The stressful reason why it is really not worth stealing towels from the hotel

Detection chips, designed to find towels and bathrobes, are increasingly being used against guests who "carry" a souvenir from their hotel vacation.

Now go and explain to the receptionist what the bathrobe does in your suitcase after you have checked out

Walla!

Tourism

23/01/2022

Sunday, 23 January 2022, 09:13

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These are the places where hidden cameras are hidden in hotel rooms (@malwaretech)

It's no secret that hotel guests steal things from their rooms all the time. We hear a lot about this in the Israeli context, but it is a global epidemic, and no target is immune. In fact, the matter is so common that the German luxury hotel and spa guide Wellness Heaven conducted a survey in which 1,157 hoteliers were asked about the subject. This is in order to examine which items are stolen the most and whether there is a difference between what is stolen in four-star hotels compared to the items that are stolen from five-star hotels.

Well, it is not surprising to find that towels were the most "sought after" items, followed by bathrobes. Blankets and pillows were far less "stolen", but there were still such cases, alongside mattresses, hair dryers, lamps, TVs and other unexpected surprises.

Some hotels have tried to mitigate the phenomenon by means of signs posted in the guest rooms stating that missing items will result in a financial charge for the guests.

In other hotels the wording is more subtle, stating that if the towels or bathrobes are so cozy and fun, they are available for purchase in the hotel store (and in any case, if they are missing in the room - a charge will be made).

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Towels are the most "sought-after" item stolen from a hotel, followed by bathrobes (Photo: ShutterStock)

Indictments in Japan and Nigeria

Still, it is still a phenomenon that continues all the time. In some places, such as Japan and Nigeria, hotels have turned to local police for the theft of towels, and even indictments have been filed by the perpetrators.

Your Mileage May Vary website notes that what many do not know is that for over a decade, many hotels have been embedded in towels, robes, blankets and pillows RFID chips - technology of electronic tagging using radio waves. These tiny chips are an effective tool against theft.

These chips are flexible, water resistant and capable of surviving hundreds of washes in very hot water. Originally, the technology was applied to locate bedding, towels and bathrobes in warehouses after industrial washes, but as mentioned, their additional advantage is that hotel employees know to say exactly where each towel and bathrobe is.

However, the transmission range of these chips is limited.

Although the hotel may not know that the towel you stole from the hotel is hanging in your house, you can certainly know that the towel was stolen.

Mainly thanks to chip readers placed at the entrance and exit of many hotels.

These beep when a towel that is supposed to be in the room - leaves the hotel.

And now go explain to the receptionists what the bathrobe does in your suitcase after you have checked out.

So definitely - you should rethink this matter of taking souvenirs from the hotel.

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