A good hotel can significantly influence the vacation experience. It’s not surprising that some customers may be tempted to take away a little “souvenir” of the place, such as shampoo with a smell reminiscent of vacations or particularly comfortable bath slippers. In a survey carried out by Deluxe Holiday Homes, 1,200 hotel employees indicated which items were most often stolen from their employer. The object at the top of the ranking is quite surprising.
Have you ever stolen something from a hotel?
Towels and bathrobes
At the top of the list are towels, cited by 88% of survey participants. According to an expert from Deluxe Holiday Homes, this is undoubtedly explained by the fact that it is very easy to steal a towel from a hotel and that the theft is not noticed until much later.
“Hotels’ expenses for replacing towels are much higher than for any other stolen item,” explains the expert in the press release. However, napkins take up a lot of space in a suitcase and are generally not particularly original.
In second place, we find bathrobes, which are also very bulky in a suitcase. According to 66% of those questioned, they are among the items that disappear most often. “Sometimes customers wrongly think that they have the right to take the bathrobes. These are rather expensive. Replacing a bathrobe costs a hotel at least $50,” explains the expert.
Shampoo and soap
Hangers occupy third place in the ranking. Of the 1,200 people questioned, 685 indicated that hangers were often stolen from hotels, especially since they are easily stolen and take up little space, unlike towels.
It is only in fourth position that we find small toiletries, notably bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, but also soap and wipes. “We often don’t really know what is allowed to take with us and what is not. This explains why customers often feel less guilty when they take these kinds of items,” explains the expert.
What do you mean you’re not allowed to take small bottles of shampoo?
Hotels generally make samples of toiletries (shower gel, shampoo, etc.) available to their customers during their stay. We quickly slip one or the other bottle into our toiletry bag, whether to stock up for home or for the next city trip. However, this is not, strictly speaking, legal.
“From a legal point of view, taking everyday consumer items such as soap, shampoo or ballpoint pens is considered theft, because all the goods found in a hotel room are the property of the establishment,” explains a communications manager for an association hotel industry. However, he wants to reassure that very few customers are aware of this and that hotels do not generally take this rule literally.
Hairdryer and remote controls
Blankets (in 5th position) and pillows (in 6th position) also often tend to disappear. The survey does not specify how these bulky items can be hidden in an ordinary suitcase, which also contains vacationers’ clothes. Then come, in seventh position, hair dryers, followed by pens (8ᵉ) and dishes (9ᵉ). The item appearing in tenth place is rather surprising: it concerns remote controls.
According to this survey, the annual cost of stolen items from hotels amounts to approximately $100 million for the sector in the United States. “Part of the problem is confusion about what customers are actually allowed to take away. Items such as ballpoint pens or bars of soap with the establishment’s logo give the impression of being free items, which is why many think they are meant to be taken away. An ambiguity which, on the other hand, does not arise for blankets or bathrobes: customers know that they are not intended to be taken away, but do it anyway,” explains the expert.
Are you already following us on WhatsApp?
Subscribe to our channel, activate the little 🔔 and you will receive a news recap every day in early evening.
