You are unpacking for a guest and find a watch on the bedside, cash in a jacket pocket and a jewellery pouch left open on the vanity. Ten minutes later the guest cannot find an earring. If you have no protocol, you now have a problem that is entirely about your reputation, not the earring.
Guest personal effects
- Never move valuables without a witness. If items must be moved for cleaning, do it with a second crew member present and put them back in the same place.
- Use the safe. If cash or jewellery is left out, the correct action is to record it, tell the Chief, and where policy allows place it in the guest safe — not to quietly tidy it into a drawer.
- Never open a closed bag, case or drawer that belongs to a guest unless you have been asked to unpack.
- Do not discuss, photograph or comment on guest belongings — this is a confidentiality matter and usually a contractual one under an NDA.
- Handle unpacking to a routine: hang and press, note anything already damaged or stained before you touch it, and tell the Chief.
Jewellery and high-value guest items
| Situation | Correct action |
|---|---|
| Item found on the floor or in the linen | Stop, do not pocket. Two people. Log it. Hand to Chief Stew |
| Item found in the laundry | Same. Never wash it, never assume it is costume |
| Item left in a bathroom | Do not move if it can be avoided; report and let the guest be told |
| Guest asks you to hold something | Politely refer to the Chief; do not take personal custody |
| Guest reports something missing | Report up immediately. Do not search alone, do not investigate crew yourself |
The rule is simple: never be alone with a guest valuable, and never be the only person who knows.
Laundry and personal items
- Check every pocket, twice, and record what you find.
- Delicates, designer labels and anything unmarked: dry-clean route or ask. A ruined couture item is a five-figure conversation.
- Note pre-existing damage on the guest laundry sheet before the item goes in the machine.
Recording damage honestly
Boats do not punish accidents; they punish concealment.
- Report the same day, in writing, with a photograph and an unembellished factual description: what, where, when, who was present, what you did next.
- Do not attempt a cosmetic repair before reporting. A home fix converts an insured repair into a chargeable one and destroys trust.
- Anything you break yourself gets reported by you, first.
- Feed the incident back into the SOP: if a product, a method or a piece of stowage caused the damage, change it.
Onboard Notes
- Take a photograph of a guest cabin before the guest arrives. It settles most disputes about pre-existing marks.
- If a guest offers you an item as a gift, refer to the Chief Stew and the Captain. Accepting valuables privately is how good crew end up in a police report.
- Concealment is the one interior offence that will end a career. An etched marble top is a repair; a lie about it is a dismissal.