04 March 2024 , 16:00
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A hotel expert has explained what guests are and aren't entitled to take from their room.
When you finish your holiday, it’s always nice to have a memento to bring home. If you're in Paris this may be a miniature Eifel Tower paper weight, in Rome a Coliseum snow globe or in London a waving yellow chocolate man from M&M's World.
Sometimes a souvenir may be less something you can buy from a shop and more a little keepsake found in a hotel room and pocketed. Much like the hot topic of whether or not it is legally or morally okay to take your own popcorn into a cinema screen, the rights and wrongs of swiping certain hotel goodies is up for debate.
Mark Johnson, the founder of H18YC, has shared his view on what you’re allowed to take from your hotel room as well as what you should leave behind.
Not everything in a hotel room is yours to take (Getty Images)According to Mark, you can take home shampoo, conditioner, soap, and body lotion so long as they’re single-use toiletries in small packages. "The costs of supplying these will have been factored into the overall price of your room. However, if you see that your hotel room features larger bottles, especially if they’re attached to the wall, you might get in trouble if you decide to remove them," he said.
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Stationery such as paper, pens, envelopes and postcards is free to use and keep. It’s usually branded with the hotel logo, so it provides free advertising. However, you shouldn’t take home any leather-bound notepads.
Meanwhile, you’re allowed to keep any small items of food and drink that have been provided in your room, Mark says. Common examples include biscuits, teabags, coffee sachets and sugar packets. However, any drinks in mini fridges will probably need to be paid for, but this should be made clear.
"If something is complimentary, it’s yours. It may be a chocolate bar or individual chocolates placed on your pillows, or something helpful like a water bottle. If you told the hotel beforehand that you’re celebrating your honeymoon or wedding anniversary you may receive a free bottle of champagne," Mark added.
If your room provides a small sewing kit or dry-cleaning bags, they’re free to keep. So are slippers, as they’re only designed for single use. "Never return home with the hotel ashtray or any of their glass bottles or mugs. Keep paintings on the walls and any Bible on the bedside table," he added.
He added: "It’s best for you and the hotel if you know what to take or to leave; then you can fully enjoy your stay without later being accused of theft. Before you put anything you’re not sure about into your suitcase, remember you can always ask hotel staff if it’s okay to take."
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