February 6, 2026 | 04:37 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hotel rooms are stocked with daily necessities to make guests' stays more enjoyable. Many of these items can be taken home.
However, guests need to know which items can only be used in the room or around the hotel. Taking them could be considered theft, and guests could be fined.
Hotel management usually does not inform guests about which items can be taken home as souvenirs. Therefore, guests need to find out for themselves.
Diane Gottsman, the founder of the Protocol School of Texas, and hotel owner Brandon Crudup, from the Station House Inn in Lake Tahoe, California, have compiled a list of items that are allowed and not allowed to be taken home.
The first item, he said, is sandals. "Slippers are typically considered disposable and are usually okay to take," said Brandon, as reported by the Independent on Thursday, February 5, 2026.
In addition, bath supplies such as shampoo and conditioner, soap, and lotion are included in the list of items that can be taken. If there are cotton balls and sewing kits, those can also be taken home. Additionally, there are notepads, postcards, hotel-branded pens, and plastic bags for dry cleaning. "Specialty coffee pods and tea bags are also popular if you have a similar coffee maker at home, or want to enjoy the complimentary tea offered during your stay."
Prohibited Items to Take Home
Some items that can be reused, such as bathrobes, should not be taken home. The hotel usually has a note on the bathrobe hanger informing guests that they can purchase the robe if they want to have it.
"If you take one, it will usually be added to your bill. If you do want a robe, most hotels have extra dead stock available for purchase," he said.
Other items on the list include towels, pillows, glass coasters, remotes, and remote batteries, which are definitely not allowed to be taken. Umbrellas, tea cups, and spoons are also not allowed.
So, what if it's taken accidentally? Diane suggests contacting the receptionist to inquire whether the item needs to be returned. The answer is sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Tamara Allen, owner of a small independent hotel in Las Vegas, said that guests take almost everything away. Sometimes unintentionally, sometimes intentionally. "We don’t have boxes of tissues in the rooms anymore for the very reason that people walk off with them. Toilet paper works just fine to blow your nose," she said, as reported by Reader's Digest.
Because of their relatively small size and ease of fitting into a suitcase, clothes hangers are also frequently taken home. However, even though they are not expensive, clothes hangers are not on the list of free items. "So you should leave them in the closet," Allen said.
Read: Hotel Room Etiquette: Do's and Don'ts Before Check-Out
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