by editor’s office, ch
In Germany, alone, several million euros of losses are incurred annually due to hotel guests plundering the hotel’s inventory on the day of their departure. The German Federal Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Dehoga-Bundesverband, Berlin), for instance, complains of guests brazenly swiping bath robes, towels, flowers, pictures and even hotel silverware. They criticize that many of the guests lack a sense of injustice when bagging hotel property. What is cleary theft in a legal sense is actually being seen as a “sport“ by many, claims the association. These stealing sprees by guests put additional economic strain on hotels that are already feeling the recession.
“Although the association has not yet acquired definitive numbers and many hotels handle the problem discreetly, the economic damage is in the millions,” said Dehoga spokesperson Stefanie Heckel towards news agency Pressetext. According to the industry expert, the guests should be aware that stealing hotel property is no trivial offence. But since many visitors believe that they are entitled to the offered services as well as the interior equipment, several chains have already started to do without their respective brand logos, which are usually found on many articles of daily use. “This drastically reduces the incentive for people to bag one or the other souvenir,” adds Heckel.
Because most hotels have to face this problem on a daily basis, attempts are made to openly raise the issue of theft with the patrons and thus work towards improving the situation. Newspaper “Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung” reports that large chains offer souvenirs such as towels, shower sandals, glasses and the likes featuring the popular hotel logo in their in-house shops. Luxury hotel chain Sofitel, for example, points out to those interested in their furnishing that any equipment, from bed to lamp shades, can be bought on the Internet. Unfortunately, these measures often fail their purpose. The hotels will then usually exercise discretion, leaving the police out of it.
Meanwhile, industry experts expect that many visitors’ inhibitions to actually steal something decrease with increasing room and category rates. In order to save both parties from a big inconvenience, in part due to reputation issues, many hotels solve such problem discreetly and without much attention. “They won’t call the police, but rather write a letter stating: ‘You probably took the bath robe unintentionally and may send it back or buy it’,” explains Maximilian Bosse, GM of Essener Hof. In addition to these relatively harmless bagatelles, experts from “high-profile hotels” also know of televisions and even safes having been stolen from the walls.
Courtesy of www.tophotel.de.
Losses in the Millions – Hotels Complain about Sticky Fingers
by editor’s office, ch
In Germany, alone, several million euros of losses are incurred annually due to hotel guests plundering the hotel’s inventory on the day of their departure. The German Federal Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Dehoga-Bundesverband, Berlin), for instance, complains of guests brazenly swiping bath robes, towels, flowers, pictures and even hotel silverware. They criticize that many of the guests lack a sense of injustice when bagging hotel property. What is cleary theft in a legal sense is actually being seen as a “sport“ by many, claims the association. These stealing sprees by guests put additional economic strain on hotels that are already feeling the recession.
“Although the association has not yet acquired definitive numbers and many hotels handle the problem discreetly, the economic damage is in the millions,” said Dehoga spokesperson Stefanie Heckel towards news agency Pressetext. According to the industry expert, the guests should be aware that stealing hotel property is no trivial offence. But since many visitors believe that they are entitled to the offered services as well as the interior equipment, several chains have already started to do without their respective brand logos, which are usually found on many articles of daily use. “This drastically reduces the incentive for people to bag one or the other souvenir,” adds Heckel.
Because most hotels have to face this problem on a daily basis, attempts are made to openly raise the issue of theft with the patrons and thus work towards improving the situation. Newspaper “Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung” reports that large chains offer souvenirs such as towels, shower sandals, glasses and the likes featuring the popular hotel logo in their in-house shops. Luxury hotel chain Sofitel, for example, points out to those interested in their furnishing that any equipment, from bed to lamp shades, can be bought on the Internet. Unfortunately, these measures often fail their purpose. The hotels will then usually exercise discretion, leaving the police out of it.
Meanwhile, industry experts expect that many visitors’ inhibitions to actually steal something decrease with increasing room and category rates. In order to save both parties from a big inconvenience, in part due to reputation issues, many hotels solve such problem discreetly and without much attention. “They won’t call the police, but rather write a letter stating: ‘You probably took the bath robe unintentionally and may send it back or buy it’,” explains Maximilian Bosse, GM of Essener Hof. In addition to these relatively harmless bagatelles, experts from “high-profile hotels” also know of televisions and even safes having been stolen from the walls.
Courtesy of www.tophotel.de.
