New-York tribune., 1909-05-30
HEAVY LOSS IN TOWELS.

A detective of q quarter century s experience III
hotel work in several of New York's great hotels
says:
a. tl7e Plaza the principal loss is in towels
which used in packing instead OF the tissue
r7aper which might be had for the asking Al lhe
St Regis also the towel supply IS the heaNlest
r7ffrzr while at the Waldorf small pieces OF silver
and match boxes are said TO be preferred by souVe
mir hunters The Astor, Knickerbocker and Bel
mont stand their share Of the petty pilferlng aho
hardly A hotel in New York is free from thls an
,,ovsnCe But on the other hand. patrons ITe-
,,7,a1ri send to the housekeeper's Office asking Il
rbev NAV purchase a bit OF linen, a pin tray OF
,,inc,s15on which has taken their fancy. and where
there Is a reserve stock on hand the request IL
usually granted But in case Of Things speclaliS
5rnnorted ike portfolios, engraved lnkstalos anu
,,er7 trsys only enough TO supply the actual neeo
Of the hotel IS usually ordered; hence, II Is impos-
s5Ele ., sell them. Some hotels have souvenirs
speciaIlv made to give away 10 patrons-usuailS
-,retfv fans bearing the crest or the name OF 'e
hotel small pin trays. glass coasters or mower
holders and bonbon boxes. This is good adVer-
-;i~- ,,e+s 1irtIe and prevents people from taking
What does not belong 10 them in their ceslre 10
have something by which they may remember
particularly pleasant visit at she hotel speclal
dinner or luncheon
Occasionally a patrons maid will pack by mis-
take the hotels satin pincushions, thinking them 10
he her rnistress's property In one Flfth avenue
l,o-el this has been done so often as TO become a
olze in the horsekeepers Office. and TO the credit OF
l mistress let Il be said that these are usually
-.-7,-rea or else a check Of twice or three CIies
the value of.1he cushion comes back IN payment.
women and girls are greater Offenders thahi
men and they usually accept the item on their
7flIs II tfev are discovered and charged without
question Ten Z one the offender VINO pays loi d
rair Of towels pincushion or pin tray which she
has anpropriated never wants 10 return to that
hotel for she will always think herself suspected
and watched BY the chambermaids. In TACT GER
tain women are always watched in certain hotels'
FOR their penchant for packing towels IN their
trunks is too We'll known 10 be ignored
The great caravauseries OF the sea, those NAM
moth floating hotels also have their troubles When
q comes 10 the souvenir hunter for on his first trip
"a F71,roDe he IS met in MS most aggravated type
Peorle who would scorn 10 take silver and linen
from hotels their own country seem 10 cosloer
fore5a, hotels and ocean steamers their legitimate
prey. and the customs officials could tell-lf they
--ar+a5 to-gf many a so-caIled souvenir tucked
a7av IN the corners Of steamer trunks II is really
1a,,p+abje sometimes to see what sort Of things
-,sonle viii take The coarsest of earthenware, If
. t,eare the crest or name Of some European hotel
Is uroudy displayed. while as for small silver, menu
cards frndles of stationery 'insinuated" from the
writing rooms of hotels all over Europe, napkins
marked IN red cotton with the name or ile
hotel glasses in which are blown the coat-of-arms
or the insignia the steamers, match safes. blot
ting pads stamped with the names OF hotels-theY
are staple articles On which the tourist laws his
or her hands one girl coming home from London
proudly displayed a pair Of brass finger bowls
which her escort had -swiped' as she termed #,
from a smart London restaurant Another bore
tiny silver sr5hynx which had been unscrewed from
c silver coulpote Of fruit and another bore her
mascot a huge inBstand into which she had seen
Joseph Chamberlain dip his pen.