As a souvenir, as justification for the high amount they have paid for their stay or simply as an adventurous feat, the ingenuity and audacity of hotel guests to take products from their rooms during their stays is curious.
in the last online survey formulated by Passport-Photo.online 1,051 people through an efficient survey tool created in January 2023, it is concluded that 87% of users admit to having stolen something in a hotelAt least once in your life.
The amenities and towels are the most coveted objects, something that drives hotel chains to have a closed annual budget to replace this type of product. However, ingenuity is developing more and more and other objects such as bedding, bathrobes, slippers, LED bulbs, remote controls and even televisions are adding to the list.
26% of those surveyed claim to commit petty thefts in hotels during their stays, justifying them in 30% of the cases by the amount they have paid and 29% by merely sentimental reasons. People tend to take disposable items such as soap, mouthwash or toothpaste, since towels, hair dryers or mini-pillows are more difficult to camouflage and go unnoticed as they are not single-use and not replaceable.
Most people consider it normal to steal bathroom accessories (in 32% of cases), toiletries (27%) and minibar products (26%). However, towels and soap dishes are the products most desired by guests with 35%, followed by tissue boxes with 34%.
All this happens despite the fact that establishments usually charge, in 35% of caseswhen they detect that someone has stolen something from the room.
The most experts in thefts in hotels
It is curious, but if we analyze by age ranges, the younger generation of 25 years or less assures that in only 80% of cases they have stolen something from a hotel room. Those who raise the average are the people older than 55 yearssince 90% assure that they do it in a more common way.
if we make a distinction by sex, men tend to steal more than women, as shown by 89% compared to 84% in the survey. One of the bases of this differentiation by sex is that men tend to make more hotel stays than women.
The reasons why thefts are committed
In addition to ‘because I deserve it’ due to the cost of the room or for sentimental reasons, guests say in 29% of cases that they can do it because the hotel can afford it. 26% of those surveyed refer to issues of mischief or adrenaline rush25% as a form of complain about bad service and 24% because they consider that he has something of a kleptomaniac in his personality. However, those who stay in three, four or five star hotels do so mainly for sentimental reasons or for the rate paid.
How often are thefts committed?
26% of those surveyed say they always borrow things from hotels, while 39% say that sometimes. Only 6% confirm that they have never stolen from a hotel, so neither consequences nor awareness are strong enough deterrents. If we examine it by age ranges, those over 55 34% of those surveyed state that they always take something with them while no one checked the ‘never’ box.
Why do they do it?
90% of the people surveyed affirm that they later brag about their feat to their friends. And all this despite the fact that 80% say they have ever been caught. However, this percentage increases among the youngest, since as age increases, the possibility of being caught is less, reducing from 84% to 80%. From the age of 55, either the hotel staff trusts them more or they are more daring, but the fact is that only 62% admit that they have been detected in one of their thefts. Experience is a degree.
25% of the people who stole had to pay a penalty fee28% were defendant and 31% were included in a hotel ‘black list’. The main consequence of stealing from hotels is that they charge you for the products that you take, as demonstrated by the 35% that is extracted from the survey. Lawsuits are the most common among those over 55 years of age and vetoes among those under 25 years of age.
Do they regret it?
There is still a halo of hope, well 84% of those surveyed say they regret having taken something from a hotel. To put an end to this, the survey talks about the possibility of including notes in the rooms that stop the initiative of the guests, although its usefulness is questionable. The note that respondents believe would be most successful, in 26% of cases, would be: “It’s okay to take courtesy items, but please don’t steal from our property, thank you”.
Despite everything, and no matter how much notes are left for guests, people tend to be indifferent, as well as generating fear among hotels. And it is that the fact of taking measures can cause people not to return. Therefore, kindness and understanding can become the best weapon to reverse the situation.
