When we check into a hotel room, we enter a space designed to feel ours temporarily, neatly arranged, comfortable, and complete with everything we might need. For a brief period, the boundaries between personal and shared space begin to blur.
But that raises an interesting question: What do people actually take from hotel rooms, and does it differ across countries?
This question was explored in a widely cited global survey conducted by Hotels.com in 2013. The study examined traveller behaviour across multiple countries, asking guests what they had taken from hotel rooms beyond standard complimentary items.
What emerged was not just a list of commonly taken objects, but a pattern, one that varied across nationalities and hinted at bigger differences in perception. From everyday items to more unexpected choices, the findings reveal how travellers interpret ownership, value, and entitlement in a temporary space.
The study collected self-reported responses from travellers in multiple countries about whether they had taken items from hotel rooms (excluding basic toiletries) and compiled a country-wise ranking of commonly removed objects.
What follows is a concise, country-by-country snapshot based on those 2013 rankings.
Also Read: How Real Are Child-Free Airlines, Hotels In India?
At the end of the day, this isn’t just a list of missing towels and magazines; it’s a global snapshot of what travellers were willing to confess in 2013.
Some admitted more, some less, and some perhaps just chose silence.
So the next time you look at a neatly folded hotel towel, remember, according to this data, it’s one of the most “well-travelled” items in the world.
Not because it moved on its own but because someone decided it should.
Images: Google Images
Sources: Hotels.com, The Times of India, The Telegraph
Find the blogger: Katyayani Joshi
This post is tagged under: travel tips, hotel etiquette, travel hacks, hospitality industry, hotel amenities, hotel theft, travel trends, tourism research, Hotels.com survey, 2013 travel survey, country rankings, travel writing, travel journalism, responsible travel, travel ethics, tourism insights, travel data, social media marketing, content marketing, hotel news, travel behavior, travel statistics, hotel life, luggage essentials, travel storytelling
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right or copyright over any of the images used; these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly email us.
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