Stealing from hotel rooms - yes or no?

[i-need-a-martini]

People steal the weirdest things...

I used to take the unused mini shampoo/soap thingies but I travel a lot now so can't be bothered.

You?

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/is-it-ever-ok-to-steal-items-from-your-hotel-room-20130819-2s6lp.html

[*crikey*mate*]

no wrappers or bottles in the bin.

just because you don't get caught, doesn't mean it's not theft.

same for the extra salt and pepper, sugar satchels and sauce PC's and serviettes etc people swipe from Maccas etc to take home for use outside the restaurant or in excess of what they need for their meal....

Theft is still theft.

[*crikey*mate*]

apart from cost, what's the difference between swiping a chair from the lobby which is put there for your convenience and also factored into your overall rack rate, to swiping the shampoo stuff which is also provided for your convenience whilst a guest of the Hotel?

Is it OK to take other people's property just because they're not worth very much money?

Is it OK to swipe other people's property just cos it's unlikely you will get caught?

[*crikey*mate*]

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@twinkles**stars wrote:

Never take anything...the soap and shampoo are of poor quailty so would never use it.

Been a long time since I have seen silver cutlery used in any resturant including the top ones. Maybe it was all stolen?

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I'll let them know they can stop paying someone to polish it then, shall I?

[j*oono]

It's really strange that you take this tack considering the industry that you were in Crikey.

I'm quite sure that Hotels supply the shampoo and conditioner and the soap for the guest to use and I don't think that they would blink an eye if they were taken home because the guest brought their own.

Towels and furniture is just silly.  That is theft.  Maybe you need a polish up on the tourist industry if you are worried about someone stealing the silverware.  No one is paid to polish up the silverware. Its just not used by the hoi palloi.  They probably bring it out for Vic and Beckham but not us mere mortals.

[freakiness]

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@crikey*mate wrote:

no wrappers or bottles in the bin.

just because you don't get caught, doesn't mean it's not theft.

same for the extra salt and pepper, sugar satchels and sauce PC's and serviettes etc people swipe from Maccas etc to take home for use outside the restaurant or in excess of what they need for their meal....

Theft is still theft.

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These people in the industry disagree with your view on soap 

http://www.quora.com/Hotels/Is-it-stealing-if-you-take-certain-items-in-your-already-paid-for-hotel-...

Michael Forrest Jones, Beechmont Hotels Corporation

Votes by Soe Chin Lim, Ridwa Mousa, Stefan Von Imhof, and 384 more.

We expect guests to either use or to take consumable items - soap, shampoo, stationery, etc. You're welcome.

Things like towels, hair dryers, lamps, TVs, TV remotes (I think some guests are mutant aliens who eat TV remotes. Like, gee, the remote can't be counted upon to work with any TV anywhere except the one in the room, but they do travel . . . ), alarm clock radios, comforters, coffeemakers, bedspreads, blankets, etc., are obviously intended for the next guests, are part of the furnishings, and we don't want you taking them. They are also a bit more costly - in a cheap motel, almost as much as you paid for the room in some cases, and definitely more than our profit margin in many more cases - so yes, we go a little nuts when people help themselves to them.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@j*oono wrote:

It's really strange that you take this tack considering the industry that you were in Crikey.

I'm quite sure that Hotels supply the shampoo and conditioner and the soap for the guest to use and I don't think that they would blink an eye if they were taken home because the guest brought their own.

Towels and furniture is just silly.  That is theft.  Maybe you need a polish up on the tourist industry if you are worried about someone stealing the silverware.  No one is paid to polish up the silverware. Its just not used by the hoi palloi.  They probably bring it out for Vic and Beckham but not us mere mortals.

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LOL - think I'm pretty polished up (no pun intended) on the Hotel industry. I could even rattle off a few independent restaurants that use real silverware.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@freakiness wrote:

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@crikey*mate wrote:

no wrappers or bottles in the bin.

just because you don't get caught, doesn't mean it's not theft.

same for the extra salt and pepper, sugar satchels and sauce PC's and serviettes etc people swipe from Maccas etc to take home for use outside the restaurant or in excess of what they need for their meal....

