Lodge owners turned authors reveal 10 little-known hotel secrets!

By Rita

Have you ever wondered where all those unused toiletries end up? What happens if someone dies in a hotel? The UK’s Daily Mail interviewed Jacob Tomsky, a former hotel employee who became an author, sharing his work experiences at properties in New York and New Orleans. Theselittle-known hotel secrets— such as minibar disputes, room cleaning schedules, and whether staff take things from the hotel — might just blow your mind!

Here are the reporter’s questions and Jacob’s answers:

Q: “What do guests steal the most in hotels?”
A: “Shampoo and body wash are the most popular items. But honestly, ‘almost everything that can be taken has been taken’ — including bedspreads, little silver trash cans, universal remotes, and more.”

▲ Toiletries (Photo/Dazi/Getty Images)

Q: “Do they really get away with stealing those things?”
A: “Although there are sometimes misunderstandings, guests can pretty much take what they want, and there’s not much the hotel can do. For instance, if a guest hides the bathrobe in their suitcase as soon as they enter the room and then calls the front desk saying there isn’t one, the hotel can’t exactly ask to check their luggage.”

Q: “If a guest claims they didn’t use the minibar, how does the hotel handle it?”
A: “Minibar issues often take up a lot of the front desk’s time daily with reconciliations. Though the items are often sold in bulk, they’re priced several times higher. In truth, the hotel cares more about your overall experience than those drinks and candies — after all, that’s a major revenue stream for them. Just like many retailers, if minibar items aren’t sold and expire, they’re simply thrown away.”
(Editor’s note: While the original text doesn’t directly answer the question, it implies that hotels don’t usually chase non-paying customers over minibar disputes.)

Q: “How long on average does it take to clean a hotel room?”
A: “It depends on the room type. Different rooms have different ‘point values,’ and each housekeeper has a set number of points to complete each day, so the time varies. On average, though, it takes about half an hour per room, but it also depends on how messy the guest was. Hotels do a deep clean and renovation once a year — curtains and carpets are cleaned thoroughly at that time.”

▲ Housekeeper (Photo/Dazi/Getty Images)

Q: “What’s the least-cleaned or least-thoroughly cleaned item in a hotel room?”
A: “The minibar glasses and the remote control. Housekeepers are supposed to clean the glasses, but the issue is that hotels don’t provide proper cleaning agents — so they often use ‘alternatives’ like shampoo, and in a pinch, even furniture polish. As for the remote, forget about it — those rubbery buttons are super hard to clean, and using cleaners can damage the internal circuitry.”

▲ Glassware (Photo/Dazi/Getty Images)

Q: “How much do hotels spend on toiletries annually?”
A: “That depends on occupancy rates. According to Forbes, for example, the well-known Marriott chain spends up to $20 million a year just on toiletries. Typically, the actual supply is decided by the housekeeping manager, but winter stock tends to be higher because people spend more time in the bathroom due to the cold weather.”

Q: “Do hotel employees take things home?”
A: “It’s a long-standing tradition for hotel workers to repurpose hotel supplies for their own homes. From 2001 to 2004, I was given pillow chocolates at hotel parties every year. Most of the time, no one wants items that guests have used. And if someone were to steal something expensive, they’d probably think twice — they could lose their job. Used soap is often donated to charities (like Clean The World) for recycling and sent to developing countries.”

▲ Slippers (Photo/Dazi/Getty Images)

Q: “What happens if someone dies in a hotel?”
A: “It’s definitely not something hotels want to publicize, so they’ll remove the body as discreetly as possible. Since it often involves noisy ambulances, depending on the severity, they might use staff entrances or back doors. The room is then disinfected and cleaned — much faster than you’d think — before the next guests move in. ‘Death is part of the hotel business.’ Many people who die by suicide choose hotels so their loved ones don’t have to deal with the aftermath.”

Q: “Do hotel staff have keys to the in-room safes?”
A: “No. The safe is really secure. If a guest forgets the code, only the security manager can help — they’re authorized and trained to assist guests in opening it.”

▲Safe deposit box (Photo / Da Zhi / Illustration)

Q“What should I do with a half-used roll of toilet paper?”
A“Different hotels have different policies. But due to growing environmental awareness, they are still usually placed in the toilet, stacked on top of a new roll.”

▲Toilet paper roll (Photo / Da Zhi / Illustration)

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