Wellness Heaven has asked 1,157 hoteliers which items are most commonly stolen. In particular, they observe a striking difference in the theft behaviour between guests in 4-star and 5-star hotels.



The main result of the study: the overwhelming majority of guests steal towels and bathrobes – perhaps as a goodie for the next spa break? These two objects of desire are closely followed by hangers, pens and cutlery.

When classifying the hotel thieves by nationality, a different picture emerges. It turns out, for example, that German and British hotel guests follow a rather boring theft behaviour: In addition to towels and bathrobes, primarily cosmetics and toiletries are in the focus.



In contrast, Austrians favour a more pleasure-oriented way: dishes and coffee machines appear high up in their theft ranking. It seems they cannot get enough to satisfy their thirst for coffee. For Americans, pillows and batteries appear as the prime objects of desire.



Italians seem to prefer wine glasses as a hotel souvenir, while the hair dryer ranks high up in the Swiss ranking. The French, on the other hand, steal in a more spectacular manner: they represent the nation that is attracted mainly to TV sets and remote controls.



Dutch hotel guests see in their souvenirs above all the practical benefit: Their favorites include light bulbs and toilet paper.

A total of 634 hoteliers from 4-star hotels and 523 from 5-star hotels were surveyed to determine the behaviour of thieves depending on their wealth. As it turns out, "Greed is good" seems to be a reliable motto especially for the well-heeled 5-star clientele.



The probability of high-quality TV sets being stolen in 5-star hotels, is 9 times higher in comparison to the 4-star segment. Similarly, artworks are popular objects of desire in luxury hotels (5.5 times higher theft probability). Tablet computers and mattresses are also being stolen a lot more frequently in 5-star hotels according to the research.



4-star hotel guests are content with less spectacular gifts: towels and hangers tend to be in higher demand than in 5-star hotels. The typical 4-star hotel guest is especially fond of practical items such as batteries and remote controls (theft probability 3.1 and 4.9 times higher, respectively).

A total of 1,157 responses were evaluated, the result can be considered as representative. The 1,157 hotels whose management participated in the survey are located primarily in Europe. 634 hoteliers were surveyed in the 4-star segment, and 523 in the 5-star segment.