Guests who steal towels!

[Audrey Forrest]

So sometimes we get European visitors who steal towel sets. We write and ask if they packed them accidentally but when they
don't reply we charge their credit card. Has any other Innkeeper had this experience and if so, what do you do?

 

[Generic]

Never had a guest steal towels as far as I know, but it's not something that I really follow.
You do know that it's against your CC merchant agreement right? If they contest it, they will reverse it instantly? And is it worth the review?

 

[JimBoone]

I don't really have that problem, of course everyone's guests are different, it may be that our towels aren't classy enough to tempt folks. Early on when we first started lost a few towels and learned to raise our prices and weed out the problem guests.

 

[GoodScout]

We have a little sentence in our room guidebook that says "All of our Phineas Swann items are for sale, and prices can be found here in our guestbook. If after you depart we find you decided to take one of our items, we'll assume you decided to purchase it and forgot to tell us, so we'll do you the courtesy of adding them to your final bill."
Yes, a little sarcastic, but it covers me. No one's ever challenged a charge.

 

[notAgrandma]

I've never had guests take anything, but I've had them break things. As Generic stated, charging the guests after the fact is against CC regulations. You might be covered if the guest signs some sort of "house rules" agreement at check-in, but I'm not sure. I had a guest break an ironing board and ruin 8 Ralph Lauren towels during her stay (4 bath towels, 2 hand towels, and 2 washcloths). When I charged her card $40 (the towels were older & I thought the full $80 was too much), the backlash was pretty bad. She sent me several nasty emails demanding to speak with the owner. I guess she didn't think the person cooking, cleaning, and emailing her was the owner. This guest gave me my first 1* review. Since she's only ever submitted 1 review, it appears she joined TA just to slam me. The substantial hit to my TA ranking was not worth $40.
I now have inexpensive Costco towels in my rooms. I fluff them using 1/4 c vinegar in the softener cycle & throw a Bounce sheet in the dryer. I use inexpensive Costco sheets. My rooms aren't $300 a night; I can't afford to replace expensive stuff when guests ruin things. If they want designer sheets and expensive towels, there's a Four Seasons nearby that I'm sure can oblige them.

 

[Happy Harpie]

In 10 years we have had one Face Cloth go missing and the woman was so devastated that she sent a $6 face cloth back in the mail to us with a postage cost of $4. Her note to us was "I was mortified that I took one of your face cloths by mistake." She stated that it was already in the mail. We had a good chuckle and offered her $20 off on her next stay for her honesty.

 

[Morticia]

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. Towels are pretty bulky to fit in an overseas bag with all the new weight limits. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

 

[Arks]

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. Towels are pretty bulky to fit in an overseas bag with all the new weight limits. You have to wonder what they're thinking..

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!

 

[Morticia]

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. Towels are pretty bulky to fit in an overseas bag with all the new weight limits. You have to wonder what they're thinking..

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!
.

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!

Yeah. After they ask how much they cost. ;-)
But, I meant the towels. Who tries to stuff a set of puffy, fluffy B&B towels into overseas luggage?

 

[Jcam]

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. Towels are pretty bulky to fit in an overseas bag with all the new weight limits. You have to wonder what they're thinking..

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!
.

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!

Yeah. After they ask how much they cost. ;-)
But, I meant the towels. Who tries to stuff a set of puffy, fluffy B&B towels into overseas luggage?
.

they won't be taking them home - they will take them to the next stop over in case they don't provide them - they will never leave the country
also as a side bar we have lost more hairdryers than ever before - what;s that all about?

 

[Highlands John]

In 14 years we've only ever lost 1 bath mat, so not an issue for us.

 

[Generic]

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. Towels are pretty bulky to fit in an overseas bag with all the new weight limits. You have to wonder what they're thinking..

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!
.

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!

Yeah. After they ask how much they cost. ;-)
But, I meant the towels. Who tries to stuff a set of puffy, fluffy B&B towels into overseas luggage?
.

they won't be taking them home - they will take them to the next stop over in case they don't provide them - they will never leave the country
also as a side bar we have lost more hairdryers than ever before - what;s that all about?
.

Mine are attached to the wall.... a little harder to take

 

[Lee2014]

At the NE Inn we did colors and sets so we knew when one went missing. The missing towels were usually found in a closet, under a bed, etc. I came up short with two make up towels for the three years there.... found them when the summer help left, in the washing machine with her sheets....
At the PA Inn we just had an issue when the one night guests left and said that their room didn't have any towels in it. Unknown to them they said it to the front desk lady who checked the room prior to their arrival. All three cleaning girls had checked that room, too. The guests still took a shower though. I wonder how they dried themselves off? We are still talking...

