Do I need a police report to claim for guest room damage?

For almost all room damage the answer is no, and pursuing one can waste time you should spend documenting. Damage caused by a guest, even substantial damage, is ordinarily a civil matter between you and the occupant. Officers responding will frequently say so, and the absence of a report carries no negative inference in a civil hearing, since a judge is deciding who bears a cost rather than whether an offence occurred. What actually decides your claim is the same set of records regardless: the photographs, the same-day write-up, the pricing and the condition history.

There are narrower situations where reporting is right for reasons other than your claim. Theft of property, deliberate destruction on a scale suggesting vandalism, damage involving a weapon, or anything raising a safety concern for staff all justify a call, and an incident number can help with an insurance claim even when it adds nothing in court. If you do report it, bring the number and the report if you can obtain it, and be ready for the report to be thinner than you expect. Treat it as supporting material, never as the backbone of the claim.