Requires hotels and lodging facilities to make at least two attempts to contact guests who leave any item of greater than nominal value or identification documents behind within 48 hours of the completion of their stay and to dispose of the identification documents if the owner cannot be contacted; limits the liability of a lodging owner or operator for damage or loss during shipping.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8456
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
December 29, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SAYEGH -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Consumer Affairs and Protection
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to items left by
guests of hotels or other lodging facilities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
2 210 to read as follows:
3 § 210. Items left by guests of lodging facilities. 1. The owner,
4 lessor, proprietor or manager of any hotel, motel, steamboat, tourist
5 cabin, camp, resort, tavern, inn, boarding or lodging house shall make
6 reasonable efforts to contact a guest if any item of greater than nomi-
7 nal value, or identification documents, including but not limited to a
8 driver's license, passport, or non-driver identification card, or copies
9 of identification documents, including but not limited to a copy of a
10 driver's license, passport, or non-driver identification card are left
11 behind after the guest's stay.
12 2. At least two contact attempts must be made within forty-eight hours
13 of the guest completing their stay using the information used to book
14 the stay. A lodging facility must keep a record of the lost item or
15 document and the steps taken to notify the guest.
16 3. If contact cannot be made, the owner, lessor, proprietor, or manag-
17 er shall dispose of identification documents and copies of the docu-
18 ments. Disposal of identification documents or copies of identification
19 documents shall include the physical destruction of any physical copies
20 such that it would be impossible to recreate the copy.
21 4. A lodging facility owner or operator shall not be held liable for
22 any loss or damage to a guest's lost item or document during storage or
23 shipping.
24 § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
25 have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10733-02-3