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Some travelers steal more than just soap from hotel rooms

Most hotel guests steal the soap but some take more valuable amenities, a survey shows.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Everyone who has stayed at a hotel has, at some point, walked out with a few soaps or miniature bottles of shampoo stuffed into their luggage.

But 35% of global travelers say they make off with even more valuable hotel amenities, such as towels, lamps, robes and bedding, according to a recent survey by the hotel booking site Hotels.com.

And the survey found that travelers from some countries pilfer more than others.

Danish travelers are the least likely to pocket hotel property, while Colombian travelers came in at the bottom of the honesty ranking, according to the survey of 8,600 travelers from 28 countries and cities.

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When asked about taking from hotels, 88% of Danish travelers said they have never pocketed hotel property, according to the survey. But when they do steal, the most common items taken by the Danes are magazines and books, the survey found.

Meanwhile, only 43% of Colombians say they have never taken from a hotel, and when they do filch, they go after magazines and books, the survey said.

The U.S. and China came in near the bottom of the honesty ranking, tied with 66% of American and Chinese travelers saying they have never taken from a hotel.

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Sticky-fingered Americans typically take linens and towels, while Chinese travelers usually take furnishings such as lamps, clocks and artwork, according to the survey.

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