apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Holy crap. My dad is such a hotel room klepto. He takes all the crappy towels, soaps, tissue boxes, notepads and pens. His new thing now is saving the small glasses from casinos that you get cranberry vodkas in. He presented me with a set of 6 the last time he went to vegas.

Hotel pillows are delicious, but i a horrible honest streak in me and cannot steal anything at all. and I ALWAYS bring a pillow with me on trips. Get made fun of lugging that plush thing all over, but in car trips I always get at least 1 or 2 people begging to use it.

Call me a goodie goodie, but that's theft! No I never took a nicknack, pillow, blanket, or robe from a hotel. At most, I took along something they would toss anyway (open bathgel or used toothbrush). Most of the time, I don't even use the toiletries they provide.

Sorry, you're on your own with that one......

You might as well take it with you - Most often, the toiletries that are left partially or even completely unused in hotel rooms and cruise ships is simply discarded since they are not suitable for reuse with the next guest.

As far as I know, Holland America Line is currently the only major travel services provider that sends unused or partially unused toiletries and other reusable goods to shelters for the homeless.

http://www.hollandamerica.com/news/NewsRelease.action?newsReleaseId=551

I have. Please say 30 Haily Mary's to save my soul.

I have. Please say 30 Hail Mary's to save my soul.

Free shower curtain!

Oh come on. Hotels will rip you off left and right. For $250 a night, the least you can do it take advantage of everything they can give you.
I'm a fan of course taking the shampoos and lotions, but I've definitely been tempted to take a pillow or two!
Best pillows of my life: Holiday Inn Express in Dallas! I should have snagged one.

I'm pretty sure most hotels expect you to use/keep/take the toiletries like shampoo and soap. If you nick a pillow or a robe, I think you're just asking for an extra charge on your credit card.

Um, I think that's called stealing. Yes, I take the little containers of shampoo and stuff. I've almost always opened them, so they would be thrown out otherwise. Generally I don't bother taking what I haven't opened, because if I don't use it at the hotel, I won't use it at home. But maybe once in while I take an extra unopened shampoo - really, they call it complimentary for a reason, and it cost the hotel very little. Maybe not the most honest thing to do, but I can live with myself for the three or four times I mght have done that in my lifetime. I would also take a pen if I needed one, but I always assumed those were meant to be taken as a form of advertising - maybe not? I could be wrong there. But a pillow? Or a robe, or a towel? Tissue boxes? That just seems beyond the pale.

Then again, it's strange how we learn to justify our own dishonesty while remaining shocked at that of others. Maybe some people would be horrified that I wouldn't think twice about taking a pen. I myself was shocked to find out a friend of mine would break the stems off of broccoli so she only had to pay for the crowns. I still find it hard to swallow that particular form of petty theft, even though the actual monetary difference might be no greater than my occasional shampoo or pen.

I must be a goody-two-shoes as well because, seriously? This is an AT post?

I'm with you m.o.i.l.

Ugh...you couldn't pay me to take the shampoos and soaps from a hotel. Most of it is barely worth using - I always bring my own of both.

I tend to take the notepad and pen if that makes anyone feel better - LOL. I was tempted to take a robe once but the fiance talked me out of it.

"If you nick a pillow or a robe, I think you're just asking for an extra charge on your credit card."

You're right, reusable items such as pillows, towels and robes WILL be added to your CC bill - That's stealing.

Coming from a family that worked in the hotel business for years:

Hotels provide the toiletries (shampoo, soap, little personal scrubbie, etc) knowing that you will use/take them. They get them on the SUPER cheap and have them in spades. They are there for you to use, not just to look pretty! It's not stealing.

Robes and pillows and glasses on the other hand . . . that's a no-no, and many hotels will now charge you for any of these items removed from the room.

Maybe I'm odd, but I like MY pillow and robe the best. Not some starched up hotel version. My robe is super soft and nice and long . . hotel robes are often entirely too short for me. (though, being 6'1 . . that's not surprising!)

So take the fun soaps and shampoo!! Leave the rest. :)

I hear the first step is admitting you have a problem.

I take the fancy soaps and shampoos. But... its worse than that. I bring my own regular stuff from home and use them on my trip. Each day, I take the brand new ones and stuff them in my shaving kit unused. So for a two night trip, I leave with two sets. Not as bad as stealing a pillow though.

Generally any place I have stayed at has prices listed for the bathrobes, towels, slippers and other non-toiletry or notepad item you might take and they WILL charge you for them if they are not in the room. Even after you've checked out, they have your credit card and they can and will charge you for it.

That being said, I am pretty sure they want you to take the pens paper and toiletries emblazoned with their logos so that you will continue to think about them after your stay and will use them again. Its like those notepads you get from realtors or pens with the names of pharmaceuticals on them. They want you to take them, and I do.

So, if you post about it stealing suddenly becomes cool?

Who knew?

BTW, consumeables are there for you to use or take home.

Pillows, rugs, towels, and bathrobes...makes you a thief.

Wait, pillows??!?

