Can hotels charge for missing towels?

While it may be tempting to take those plush, soft towels home with you as a memento of your stay, it's important to know that taking hotel towels is considered stealing. Hotels take towel theft seriously and may charge you for the missing towels or even pursue legal action.



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Here's what should happen: The standard operating procedure is for towels and sheets to be changed between every guest, according to Joe McInerney, president of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (www.ahla.org). Towels are also swapped out every day at some, but not all properties. Some do, some don't, he says.

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If you find yourself in need of extra towels during your stay, don't hesitate to ask the hotel staff if they offer towel rentals. Some hotels provide this service for a small fee, allowing you to have clean and fresh towels whenever you need them.

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At the hotel
Because staff can vary each day, experts advise leaving a tip daily. If a staff member brings up extra towels late at night or fulfills another request, tip $1-$5.

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Towels are the most common item stolen from hotel rooms, and you can understand why. Most hotels provide incredibly soft, luxurious and comforting towels that just feel so good wrapped around your body.

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Private areas in a hotel room typically include the bedroom, bathroom, and any other areas that are not accessible to the general public. This means that hotels cannot install cameras in these areas without the consent of the guest.

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Sheets are usually changed between guests, and sometimes state law requires it, but there's no guarantee that they will be. As for bedspreads, forget it. As countless hidden-camera investigative TV programs have confirmed, they aren't washed regularly.

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Typically, hotels wash their bedding once every week including various kinds of comforters, sheets, and pillows. However, they often swap out the pillowcases and linens between the guests. It's a common practice that the hotel comforters are rarely automatically changed – unless a guest requests it.

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Daily room cleaning used to be standard practice in hotels. But since the pandemic, it's become less so. More than a hundred hotel workers and their supporters marched on a grey day last February, wearing bright red knit hats and carrying signs with a message: CLEAN HOTEL ROOMS SAVE JOBS.

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In the United States, it is not legal to record hotel guests in their private spaces without their consent. This includes not just video recording but audio recording as well.

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The short answer is: Yes, hotels can easily see the sites you visit over their networks unless proper precautions are taken. Connecting to hotel wifi means you should assume it is not private and avoid accessing sensitive accounts or info.

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Fortunately, hidden cameras in hotel rooms are extremely rare. But if you want to take precautions, a visual inspection and using detection tools can help identify any secret recording devices.

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Some hotels throw away the items, while others allow staff members to keep them if they wish. Additionally, the hotel may donate the items to a local charity.

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According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), guests should tip housekeeping anywhere between $1 to $5 per night for a mid-range or business hotel. For luxury hotels where the staff offers daily cleaning services and nightly turndown services, guests should leave a little more.

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Luggage attendants take your bags from reception up to your room. Whether they carry bags themselves or use a luggage cart, a small tip per bag is the norm.

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