I never think that taking the shampoo, shower gel, etc. is stealing - those things are intended to be complimentary items for you to use or keep. If I stayed somewhere cool like the Chateau Marmont, I'd probably take some notepaper too.

But as you have to give a credit card number when you book a hotel, if you stole, say, sheets or towels, they'd just charge them to the card, wouldn't they?

"they'd just charge them to the card, wouldn't they?"

Yes, and quite heftily. When I worked at a small independent inn, we would overlook taking one towel. Any more than that, though, we charged the credit card $25 per item. The owner's thinking was "What are they gonna do? Call the cops?"

Last few hotels I stayed at had a sign listing the price per item for sheets, towels, etc., couching it in terms of "if you are interested, we provide the following:". Which I thought was clever.

Dave Barry:

There was a little plastic sign in the bathroom that said: "Our towels are 100 percent cotton. Should you wish to purchase a set, they are available in the gift store. Should you prefer the set in your bathroom, a $75 charge will automatically be added to your bill."

This was Hyatt's polite way of saying, "If you steal our towels, we'll charge you 75 bucks."

So I stole the sign.

Holiday Inn does that too. It's actually kind of a masterpiece of writing, totally polite and positive and passive-aggressive without using any language that's anything less than positive and encouraging.

The sign notes that Holiday Inn is delighted to discover the popularity of the amenities in their rooms, that they take it as an endorsement of their quality. As such, these items are now for sale. If you like, you may purchase them directly from the head of housekeeping, or, if it's more convenient, just take whatever you like from your room, and we will add the charges to your bill for you. And then following that is a grossly inflated price list -- basically double retail.

If only they'd put so much thought into their choice of bath products, which all smell like cinnamon-scented truck stop restroom air deodorizer.

I was just in a boutique hotel in Quito, Ecuador, and I kept the free face loofah they provided as an amenity. The next day, a new one appeared. Took that too.

I have only ever shamefully stolen one ashtray from a hotel I frequent. It was gorgeous, hand blown glass. I figured it was out in the public lounge area, no one would miss it among the 12 or so out there.

But every time a hotel's rates go up, figure you're paying for someone else's thievery.