In the hotel world it appears that guests do not always go home empty-handed. AC Hotels Spain director Antonio Catalán has revealed what is by far the most stolen item in his hotel chain in Spain and Italy, at a staggering 80,000 a year.
He shared this information during a Nude Project podcast. Many can probably imagine what a popular item this is. Catalán is talking about towels. He emphasises that this phenomenon is not limited to Spain, where AC Hotels has many branches. Many towels are also stolen from their Italian hotels. Reportedly, many guests often collect the towels that prominently display a hotel logo as a souvenir.
Other beloved ‘souvenirs’
In addition to towels, bathrobes, hangers, pens, cosmetic products and even the batteries of TV remote controls often disappear from hotel rooms. About those remotes, Catalán noted that some guests bring them with them in the hope that they will work with their own devices at home.
The hotel’s response
When they notice such occurrences, many hotels, based on customer records, send a polite letter requesting the return of the items taken. The director of the hotel chain makes another joke about the towels and refers to the marketing that the stolen towels are also: “Every morning when they wash their faces, those customers see our logo.” The director has 3,500 employees working for the chain spread across almost a hundred hotels.
Furthermore, during the interview he also gave his opinion about Airbnb: “The government must do something because it is all illegal, it is black money.” He added that he understands that a family with small children would choose this type of accommodation. “But it needs to be regulated,” he concluded.
Research into most stolen items from hotels
Wellness Heaven previously conducted a study into the most stolen items from hotels. This also showed that towels, bathrobes and hangers are the most frequently stolen items from hotel rooms by guests. However, the top 20 also includes hairdryers, televisions and even mini-refrigerators. Works of art or cushions also appear in the top 20. The research was conducted in a total of 1,376 four- and five-star hotels, the majority of which were in Europe.
The study also distinguished between what was most stolen from 4-star hotels and what was stolen from 5-star hotels. Works of art were stolen much more often from the latter category. Meanwhile in 4-star hotels batteries from remote controls are at number 1.
Also read: These are the most common items stolen from Spanish supermarkets