An unnamed Honolulu hotel has implemented RFID technology to aid in catching would-be beach towel thiefs. Do you know which hotel it is?
The Hawaii property claims to have reduced towel theft from 4,000 to only 750 a month, which is saving over $16,000 monthly. The Honolulu property, which does not wish to be identified, has been joined by hotels in Miami and New York in using this towel thief stopper.
In the face of rising cotton prices that have driven up the cost of towels, the technology, called Linentracker, has become financially viable. It lets hotels manage their inventory of towels, sheets, bathrobes and other items when the articles are tagged with RFID tags. RFID tags can be extremely small and undetectable, even placed inside the fold on the towel’s edge. Each item is apparently scanned and monitored at  check-in/out stations such as at pool and beach kiosks. If the item isn’t returned, you can expect to find it added to your bill upon checkout.
This may well be the end to bringing home hotel souvenirs. Would you care to share any stories?
All the towels I have seen were pretty plain and not suitable as a souvenir. I have a pile of colorful beach towels at home that I purchased over the years.
I always wondered why the hotels I stayed at generally asked for name/room when checking out towels, but didn’t ask for it when I return them.
The Hilton
RFID only works up to 10 feet with normally acquired readers. Up to 30 feet if you use a modified reader…so I guess they are catching towel thieves as they are leaving!
I wonder how many potential thefts become purchases when the towel is discovered in their luggage?