Theft is still theft.

---

These people in the industry disagree with your view on soap 

http://www.quora.com/Hotels/Is-it-stealing-if-you-take-certain-items-in-your-already-paid-for-hotel-...

Michael Forrest Jones, Beechmont Hotels Corporation

Votes by Soe Chin Lim, Ridwa Mousa, Stefan Von Imhof, and 384 more.

We expect guests to either use or to take consumable items - soap, shampoo, stationery, etc. You're welcome.

Things like towels, hair dryers, lamps, TVs, TV remotes (I think some guests are mutant aliens who eat TV remotes. Like, gee, the remote can't be counted upon to work with any TV anywhere except the one in the room, but they do travel . . . ), alarm clock radios, comforters, coffeemakers, bedspreads, blankets, etc., are obviously intended for the next guests, are part of the furnishings, and we don't want you taking them. They are also a bit more costly - in a cheap motel, almost as much as you paid for the room in some cases, and definitely more than our profit margin in many more cases - so yes, we go a little nuts when people help themselves to them.

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It's not my view. It's legal fact. As I said, the Hotel owns the items, it is up to them to dispose of them however they choose. But if you take something that belongs to somebody else without their permission - it's theft. Just because a hotel group expects their guests to steal from them and factors that into their rack rate, doesn't change the facts that it is still theft - as proven by the Hyatt case I mentioned earlier.

BTW The Oaks Group trumps Beechmont Corporation, as do Hyatt, Marriott, Sheraton, Versace etc

[freakiness]

Who said it was a competition?

Who said anything about pokies in the foyer for that matter? Is it even legal?

Why turn everything into some sort of fake snobbery contest?

Hyacinth comes to mind.

[polksaladallie]

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@freakiness wrote:

Things like towels, hair dryers, lamps, TVs, TV remotes (I think some guests are mutant aliens who eat TV remotes. Like, gee, the remote can't be counted upon to work with any TV anywhere except the one in the room, but they do travel . . . ), alarm clock radios, comforters, coffeemakers, bedspreads, blankets, etc., are obviously intended for the next guests, are part of the furnishings, and we don't want you taking them. They are also a bit more costly - in a cheap motel, almost as much as you paid for the room in some cases, and definitely more than our profit margin in many more cases - so yes, we go a little nuts when people help themselves to them.

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 That's not all people are stealing.  Eeeuw

HOTEL rooms are a hot bed of germs that can cause serious illness, a study has found.

Bacteria known to cause illnesses such as streptococcus and staphylococcus were among those found during tests of rooms in the US.

Light switches and TV remote controls were the worst offenders.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/put-down-the-remote-hotel-rooms-full-of-germs/story-e6frfq80-1226...

[lurker17260]

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@polksaladallie wrote:

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@freakiness wrote:

Things like towels, hair dryers, lamps, TVs, TV remotes (I think some guests are mutant aliens who eat TV remotes. Like, gee, the remote can't be counted upon to work with any TV anywhere except the one in the room, but they do travel . . . ), alarm clock radios, comforters, coffeemakers, bedspreads, blankets, etc., are obviously intended for the next guests, are part of the furnishings, and we don't want you taking them. They are also a bit more costly - in a cheap motel, almost as much as you paid for the room in some cases, and definitely more than our profit margin in many more cases - so yes, we go a little nuts when people help themselves to them.

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 That's not all people are stealing.  Eeeuw

HOTEL rooms are a hot bed of germs that can cause serious illness, a study has found.

Bacteria known to cause illnesses such as streptococcus and staphylococcus were among those found during tests of rooms in the US.

Light switches and TV remote controls were the worst offenders.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/put-down-the-remote-hotel-rooms-full-of-germs/story-e6frfq80-1226...

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That's why people are swiping the TV remotes.  To protect the next guest from disease