People have been stealing stuff from hotels for probably about as long as there have been hotels. Small items, such as pens, pads of paper with the hotel’s name on them or single-use bottles of shampoo (if you can still find such a thing), are obvious. Those items also aren’t really “stolen” since hoteliers expect guests to take them.
But there are plenty of other things people steal from hotels – to the extent that there are notifications in the room that if you steal, say, the bathrobes, you’ll be charged for them.
A while back, Wellness Heaven, a luxury and spa hotel guide based in Germany, surveyed 1,157 hoteliers to find out what their guests stole, who (in terms of nationality) stole what, the most bizarre stolen goods, and the theft preferences of those in 4 star vs. 5 star hotels. Here’s what they found out:
Which items are stolen the most?
Source: Wellness Heaven
It’s not surprising that people steal towels or even bathrobes. And I’ve certainly seen enough anti-theft hangers that won’t work in regular closets to know that people steal those, too. But look down towards the bottom of the list. Tablets and light bulbs? Coffee makers and TVs? Phones and lamps? And really, forget about value, but stealing blankets, pillows, and mattresses? Ew!
The most bizarre stolen goods
- A hotel in Berlin said that some of their guests have been known to steal all of the bathroom fittings from their respective hotel rooms. Bathroom fixtures, the head of a rain shower, a hydromassage shower, a toilet seat, a drainpipe and even an entire sink have been pilfered.
- A hotelier from Italy said, “Once I walked through the lobby, I noticed that something was missing, and soon after I learned that three unknown men in overalls had taken away the grand piano, and it never reappeared…”
- In England, a hotel guest removed the numbers from his hotel room door.
- A hotel in France had a stuffed boar’s head on the wall. A guest was caught trying to steal it (later on, his friends bought the trophy from the hotel and gave it to him as a wedding present LOL!).
- A hotelier in Austria said that the fragrant pinewood benches in their hotel’s sauna were stolen.
- In the Maldives, a hotel manager reported they had to buy new flower arrangements several times a week to replace the ones that are snitched.
Theft habits of guests of 4 star vs. 5 star hotels
Source: Wellness Heaven
In addition to being asked what people stole, 634 hoteliers from 4-star hotels and 523 from 5-star hotels were surveyed to determine the behavior of thieves depending on their wealth (or, I guess, how much they were willing to spend on a hotel room).
I found this chart to be the most interesting from a “human interest” POV. At the top of the chart, guests of 4-star hotels were generally more likely to steal the comparatively cheaper items, but once you got into more high-end things that could be found in hotel rooms, the theft of those items happened more often in 5-star places. I guess the artwork, TVs and mattresses in 5-star hotels are much better than those in 4-star hotels? 😉
Who steals what, based on nationality
- German and British hotel guests appear to enjoy stealing towels, bathrobes, cosmetics and toiletries the most.
- Austrian’s favorite things to steal are dishes and coffeemakers.
- Italians’ thievery tends to be focused on wine glasses.
- Guests from Switzerland are often the most interested in taking the hotel’s hair dryers.
- French hotel guests are the ones to tend to steal their rooms’ TVs and remote controls.
- Guests from The Netherlands focus on light bulbs and toilet paper.
- And finally, guests from the United States often enjoy stealing hotels’ pillows and batteries.
Go to this page of Wellness Heaven’s website for more info about the survey.
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