized possessions Packaging to protect them from damage – where appropriate such as when dealing with fragile items or items likely to be easily scratched/marked Securing the items – placing them into locations to ensure they are not stolen or lost Leaving items alone until they are claimed or need to be disposed of – this highlights ‘found’ items cannot be used by staff or the property. 2.2 Introduction A standard requirement when a ‘found’ item is handed in is for it to be entered into the Lost and Found Register. This Section identifies the requirements for entering items into this Register.
Reading the details back is the best way to achieve this. Identifying finder This requirement involves identifying the person who found the item. This is usually the name of a staff member of guest who founded/handed in the item – you should record their full name. There is no need to capture their date of birth but it is useful to record a contact for them – this may be a telephone number or address for a guest/member of the public or (for staff) their extension number. Be aware a guest is not obliged to provide their name, address or contact phone number when handing in a ‘found’ item if they do not want to do so: you cannot force or demand they do so. Note: in some a staff member may be handing the ‘found’ item in but the item may have been found by a guest and given/passed on to the staff member.
2.5 Introduction Following tagging of items, items must be stored. This Section describes the considerations and options relating to the safe-keeping of items. Storing options You will recall is rarely a dedicated Lost and Found area doing nothing else but handling lost and found items and queries.
The size of the operation The structure of the business and the different roles within it Where the item was found Whether the item is to be returned to a guest/customer who is on the premises Whether the item needs to be forwarded locally, nationally or internationally Special arrangements/requests made by the owner – for example, insisting the item is air-freighted to them. with this responsibility can therefore range from management/owner-level through to basic operational staff, and include: Housekeeping staff – Floor Supervisors are commonly involved in this task Concierge – the ‘Information Desk’ at the venue musty always be notified about items that have been found in a hotel as many guests make this desk their first pointy of contact/enquiry