From Tom Parsons - Think Again Before You Swipe That Hotel Towel, It May Be Micro-chipped
Jul-05-2011

The practice of stolen towels and bathrobes has become such a problem for hotel chains that some are now employing anti-theft devices, radio-frequency tags stitched into towels, robes and other linen.
If removed from the premises, the chip in the towel will alert the hotel it has been taken.
Hotels encourage you to take home their designer bath soaps and shampoos. You taking complimentary bath products home let's the hotel know they have chosen good products, and that customers will use them. Towels are a different story.
Hotels can lose up to 5 to 20% of their linen inventory per month. A Florida based company, Linen Trackers, has recently patented a chip designed to keep track of "souvenirs" that seem to have disappeared. And yes, there are some hotels that are already using it.
The chip isn't that widespread yet, but three hotels in New York, Miami and Honolulu have already implemented the technology.
By using radio frequencies, the chip hones in on sandal-wearing, bathrobe-lounging thieves. The technology lasts about 300 wash cycles. Does it work? Apparently, it does. The device has been successful in busting dangerous tourists on the loose.
The hotels are billing the customers up to $25 per stolen towel, and up to $50 per bath robe. The hotel guest will receive a retroactive charge to their credit card after they have checked out and have left the premises, the microchip will alert the hotel that the towel from that room is missing, and the hotel will bill the guest for the missing linens.
So think again the next time you are eyeing up that 600 thread count egyptian cotton oversized bath towel it could really cost you!

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Posted by Ken at 6:49 PM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print