 

[Morticia]

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. Towels are pretty bulky to fit in an overseas bag with all the new weight limits. You have to wonder what they're thinking..

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!
.

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!

Yeah. After they ask how much they cost. ;-)
But, I meant the towels. Who tries to stuff a set of puffy, fluffy B&B towels into overseas luggage?
.

they won't be taking them home - they will take them to the next stop over in case they don't provide them - they will never leave the country
also as a side bar we have lost more hairdryers than ever before - what;s that all about?
.

they won't be taking them home - they will take them to the next stop over in case they don't provide them - they will never leave the country
also as a side bar we have lost more hairdryers than ever before - what;s that all about?

Hadn't thought about the next stop. So, someone will get a set of towels they weren't expecting.
We had an entire set of coasters disappear last week.

 

[user 26]

Are you sure they arent taking them outside or to the beach? I bought a sweater and a small throw in scotland and then could hardly close my suitcase so I had to wear the sweater. You need to pack quite a bit for international travel ... I can't imagine trying to pack away a towel set.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

As far as I know, we've never had a guest steal anything. We did have a housekeeper who stole and lied about tips.

 

[Generic]

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. Towels are pretty bulky to fit in an overseas bag with all the new weight limits. You have to wonder what they're thinking..

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!
.

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!

Yeah. After they ask how much they cost. ;-)
But, I meant the towels. Who tries to stuff a set of puffy, fluffy B&B towels into overseas luggage?
.

they won't be taking them home - they will take them to the next stop over in case they don't provide them - they will never leave the country
also as a side bar we have lost more hairdryers than ever before - what;s that all about?
.

they won't be taking them home - they will take them to the next stop over in case they don't provide them - they will never leave the country
also as a side bar we have lost more hairdryers than ever before - what;s that all about?

Hadn't thought about the next stop. So, someone will get a set of towels they weren't expecting.
We had an entire set of coasters disappear last week.
.

Coasters are standard things people take, they assume, like in restaurants, they are for the taking. They also take some of my signs, like the one on the water as souvenirs and even the tip envelopes as souvenirs... don't get it, but hey, it's small.

 

[Morticia]

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. Towels are pretty bulky to fit in an overseas bag with all the new weight limits. You have to wonder what they're thinking..

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!
.

Coffee mugs. That's all anyone takes here. You have to wonder what they're thinking.

My guess is, they're convincing themselves that since it has your logo on it, it must be free, like the logo pens and scratch pads. They know better, but that's their story and they're sticking to it!

Yeah. After they ask how much they cost. ;-)
But, I meant the towels. Who tries to stuff a set of puffy, fluffy B&B towels into overseas luggage?
.

they won't be taking them home - they will take them to the next stop over in case they don't provide them - they will never leave the country
also as a side bar we have lost more hairdryers than ever before - what;s that all about?
.

they won't be taking them home - they will take them to the next stop over in case they don't provide them - they will never leave the country
also as a side bar we have lost more hairdryers than ever before - what;s that all about?

Hadn't thought about the next stop. So, someone will get a set of towels they weren't expecting.
We had an entire set of coasters disappear last week.
.

Coasters are standard things people take, they assume, like in restaurants, they are for the taking. They also take some of my signs, like the one on the water as souvenirs and even the tip envelopes as souvenirs... don't get it, but hey, it's small.
.

Coasters are standard things people take, they assume, like in restaurants, they are for the taking. They also take some of my signs, like the one on the water as souvenirs and even the tip envelopes as souvenirs... don't get it, but hey, it's small.

My coasters were a matched set of 4. They were part of the room decor in a way. The painting in the room is by the same local artist. I'm still looking for replacement s.

 

[user 26]

Morticia ... those mugs! How many times did I go rushing outside with to go cups and take my mugs out of hands or off car hoods and pour the contents into a to go cup saying 'Whoops, these are breakable!' or 'Oops, I'm sure you didn't mean to carry this out with you.' haha. Yes, they did.

But I didn't lose any!
Those coasters of yours were STOLEN. Plain and simple.

 

[Morticia]

Morticia ... those mugs! How many times did I go rushing outside with to go cups and take my mugs out of hands or off car hoods and pour the contents into a to go cup saying 'Whoops, these are breakable!' or 'Oops, I'm sure you didn't mean to carry this out with you.' haha. Yes, they did.

But I didn't lose any!
Those coasters of yours were STOLEN. Plain and simple. .

My mugs go out in the suitcase.