I am not a frequent road warrior, but I’ve stayed at a fair number of different hotels. And while I think there are some things that are intended for guest use, I have to say I’ve never been tempted to steal a towel or bathrobe (much less a TV or mattress!)
The items most stolen from hotels
The data for this report comes from Wellness Heaven, which asked 1,157 hoteliers in 2019 which items are most commonly stolen. Here was their report
Towels and bathrobes seem reasonable. I mean reasonable in the sense that I can understand that people steal them, not that *I* steal them or think that it’s reasonable or correct to steal them. Some of these just seem over the top though – MATTRESSES? TV SETS?!? Who goes into a hotel and thinks that’s okay. Not to mention the ick factor of trying to steal mattresses, blankets or pillows.
Like I said, some of these things I would have thought would be obvious candidates for theft, even if I’ve never taken one myself. I’m reminded of a long-ago stay in a Rodeway Inn in Page, Arizona where they had obviously had problems with theft
(SEE ALSO: Is it ever a good idea to book a Rodeway Inn?)
Even though that trip was years ago, I still find it hilarious a) that people would actually steal things like alarm clocks and b) that the hotel chose to frame their message not as “hey stop stealing our stuff!” and “oh due to the POPULARITY of our guest room amenities, we’ll assume if they are missing that you MEANT to purchase them” 😀
But other things on the list I would have never even THOUGHT of stealing. BATTERIES?!?! 22% of hotels report that the guests take the batteries from things like the alarm clocks and TV remotes? Or the bulbs out of light fixtures? That never once in my life even occurred to me to THINK about taking! And how bold are you to just walk out of your room with the entire TV SET! These are wild times.
Strange items that people have stolen
Some of the strangest things that hotels reported having had stolen, again according to the study:
- The grand piano from the hotel lobby
- The entire stereo system from the hotel’s spa area
- Wooden sauna benches
- A stuffed boar’s head (guest was caught in the attempt)
- The numbers off the hotel door
Some people just have too much creativity and time on their hands…
What I “steal” from hotels
On the list, the only things that I have “stolen” from hotels are pens and single-use toiletries. I used to take the toiletries like soap/shampoo/conditioner to use as travel toiletries. I stopped doing that a while ago because it just got to be more hassle and storage than I felt like dealing with. My son actually collects hotel pens, so every hotel I go to, I take the pens that are in the room. I don’t view that as “stealing” – to me, those are intended to be taken by guests. One time my son and I even drove around to local hotels and just asked at the front desk for pens to add to his collection – every hotel that had them gave us a pen.
(SEE ALSO: Do you take hotel toiletries, pens, and other amenities?)
One item I did not see on the list was the hotel key cards. I had a friend who used to collect hotel key cards as a souvenir of his hotel journeys. When he and I stayed at the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at, he tried to take the hotel key. But when we went to checkout, the front desk attendant asked for his hotel key back and was planning on charging him if he didn’t return it.
What about you?
I’m definitely interested to hear from you about what items that you take from hotels and what your take is on this survey – leave your reply in the comments!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at
@Dan – Have you ever seen cosmetics that didn’t belong to a member of your party in your hotel room? I haven’t. Maybe that means I’ve been staying in the wrong (or right) hotels, but I’ve never even heard of that.
BTW, love the dry humor in “Ah, the halcyon days of travel…I remember them like they were just last month!” Definitely good for a laugh. Thanks.
I guess I was thinking of toiletries aka soap / shampoo / conditioner / lotion. Clearly I don’t use many “cosmetics” myself 🙂
Pens with the name of the hotel? I thought they were okay to take. Same for the 8 pages of small paper in a pad that are good for a short list. I don’t take the mini bars of soap if we didn’t open it. If we did, I figure they throw them out. Same for shampoo.
We didn’t steal it but one motel we stayed at had no trash can in the room. We just used a corner area. It was a cheap place.
The only thing I take are those one use soaps or those one use shampoo & conditioners that are set out. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not for the product, but for the container. You can reuse the containers with your own product without having to lug around the store bought container. Makes things convenient.
I want to know who takes those hangers that are typically the sort that you can’t use anywhere else since the bottom part only works with the top part, designed to prevent stealing them!
I used to take the single use shampoo, hand lotion and bars of soap and donate them to homeless aid programs at various churches.
But last travel was end of Nov 2019. Had plans for Olympia, WA (fly to SEA) beginning 4/3/20, naturally re-sched, now on 7/17 – 7/26. May delay again, depending on “you know what.” Have until 1/25/21 to use non-refundable air tix. If Virus still bad then, I don’t care about losing the tix $
I’ll admit to taking slippers sometimes, but aren’t those meant to be taken anyway? The other items on that list are a hoot!! Wow.
I know! I have to say I never even THOUGHT of stealing light bulbs or the batteries from the TV remote!
I too have never thought of nabbing those things…
UNTIL NOW!!
Boowhahahahah!!
That’s right – you take that TV and mattress next time you’re in a hotel!!!! 😉
Only the single use toiletries like shampoo, conditioner or the tiny bars of soap. We then donated them to our church’s donation basket for the homeless. We did PURCHASE a set of Marriott bathrobes, because they were 100% cotton and very comfortable. Nive way to stay warm during winter.
Pens are on the list but it’s not stealing if you take it.
Not on the list are curtains, toilet, or the doors. Don’t laugh. If you are a terrorist, the Israelis will visit your family’s house, tell them they have 15 minutes before it is blown up in retaliation. Immediately, the neighborhood comes and helps move as many personal belongings as possible and sometimes even the doors and windows.
dont get the joke about the israelis giving 15 minutes for retaliation. is your point that its possible to remove doors and windows and people who do that are terrorists?
Just google Russian tourists in turkey , they take everything that they can carry. Bags of butter from breakfast. Anything and everything.
I am a prosecutor, and we have had more than one person prosecuted in our rural county for stealing TVs from motel rooms. We have also had prosecutions for stealing sheets and pillows from cabins at the state park in our county. Some people will steal anything. Those folks were raised any better.