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Regardless of how much you “dish” out to stay at a hotel, you are still considered a guest – and not part owner.
I can certainly understand that after dropping a couple of hundred bucks a night for a place to sleep and go to the bathroom, that we may feel a bit inclined to take more then our luggage back home with us. I have even questioned myself, wondering if I am committing some sort of crime by possessing a couple white hotel robes.
In an attempt to put an end to any confusion as to what can and cannot be taken, and to establish some sort of hotel etiquette, I did a little research. Here’s what I have found.
If you’ve ever thought to yourself, after all the money I’ve spent here I might as well take the shampoo and bar soap with me, you’ve done nothing wrong. Toiletries are acceptable to take; in fact, I often grab a few more off cleaning carts left unattended just outside of other rooms.
This takes some “swat-like” sneaking around, however, as I once got caught with my hand in the “toiletries jar,” if you will, when a cleaning lady came out of a room and saw me. I told her I had too many and was returning the extras, but I forfeited my stash for lack of better planning.
No matter how overpriced you feel your room is, it’s not acceptable to leave with your suitcase under one arm and the television set under the other. My Uncle Vinny tried that once and ended up getting a month in that county’s lockup. The money he spent on court fees and fines cost more than the 35-inch TV he was tossing into his trunk – what a dope.
If you plan on leaving with towels, bedding or any of the elegant wall pictures, you better know someone with bail money.
Waste cans cannot be taken, either, even if you are using it as a puke bucket for a travel sick companion.
God may forgive you but hotel managers will not tolerate anyone caught stealing Bibles from the rooms.
Sample hand lotions are fine to take, but that extra unused roll of toilet paper could fall under some sort of TP violation.
Other no-nos include taking end tables and dressers – don’t laugh, I believe I’ve seen some of these items at yard sales.
If someone needs coat hangers bad enough to steal them, I say let the person keep them. Hotel management doesn’t see it that way, so stealing coat hangers is a no-no, right along with sneaking out carrying a shower curtain or rug.
The only way I can see leaving with rugs or curtains is if there’s a body wrapped inside, but that’s a whole different story – and that theft investigation will most likely end in some serious prison time.
Other items that people swipe include lamps, light bulbs and TV remotes. Keep in mind, if you steal a remote, it may not work with the set you have at home. That means you’ll have to return to the hotel to use it, thus increasing your chances of getting caught with stolen property while TV browsing.
However, for all the money you spend to sleep away from home, you are more then welcome to keep any sales brochures and the stationary left by the telephone.
The phone, however, must stay.
Anngee Quinones-Belian lives in Ranger. Her column runs every other week. Email her at anngeeq@gmail.com.