Passport/Hotel Question

[juanarcin]

I got a pre-cruise hotel in Athens for a about 4 nights and also scheduled a stop in Istanbul. This was our plan, check into the hotel in Athens, hang out for a day or two, then catch a flight to Istanbul hang out for the day and fly back the next day to Athens where we still have our original hotel that we purchased.

 

Everything is purchased and ready but now I am realizing that Athens hotel might ask us to hold onto our passport...if we request our passport back to allow our flight to Istanbul would we loose our room? Ideally we decided to keep the room as storage since we will have luggage and stuff for the cruise. the only reason Istanbul even became an option was because we were going with nothing but a backpack. I would never travel for one day with 2 weeks worth of luggage!

 

I know the whole "leave your passport at the front desk" has happened to me in other European locations, but never stayed over night in Athens, is this a thing there? Does anyone know if this will be an issue?

[insanemagnet]

All the mainland European hotels I have ever stayed in have only wanted your passport for the length of time it takes to copy out the relevant details. In some places an hour or two as they do it at a quiet time, others a few seconds as they scan it.

 

They have never held it for days.

[Chairsin]

Stayed at the Athens Gate Hotel two years ago -- needed it to check in only..

[Host Bonjour]

I got a pre-cruise hotel in Athens for a about 4 nights and also scheduled a stop in Istanbul. This was our plan, check into the hotel in Athens, hang out for a day or two, then catch a flight to Istanbul hang out for the day and fly back the next day to Athens where we still have our original hotel that we purchased.

 

Everything is purchased and ready but now I am realizing that Athens hotel might ask us to hold onto our passport...if we request our passport back to allow our flight to Istanbul would we loose our room? Ideally we decided to keep the room as storage since we will have luggage and stuff for the cruise. the only reason Istanbul even became an option was because we were going with nothing but a backpack. I would never travel for one day with 2 weeks worth of luggage!

 

I know the whole "leave your passport at the front desk" has happened to me in other European locations, but never stayed over night in Athens, is this a thing there? Does anyone know if this will be an issue?

 

You ought only ever need to show your passport upon check in/registration to a hotel but please don't ever let anyone - not anyone - keep it no matter what they tell you. If you're told by any hotel they must keep it - LEAVE. Unless you are locking it up in a very secure hotel or ship vault, do not allow anyone to take possession of it...you should always have it or a clear, legible copy (paper or .pdf on your phone/tablet) with you always whilst traveling because you might need to present it when asked if you are out/about or if there were an emergency somewhere/somehow. 99.9% of the time, it is not ever needed BUT, when overseas, the idea is it should always be available (or a facsimile thereof) at all times.

 

Better that they (any hotel owner/manager) have only a copy of it as the anti-theft protections built into it are evident in all photo copies. Go to Instanbul - enjoy the adventure, but always, always with your passports :)

(and copies, somewhere else on the trip, too)

Edited April 10, 2016 by Host Bonjour