- If any items that we left at the hotel are lost, we should immediately report it to the staff. The hotel cannot limit or exclude its liability in any way. He cannot do it either by contractual provisions, or by announcement, or by provisions in the regulations. Of course, this is not unlimited liability - says newsrm.tv Elżbieta Tyszka.
There are also exceptions to this rule when the damage resulted from the property of the item brought, e.g. an explosion of a tourist gas cylinder, was caused by force majeure or was caused solely by the fault of the injured person or a person who accompanied him, was employed by him or visited him. What if only after unpacking the suitcase at home we saw that we had been robbed? - In this case, there may be a problem in proving that the item was lost to us at the hotel. We'll have to secure the evidence. Here, testimonies of witnesses, photos, and video surveillance may be useful. Enforcement of claims will also be helped by reporting, for example, that we have a large amount of cash or valuables that was taken while checking in at the hotel - adds Elżbieta Tyszka.
Importantly, it is the responsibility of the hotel or guesthouse to accept money, securities, valuables and items of scientific or artistic value for safekeeping. We can hear the refusal to take care of our property only if the items pose a safety risk, are too valuable for the hotel standard and if they take up too much space in relation to the hotel size. What's more, when the service or the hotel owner is obliged to accept our belongings and refuses to do so, the responsibility remains with them. It is similar in the case of damage resulting from willful misconduct or gross negligence of hotel employees, e.g. if the receptionist gave keys to third parties in the mistaken belief that he is giving keys to authorized persons without identifying them, or if the maid left the window in the room open or she did not close the door.
In the event of loss of goods, the claim must be reported immediately after receiving the notification of the damage and, at the same time, demand confirmation of this report. It is necessary to bear in mind the short limitation period for such claims.
With the evidence collected, we can apply for compensation for the loss of our property. The amount of the compensation we are entitled to is limited to one hundred times the amount due per night for one person. The above limit does not apply in two cases: if we reported that valuables were brought in and the hotel accepted them for storage or unjustifiably refused to accept them.