In Italy and Spaine do you have to leave your passport at the hotel front desk

[fourcats]

Hi I heard somewhere that hotels in Spain and Italy make you leave your passport at the front desk during your staff is this true???

Thanks

[gadaboutgal]

This has not been true in our experience of traveling 5 weeks throughout Spain and 5 weeks throughout Italy in the last 2 years. Maybe it has to do with ones' nationality or the individual hotels?

[CintiPam]

Not now; perhaps 20 years ago.

[Cruise Junky]

We've had them take a copy but never actually keep them.

[cruisemom42]

In Italy IME they will sometimes ask you to leave them briefly; usually they return them within a few minutes (or presumably you could wait there until they are finished with them, if you are nervous about leaving it).

[Keith1010]

We have never had to leave our passport with the hotel. Only had had to show the passport at checkin and it was handed right back to us.

 

Keith

[boontj2003]

Just got back from a Med cruise. The only one's I saw giving that had to give their passports while on the cruise were international travelers. Ours are from the US, but I did see passports that were maroon being taken and then given back the last night of the trip.

 

Hi I heard somewhere that hotels in Spain and Italy make you leave your passport at the front desk during your staff is this true???

Thanks

[H2Otstr]

We just returned from 3 weeks in Italy and were never asked to leave our passports. We had them in the hotel safes the whole time.

[English_in_Spain]

Just got back from a Med cruise. The only one's I saw giving that had to give their passports while on the cruise were international travelers. Ours are from the US, but I did see passports that were maroon being taken and then given back the last night of the trip.

 

I am intrigued what you call international travellers if they are not from the US

[texancruzer]

We have done two trips to Europe.....

 

First trip - yes - passports were taken at the hotel long enough for them to make a copy. Required by Italian government. This was pre-cruise. In Barcelona, post cruise, the same was done at our hotel. The ship DID NOT take our passports and keep them for the duration of the cruise.

 

Second trip - still yes - passports were taken by our hotel only long enough for them to make a copy in Rome both pre and post cruise. The ship DID take our passports upon embarkation and returned them to us two days before the cruise was over. This was because we had 2 stops in Turkey....... the whole process was really easy as they issue you receipts for them. Then they will give you a notice in your cabin for the date, time and place to pick them up (on a sea day). No hassle whatsoever.

 

We are US citizens by the way.

[Cruise Junky]

I am intrigued what you call international travellers if they are not from the US

 

Probably people who need a visa to visit europe. Asian countries I would think.

[CoralReef]

We have stayed in Italian hotels 4 times. Twice we've had to leave our passports for a few minutes. I understand this is normal procedure in Italy. The other 2 times (airport Hilton) they took a copy but we didn't have to leave them.

 

The cruise ship did hold our passports throughout one trip (Celebrity Eastern Med) but not the other trip (HAL Western Med).

[fourcats]

Thanks to all of you for your answers.

Mary