Pillow pilferers: hoteliers say it is not uncommon for guests to grow attached to room amenities. Photo / Rhema Kallianpur, Unsplash
Pillow pilferers: hoteliers say it is not uncommon for guests to grow attached to room amenities. Photo / Rhema Kallianpur, Unsplash
The etiquette of what travellers can and can't take from their hotel room is a point of contention. From miniature toiletries to branded bathrobes and towels, guests draw the line at different places for what they consider 'complimentary' inclusions.
Hoteliers are an accommodating sort, they expect that some items will leave with guests.
A set of slippers are a perfectly acceptable room souvenir, for example.
However, an internet forum dedicated to outrageous hotel swipes could be accused of "taking the mickey."
"Pack a cheap pillow when staying at a classy hotel," wrote an anonymous traveller to the Reddit forum S****y Pro Life Tips
"Before checking out, open the pillowcase and swap their high end pillow with your cheap pillow and sleep like a baby at home!"
This "hotel hack" won praise from some travellers, with many saying they had tried it themselves. Others claimed they had tried the trick with not just pillows but duvets and blankets.
"When you make your reservation, ask for down pillows," wrote another.
"OMG hotels with mismatched stuff make so much sense now!"
While some travellers saw this "hotel hack" as a stroke of genius, not everyone was as impressed.
Some hoteliers claim to have had lightbulbs check out with guests. Photo / Maten Bjork, Unsplash
One contributor to the forum who claimed to be a former GM for a hotel chain said it was a relatively common problem.
"We had people swap out sheets, towels, pillows, bathrobes, even mini bar items," they said. However they didn't recommend anyone try as pillow pilferers were always caught.
"Any one of our housekeeping staff would be able to spot a false pillow immediately because they make hundreds of beds a week," they said.
"If we ever found someone doing this they would be charged a super premium price, hundreds of dollars for a pillow charged to the card on file."
Some hoteliers claimed to have had guests walk out with everything from appliances, light bulbs to oil paintings, cut out of the frame.
Other travellers more innocently suggested they brought their own pillows anyway. More discerning guests said plush hotel pillows weren't to their preference.
As a guest, it's not always clear what you are or aren't supposed to take with you. Other travellers are more comfortable with moral equivocation, as a recent poll of 500 travellers revealed.
Restocking used items from mini bar is something almost a third of guests will admit to.