Shampoo and toiletries are meant to be taken. They won't reuse them. But taking anything else is theft. You know the room rate, it doesn't include leaving with the bedding! Presumably the hotel will note the "loss" and charge your card. That's one of the reasons they take an imprint. This post kind of shocks me. I expect more of AT.

Ditto was bepsf said. Having worked in the hotel industry for a few years, I know for a fact that if you remove something like a pillow, robe, towel, shower curtain (!! Who takes that?), you get charged for it. At least at any hotel I've ever worked at. Those items are NOT complimentary. Shampoos and lotions are yours to take, as are things like coffee, tea and sugar packages, notepads, and pens.

A post about pillow-stealing? Really?

I'm surprised this has to even be pointed out, but it's. Not. OK. Toiletries are complimentary and they expect you to take them. Towels, robes, bedding, etc. are hotel property. It's theft, plain and simple. If they don't charge you for taking them, then the hotel eats the costs, which means higher rates for the rest of us.

What's next? A post about 'taste-testing' food at the grocery store?

I am on team "wow, that's stealing." Maybe this post was just a plot by the hotel police who will now be knocking on the doors of those who have confessed and demanding the return of the loot?

Surely AT is not condoning stealing stuff. How would you like it if I stole your pillows after you were kind enough to host me for a night?

Wow, there's some pearl-clutching in this post.

This post makes me so sad...
We have a family friend who gave up the hotel business (in the tourist-packed Niagara area!) because of the high rate of thefts! It's amazing what people take- pillows, towels, and the like were disappearing, yes, but so were TVs and lamps.. anything that could be thrown into a suitcase, basically. :(

OMG!! I have the very same Hotel St. Paul's Lavande Cologne! The same one as in the photo! It's on my nightstand, and I love it to death! Does anyone know who makes it? I will be running out of it soon! Such a cool hotel too.

So yes, the answer is "yes" except that i draw the line at anything too large to fit into my toiletries bag.

Not only will they charge you for the item taken, but it is always more expensive than if you were to just buy one exactly like it. Just like their bottled water and other snacks.

Now, I have taken a throw blanket from an airline. I know. That sounds gross. But South African Airways (and British Airways) used to have warm and pretty thick woven throw blankets that had lovely subtle patterns and were individually sealed. The final 9 hours of my trip home were on Delta and I couldn't bear to use their blanket...assuming I even got one. But I asked and got permission before taking it. I still take the blanket on trips with me.

shower curtain!??? that's terrible!!

Whoah trigger! Some high horses being trotted out today!

Ditto what some have said above- I take everything consumable and non-reusable. I, personally, would never take the linens and other stuff like tissue boxes, but whoever said they will simply tack that onto your CC bill is right. In fact, I've even stayed in hotels recently that had a price tag right on the robe- you take it, you now know what you're gonna pay for it!

I'm confused - if you people are putting pillows in your suitcases, what are you doing with your clothes? Or do you bring spare suitcases for the heist?

What happened to all the comments? Its a bit strange that they disappeared, and a bit irking.

I have "borrowed" a couple of things from hotels. Though it was accidental, I felt bad about it. I found a washcloth and towel in my bag and felt like a thief. I don't think I could take a pillow without feeling like I was in some sort of "Ocean's 11" type heist.

My parents owned a hotel and stuff went missing all the time.

I have no idea how that room service tray from that LA hotel I was at a few months back found its way into my suitcase. Mystery...

1. Instead of taking the bath robes from the hotel why not go classy? Go to Frette and sneak one of the nice new bathrobes into your bag and walk out without paying?

2. Next time you think of taking a towel from a hotel just think how many unatractive persons have wiped that towel just all over evey single nook and crany of their bodies ...

OK - now I am grossing myself out - next trip I am bringing my own towels!

Wow stealing robes, shower curtains and pillows? What next the aeron chair?

I think hotels should stop leaving toiletries in the rooms its so wasteful and all the plastic! They can provide them on an as need basis if you absolutely need them. I always bring my own and I think the only thing I have every taken was the plastic laundry bag to put a wet bathing suit in.

the little toiletries are adorable and snagging a couple is a great american tradition in addition to being the entire point of setting them out. they're cheap for the hotel and a fun novelty for you.

but, and forgive me if this is "pearl-clutching," i think yall should stay klassy and buy your own damn robes and (ew) pillows! sheesh.

Do you take the seat cushions from an airplane and the silverware from the restaurant too? Consumables, one thing - permanent fixtures - UH NO!

After a few martinis I once stole a huge bottle of lotion from a Ritz-Carlton in Florida. It was in the Women's Lounge on the vanity counter and I liked the smell so much that I just tucked the whole giant thing on my (luckily) huge purse. Ritz-Carlton shouldn't feel robbed though - I'm so addicted to the scent that I regularly order more from their website.

Yeah, I'm really not ok with this. In fact, if a friend told me they did this, I'd be uncomfortable.

The shampoos are meant to be taken because they're not going to reuse them. By stealing larger items, either you'll get charged, or room rates will go up for everyone.

Even when I really wanted to steal something from a hotel like the time the Excalibur screwed me out of $11 refusing to pay my slot machine ticket because their system showed it had already been paid (how did I get ahold of it then?), I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I just make a point to tell the story of how the Excalibur Las Vegas screwed me whenever I get the chance so that they not only lose my business but maybe others. You'd think paying out the money (since it was mine) would have been the right thing to do, at least for PR reasons.

