A chocolate on one's pillow at turndown. The simple gesture has long been a symbol of luxury, a gift from the hotel to punctuate the turndown experience and send guests to slumberland with sweet dreams. The concept is thought to have originated at the Mayfair Hotel in St.
As far as tradition goes, it is often granted as a reward for good behaviour among children and even adults. Hotels and other accommodations also take part in this tradition. More often than not, they leave a piece of a wrapped mint, chocolate, or chocolate mint under the pillow for guests.
In multiple countries, an item of confectionery such as a chocolate or a mint is sometimes left on top of a pillow on the bed that has been turned down. Some hotels have more elaborate turndown services, such as bed-time stories for children and cocktails served to couples.
The legend goes that the married Grant was trying to woo a lover by creating a trail of chocolates that ran from the sitting room in his penthouse suite into the bedroom all the way up to the pillow, where attached was a love letter or some sort. Apparently, Grant thought chocolate was the way to a woman's heart.
Turndown service is a service offered in the hospitality industry that involves readying a guest's room for the night. The service is performed in the evening while guests are out for dinner or another activity, allowing them to easily go to bed when they return to their room.
Some of the most commonly stolen items from hotel rooms include robes and slippers. While slippers are usually okay to take back home with you, those plushy soft robes are not, and travelers can expect an extra charge on their credit card.
Hotels keep a record of guests who trash hotel rooms or steal items, and they might ban those people from booking rooms again. In rare scenarios, some people could get arrested.
Hotels are not responsible for your belongings if you leave your stuff behind. Some hotels have safes in each room specifically because their policies stipulate that they are not responsible for valuables. As a guest, it's your duty to take responsibility for all of your items.
“You should behave in the same manner as if you were [a] guest in someone's house,” she explained. “Be delicate. Flush your toilet, clean up after yourself and don't leave broken glass all over the floor.” But showing basic courtesy doesn't necessarily mean that you should remake your bed and scrub the bathroom floor.
A general rule of thumb is $3 to $5 per night for budget and midrange hotels, and up to $10 a night for luxury hotels and resorts (or more if the service is really high end).
Generally speaking, most hotels require that guests vacate the room during housekeeping services for safety and security reasons. This ensures that both the guest and hotel staff remain safe throughout the process of cleaning a room.
In most hotels (even very small ones), security cameras are a normal fixture in common areas. This includes the registration desk and hallways, as well as dining, parking and swimming areas. These surveillance cameras are there for security and to help maintain the safety of the hotel's staff and guests.
Anything that's complimentary is free for you to snag. This includes the mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, coffee, packets of creamer and sugar, and other bathroom amenities. The slippers will get thrown away after you leave, so it's fine if you want to pack them away for later use.
But what actually happens if you do steal something slightly bigger, like a bathrobe, a fluffy towel or a cushion? It turns out, that 99 percent of the time… nothing will happen at all.
You'd think it would be alcohol, canned goods or something that comes in small packaging like condiments or spices, but nope. The most stolen food item in the world is cheese.
Airborne Germs and Bacteria in Hotel Rooms
One of the biggest issues that was found in their studies was the presence of bacteria like yeast, staphylococcus, fecal bacteria, and other bacteria that is spread from one person to another on surfaces like soft furniture, carpeting, and bedding.
A 2022 survey conducted by the National Retail Federation found laundry detergent to be among the most stolen items in organized retail crime, which has contributed to a $94.5 billion inventory shrinkage issue for the retail industry. These crimes aren't as simple as a lone shoplifter pocketing a product.
Long a staple of hotel thievery, the bathrobe is one of the most debated 'can I steal this? ' items, but in general these are off limits and will be laundered and reused for the next guest. Most hotels will also charge you if one does go missing.
Slippers. If your hotel provides slippers for guests, you'll be able to take these home. They're typically light-duty ones and wouldn't be reused for other guests, so you can either take yours home (for the gardening or the dog to chew up) or the hotel will recycle or dispose of them.
If you were to take The Bible with you or remove it from the hotel room, The Gideons would not accuse you of stealing it. Some believe that The Gideons actually want you to take these Bibles, perhaps in hopes of spreading the Good Word. However, your hotel staff may disagree.
Use a flashlight
Many modern cameras have a lens that will reflect bright light. So, turn off the lights in the room and then turn on your flashlight. Move the flashlight slowly around the room, focusing specifically on areas where you suspect a camera may likely be hidden.
Can hotels see what you watch on TV? Whether it's an idle question or a gnawing paranoia, many Americans have considered whether hotels are spying on their guests in the digital age. The answer is generally no, since that would violate laws in more than a dozen states.
The answer is yes. As long as you're connected to a network that's under your boss's control, they can see nearly everything you do. The same thing applies to your school. To check into your hotel via mobile check-in, or digital check-in, use your phone as the room key.
Glassware, linen and the TV remote
Typically, they don't get cleaned between guests and become a breeding ground for bacteria. Use the pillows from the closet; they're more likely to be freshly washed than the ones on the bed.