Another post prompted me to this thought.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...fore-stay.html

Its very common to send notices (some times multiple reminders) in advance of an upcoming visit / reservation yet no one is screaming "my privacy is being compromised" in case the stay is "clandestine".

So what is the difference? Why can't the same system be used to discreetly ask if perhaps "something" has been left behind?

Ten years ago, I lost a pilot's flight logbook after a trip to renew my pilot's license. Real important legal stuff and memories that took years to re-create. I ripped my house apart looking for it and assumed it was in a pocket of luggage which my wife threw out shortly afterward, which she vehemently denies. I stayed at this hotel frequently and it never occurred to me then to call and ask if they had found it, before this thread appeared.