It used to be that people would commonly joke about coming home from swanky hotels with extra towels and robes. And while the practice is technically considered stealing, many people do it without a second thought, because they believe that the worst thing that can happen is that the hotel will add an extra charge to their bill to cover the cost.

However, with it being so hard to prove who took a missing towel—without proof of how many towels were received, it could be easy enough to claim that housekeeping never gave you a full set to begin with—many people think the risk is worth the reward. But, one Redditor says that may not necessarily be true of a hotel they recently stayed at, which which had tracking devices on the linens and promises of a hefty fine to go along with them.

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A Redditor says their hotel towels were tracked

The story was posted by Redditor Tackit286 and shared in the “mildly interesting” subreddit. The OP’s post contained a photo of the towel’s tag, which read “RFID Is Tracking This Product,” along with a caption explaining how they discovered that the towels in their hotel room were being tracked.

Redditors hopped into the comments to share their own hotel towel stories, and they ranged from charming to cringeworthy. “We once accidentally brought home a towel from a hotel, so we mailed it back to them,” one person wrote. “They sent us back 3 towels and said we are the only people to have ever returned them.”

“I’d like to think I’m an overall decent human being but I do love stealing a good ole hotel towel,” another person wrote.

But, the RFID tracking statement may not have as much to do with keeping towels from walking out the door as it has to do with keeping track of inventory while they’re being laundered. “It’s for tracking in and out of the commercial laundry to ensure any losses are the hotels, not the cleaning company’s sending towels to other clients,” one person explained. Another Redditor chimed in to add that they may also use the tracking device to monitor how many times the towel has been used, since some hotels will replace towels after a certain number of washes.

Related: This is the ugliest cruise ship sailing today, according to Reddit

Some hotels threaten major fines for stolen towels

In 2024, someone on Facebook shared a photo of a note that had been left in their hotel bathroom during a stay in the U.K. In the black and white form, which was translated into multiple languages, the hotel warned guests that the hotel used RFDI tracking to monitor the towels, and that any towels that were removed from the hotel property would result in fines that could range from €300.00 to €15,000.00 (that’s a little over $17,000).

And, according to ABC News, the cost of stealing hotel linens could affect more than just your wallet. A woman who was accused of stealing two towels during a 2010 stay at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja hotel in Nigeria was sentenced to three months in prison if she failed to pay a $20 fine for her crimes. While we’re hopeful she ponied up the cash instead of doing time, her story really highlights just how seriously some hotels are starting to take the theft of items like robes and towels.

What else are hotels tracking

Thinking about stocking up on some essentials the next time you stay at a hotel? That may cost you depending on where you stay. According to AAA’s The Extra Mile, there are a handful of items that most hotels will let you take homegratis, and they include:

• Toiletries like shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and lotions

• Disposable items (like paper slippers, cups, and single-use plastics)

• Mini hand sanitizer bottles

Some things that your hotel is likely tracking and may charge you for include:

• Electronics (hair dryers and irons)

Of course, if you’d like to grab a few freebies while you’re traveling, it’s always better to ask before you take anything from your room. Otherwise, you may face a hefty fine, or even possible jail time!

This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Nov 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the Hotels section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here.