Stealing soaps or pens seems harmless for many hotel guests, however, some are so bold that they carry TVs, pianos, mattresses or even stuffed animals out of the hotel. Wellness Heaven asked 1,376 hotel managers which items are most commonly stolen. In particular, the study observed a striking difference in the theft behaviour between guests in 4-star and 5-star hotels.
The main result of the study: towels and bathrobes are stolen the most – perhaps as a goodie for the next spa break? These two objects of desire are closely followed by hangers, pens and cosmetics. In addition to these “ordinary” items, there are a number of spectacular outliers that suggest a brisk imagination of the delinquents.
Highly skilled craftsmanship was required of those guests who managed to steal bathroom fixtures, the head of a rain shower, a hydromassage shower, a toilet seat, a drainpipe or even an entire sink, as reported by a Berlin hotel.
A hotelier from Italy: “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, of course.”
In a hotel in England, a guest had unceremoniously removed the numbers from his hotel room door. “We didn’t notice until the next guest could not find his room,” the hotel director declares.
In a hotel in France, a guest was caught trying to steal a stuffed boar’s head. At a later date, he did receive this trophy: friends bought the precious piece from the hotel and gave it to him as a wedding gift.
In a hotel near Salzburg, the wooden benches from a sauna were stolen. The “private sauna” was located on the terrace of a spa suite. The benches were made of fragrant pine wood, which probably stirred up the guest’s desire. Only when a subsequent guest criticized the absence of the benches (“Where should I sit in the sauna? I can’t relax while standing.”), the hotelier noticed the theft.
Thieving preferences by nationality
When classifying the delinquents by nationality, a different picture emerges. It turns out, for example, that German and British hotel guests follow a rather boring theft behaviour: In addition to towels and bathrobes, primarily cosmetics and toiletries are the focus.
In contrast, Austrians snitch in a more pleasure-oriented way: dishes and coffee machines appear high up in their theft ranking. It seems they cannot get enough to satisfy their thirst for coffee. For US Americans, pillows and batteries appear as the prime objects of desire.
Italians seem to prefer wine glasses as a hotel souvenir, while the hair dryer ranks high in the Swiss ranking. On the other hand, the French steal more spectacularly: they represent the nation that is attracted mainly to TV sets and remote controls.
Dutch hotel guests see in their souvenirs above all the practical benefits: Their favourites include light bulbs and toilet paper.
