Some things at hotels are meant to be taken; soaps, shampoos and pens are carried out regularly by travelers.
Ottawa's Chateau Laurier has also seen its share of other, less disposable items taken in its 100-year history and it's offering an amnesty period for them to be returned.
"It's not just people from Ottawa, it's people from all across Canada that are sending stuff back," said Deneen Perrin with the Fairmont hotel.
Those artifacts include a pearl pocket knife found in some Edelson family heirlooms.
"I don't think my grandfather stole it from here, but we thought it'd be nice to bring it down," said Joel Edelson. "I think it's a great idea, it's interesting. They're going to end up with some neat stuff I think."
Some of the items were acquired honestly, while some were probably stolen.
"This plate has hung on my wall many, many years and (my husband) acquired it through the hotel," said Wendy Wood, whose husband was the former director of sales for the hotel.
"I'd be interested to see if that came out of a guest room where people just decided that they were going to take that with them," said Perrin of a letter opener dropped off at the front desk.
Guy Belleau brought in some stories of his father, who started working as a singing telegram at age 11 in 1943.
"Because his mother died when he was seven years old and there were eight children so you had to start to work early," he said. "At that time he stopped school and started to work."
The hotel is accepting artifacts until the end of May, when they'll be put on display for the rest of the year.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Karen Soloman
