From mattresses to pianos: the most surprising items stolen from the world's luxury hotels
11 December, 2019
Hands up if you’ve ever pocketed the toiletries from your hotel room? You’re not alone.
Hotels have long had to contend with guests helping themselves to shower gel, shampoo and the odd bathrobe, but it seems travellers are getting ever more ambitious.
According to a new study by spa hotel review site Wellness Heaven, luxury holidaymakers are stealing mattresses, televisions, coffee makers and more.
Researchers at the German website surveyed hoteliers from 1,157 four and five-star hotels, primarily located in Europe, about the items tourists are packing up upon checkout.
The most common things stuffed in suitcases were towels, closely followed by bathrobes, coat hangers and pens.
Holidaymakers are also taking more than just the small things.
Mattresses, often worth thousands of dirhams, are being taken from five-star hotels. Hoteliers reported that this type of theft typically happens in the middle of the night using elevators that lead directly to underground parking lots.
Grand Piano theft
But that’s not the biggest item taken. A hotelier from Italy reported the theft of a grand piano which suddenly went missing from the lobby.
In the Maldives, one resort needs to purchase new flower arrangements several times a week to replace missing ones and a hotel in Berlin had an entire sink stolen from a guest bathroom.
Five-star finds
Stealing patterns differ for four and five-star hotels. While overall theft is more likely to occur from four-star properties, specific items are much more likely to be taken from more luxury hotels.
Towels, bathrobes and coat hangers are often stolen from four-star hotels. Guests in five-star hotels are more likely to swipe artwork and blankets.
In the case of mattresses, five-star hotels are eight times more likely to be robbed of these than four-star hotels.
Source: www.thenational.ae
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