Admit it, even if you’re fully stocked on shampoo and soap, you still pack up those miniature hotel amenities. But what other items are people taking out of their hotel room?
You might call them souvenirs; hotels call them stolen goods—and the Waldorf Astoria wants them back. The New York hotel has started an amnesty program asking for former guests to return the items that they’ve “checked out” throughout the years. From silver spoons to coffee pots and coasters, the returned items will be displayed in the lobby, no questions asked.
Several years ago, Holiday Inn launched Towel Amnesty Day. They didn’t want their signature green-striped towels back…they just wanted to know what they were used for. In fact, towels are so popular that’s why most hotels now use nondescript, plain white ones.
Silverware delivered with room service often never makes it back to the kitchen, and TV remote controls, light bulbs, hair dryers also tend to find their ways into suitcases. Basically, anything not bolted down.
The wackiest story I’ve ever heard came from the Beverly Wilshire, when one guest managed to walk away with the marble fireplace he had cut and chiseled out of the wall. You can’t make this stuff up!
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