Survey Results: What’s The Weirdest Thing A Guest Has Ever Left Behind In Your Hostel?


Hostel Survey Statistics 2019

I had mixed feelings when I read through the answers of 72 hostel managers about the question “What’s the weirdest thing a guest has ever left behind in your hostel?”.

Here’s a collection of the top 30 responses.

WARNING: You might not want to read this before or while eating. Some responses are… well, I have no words.

Survey Results: Weirdest Items Left Behind

Here’s a list with my 10 favorite answers:

Top 10 Responses

“What’s the weirdest thing a guest has ever left behind in your hostel?”

#1

“A handbag full of wigs.”

#2

“Breastfeeding drops. It was a guy…”

#3

“A goldfish swimming in the sink.”

Hostel Survey - Weirdest Thing

#4

“A purse full of sex toys.”

#5

“A lawn gnome.”

#6

“A sex toy under the pillow… and she came back to get it after a couple of days.” 

#7

“A coffee machine by someone who was traveling without a car.”

#8

“A pair of fake teeth.”

#9

“A 20-inch long dildo.” (~51cm)

In fact, dildos have been mentioned 6x times. This can only be topped by the next one:

#10

“A dirty dildo!” 😰

Top 11-20 Responses

“What’s the weirdest thing a guest has ever left behind in your hostel?”

#11 

“A condom slipped over a banana.”

#12

“A kitten. Our policy has always been: No Pets.”

#13

“A menstrual cup in the drain.”

#14

“Goggles for snorkeling. But there’s no water 300 miles around.”

#15

“A machete.” 

Hostel Survey Statistics

#16

“Some apples under the mattress.”

#17

“Several diamonds.”

#18

“A bag with more than 300 condoms.”

In fact, condoms were mentioned a total of 4 times. This can only be topped by:

#19

“Used condoms under the bed.”

#20

“A pair of Dracula teeth.”

Hostel Survey Statistics Weird

Top 21-30 Responses

“What’s the weirdest thing a guest has ever left behind in your hostel?”

#21 

“An entire backpack full of clothes, personal items, diary, travel documents… everything. And he never came back!”

#22 

“A box with drugs and lubricant.”

#23

“Literally his shit.”

#24

“A bag full of hats.”

#25

“Their braces and mouthguard.”

#26

“A suitcase full of clothes because she did not have space for her next flight.”

#27

“A $3000 necklace.”

#28

“Food – everywhere! She booked a 2-bedroom for herself and it was filled with food leftovers. Even in the drawers.”

#29

“Oats that he wanted us to keep in the freezer for his next trip. He is returning soon.”

#30

“A bad review!” 😉

P.S. If bad reviews are an issue in your hostel, you might want to read my guide about how to get better online reviews.

Dedication:

I want to thank all participants for taking part in my survey, sharing their wisdom and being so helpful. Thank you for inspiring me. You’re the reason why this website exists.

STOP! 🤚

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And what was the weirdest thing a guest has ever left behind in YOUR hostel? 😅

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22 thoughts on “Survey Results: What’s The Weirdest Thing A Guest Has Ever Left Behind In Your Hostel?

  1. #5 is my favorite 😅
    One of our guests once forgot his wedding ring but we sent it to him shortly after.

  2. Reading through your list refreshes the mind of several of those not so pleasant items and also some others we have experienced

    A guy left his brand new motorbike with us as the authorities would not allow him to take it across the border. That was 2 years ago. We have had no contact from the owner and do not know who he is as vehicle registration will not divulge private information!

    Another was a druggie who broke the electric cable from the bedside lamps so he could remove the wires to use a section of the outer case as a tube to suck up his coke! Needless to say the lamp was never the same afterwards!

    1. 😳😳
      Oh wow. And I thought I had heard them all…
      Thanks for sharing, Ross!

  3. favorite the kitty… I have over the years had cats as my own personal pet, but my hostel is also on the growns of my home and hence clients have always met my pet..

  4. That was a fun read.. The goldfish swimming in the sink cracked me up! The machete was interesting. I wonder if they had frozen banana originally before slipping a condom on it. Otherwise it would be too soft I would think! Haha

  5. I have had a few used condoms left but the grossest thing was two different times FULL urine bags for catheters were left in bedside table drawers! One of them also left catheter needles.

    The craziest thing I ever had left was from a newlywed couple from China on their honeymoon. They had brought their wedding clothes with them to take pictures around my home and also in the Grand Tetons. They left a whole bag up stuff including his complete suit and shoes and her sandals, two or three Tiaras, and his and her wedding bands! I tried every way to contact them but never heard back from them!

    1. Yuk! Your experiences would’ve made it into the top 10 – that’s for sure!
      I’m still shocked by the catheter… 😳😄

  6. A riding crop under the bed… sometimes it’s better not to ask questions…

  7. A set of handcuffs still locked to the bed. We had to get an angle grinder to remove it^^

  8. We found around 250g of cocaine in one of our mattress covers. Someone must have hidden it in there and then forgotten it^^

    1. 😳😳😳
      Isn’t a gram around $50?! So, someone forgot 10 grand without taking notice?
      Holy cow…

    1. Well, there was a BBQ in the common areas… Nah, just kidding 😅

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