Left your phone at a hotel? How to get it back
Published November 2026 • 4 min read • For guests of Australian hotels
Short answer
What should I do if I left my phone at a hotel?
Check where it is with Find My (iPhone) or Find My Device (Android), lock it and put your other phone number on the lock screen. Then contact the hotel with the phone's make, colour and case, and where in the room you left it. A phone with its battery inside can be posted back to you within Australia.
Phones and chargers are among the things guests leave behind most, usually on charge beside the bed or tucked into the sheets. The steps below help the hotel find yours and keep it safe until it is back with you.
1. See where it is
Sign in from another device. For an iPhone, use the Find My app or icloud.com/find. For an Android phone, use Google's Find My Device at google.com/android/find. If the map shows the hotel, you know where to ask. If the battery has run out, it may show the last place it was seen.
2. Lock it, don't erase it
Use Mark As Lost on an iPhone, or the option to lock the device in Find My Device on Android. Both lock the phone and let you show a message and a contact number on the lock screen, such as “Left at this hotel, please call” and the number of someone travelling with you. That message is what lets housekeeping or the front desk prove the phone is yours.
Don't erase the phone unless you think it has been stolen. Once it is erased you can no longer see where it is.
3. Describe it to the hotel
Hotels hold a lot of phones. Give them enough to pick out yours:
- make, model and colour
- the case, and anything tucked into it (a card, a ticket)
- the lock screen picture or the message you just set
- where you left it: on charge, under a pillow, in the bathroom
- whether the charger and cable were with it
Never give the hotel your passcode. They don't need it to match the phone to you.
4. Get it posted back
A phone with its battery inside can go by courier. Power banks and spare batteries can't, so the hotel will hold those for you to collect. Ask the hotel how they post items and take payment. Ask for a payment link rather than reading your card number out over the phone.
If you'd rather not chase the hotel, report the phone to us. We contact the hotel, usually within one working day. If they have it, you get a link to enter your address and pay for postage, and a courier collects it from the hotel.
How long the hotel keeps it
A phone is usually worth enough that the hotel must give you notice and hold it for weeks or months before it can dispose of it. The rules differ by state: how long hotels keep lost property. For anything else you left, see left something at a hotel.
Frequently asked questions
Can a hotel post a phone?+
Yes. A phone with its battery inside can go by courier within Australia. A separate power bank or spare battery can't, so if you left one with the phone, it stays with the hotel for collection.
Should I erase my phone remotely?+
Not straight away. Once it is erased, Find My iPhone and Find My Device stop showing where it is. Lock it and put a message on the screen first, and erase it only if you think it has been stolen.
The hotel says they can't find it, but the map shows it there. What now?+
Tell them what the map shows, including the floor or part of the building if you can tell, and play a sound on it while someone is in the room. Phones end up in bed linen, laundry bags and housekeeping trolleys.
How long does it take to get my phone back?+
Once the hotel confirms it has the phone and you pay for postage, a courier collects it from the hotel. Delivery within Australia usually takes a few business days, depending on where you are.
Do I need to give the hotel my passcode?+
No. Never give anyone your passcode. The hotel only needs to match the phone to your description, and a lock screen message with your number lets them do that.
We can ask for you
Tell us what you left and where you stayed.
We contact the hotel, usually within one working day. If they have it, we email you a link to pay for postage. Nothing is charged until then.