I don't take anything from hotels.

I always take the shampoo/conditioner/sewing kit even if I don't use it. (I actually assumed those things are built into the room rates at some level. Is anything really complimentary?). Anyway, we now have a lovely collection in our guest bathroom, and they are all carry-on friendly to boot.

I usually don't even use the toiletries, although I *do* have a partially used mini-Molton Brown cream from a hotel in Sweden that we went to last summer. Really, that is it. I just can't imagine that people would think it would be okay to take a towel, much less anything else. Theft is theft, and it is not cool. Jeesh. It's not civilized to steal from a anywhere you are a guest, paying or not.

I just take the toilettries. After a recent stay at the W, I did come home with several bottles of their lemon-sage bliss lotion and soap, and shampoo..yes, the conditioner and body gel too. It's just too good not to stock up on! Of course those are there for the taking..like bread on your table at a restaurant. I tend to leave the table cloth at dinner on the table.. that would just be tacky to pack that into my bag!

'Borrowing' something with not intention of returning it isn't borrowing, it's stealing. Things like shampoo are consumable, and are provided with the intent that you use them or keep them. I am uncomfortable that a site like this one would promote and condone this.

Well, I would never steal anything they could trace back and charge me for! That's just shopping! At an overpriced Goodwill Store! They are, arguably, the most used items around! My pillows at home have way less mileage!

That said, I have an adorable little chrome bread basket I swiped from a discarded room service tray. On the floor. In the hall. Nowhere near my room.

I feel a little guilty every time I use it. Until I think of the $23 scrambled eggs I ordered from said hotel. When it comes down to it, that basket probably costs the same amount as the two-in-one shampoo.

Not that I'm justifying stealing. Cuz it is, certainly.

So THIS is why the pictures in hotel rooms are screwed to the walls. I will clutch my pearls in honour of my ethics, thank you.

I am sure that the "that's stealing group" has made their point so I won't say it again, but the bigger issue is that even if I wanted a pillow or a bedspread I don't think I could get over the gross out factor. I mean I put up with sleeping on them for a few nights but I would never bring one of those bedbug traps into my home! Haven't you ever watched those hotel expose shows on Dateline?! That black light reveals an awful lot.
Also if you really like the pillows or the beds you can actually go on some of the nicer hotel's websites and order brand new copies of them.

I remember the scene as if it were yesterday...
...it was the morning of disembarcation from an 11-day cruise:

Older lady struggles down to the gangway w/ a very large and weighty suitcase and the security officer swipes her card. Upon seeing her name and an alert on the computer screen, he pulls her aside and asks her to open her luggage...

Out come stacks of Rosenthal china, glassware, silverware, teapots, coffee pots, bud vases, linen napkins, plate covers, etc. - enough to host a large dinner party, and all from the room service trays!

Soaps and Shampoos. I once took a wooden hanger (before they changed to the new circle hook type), but that was by accident.

I take only every single sample that is offered to me in the bathroom. Maybe some Earl Gray tea bags from the coffee bar; that's it tho.

I travel with my own pillow and robe. If it made sense, I'd bring my own sheets and towels, too. I can't understand why anyone would want to take those home!

I always take home the toilettries (one set for each day spent there). I have a deep drawer in my guest bathroom full of the stuff and anytime people stay over, they come in handy.

ps - what's wrong with taste-testing at the grocery store?

Hah!
Yes, bepsf, a slippery slope, indeed.

I blame my situation entirely on the extraordinary amount of gin I consumed that night. Again, no excuse.

I have a basket in my guest bathroom that has all of the wonderful shampoo, conditioner, etc that I have taken from my travels. My Mom loves coming to my house and trying all diferent kinds of things. All my friends are now doing this as well.

Now that said I have until very recently traveled a lot for work so it isn't like I am cleaning out the cart in the hall. Although that said I do admit to taking an extra shampoo from a hotel in Phoenix. They had the best stuff!

for those of you who didn't get emmaduck's reference -
it's from the simpsons. "free mouthwash, free shampoo, free shower curtain!"

According to this article, some don't mind guests taking items

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31046570/ns/travel-luxury/

What's worse than your theft is your absolute lack of shame about it.

I can't even wrap my mind around it.

General rule is that if the hotel wouldn't charge you for using up an item in your room, it's complimentary and you can take it home with you (e.g., shampoos, notepads).

Taking anything else is not only immoral but pathetic.

Clarifying an earlier point: Tasting a grape when deciding to buy a bunch isn't terrible, of course. But I've seen people shamelessly opening up packages in the store and chow down, then put the half-consumed item back on the shelf. I guess they figure it's not stealing since they didn't take it out of the store.

I won't comment on the pillows because enough has been said about that. With the toiletry stuff, if it's worth taking and is really great, I do. But most of the time, the stuff is just awful and I don't want to stock up on bad crap. If I stayed in super luxurious hotels where this stuff is much better, I might take more. But living in a small nyc apt, there is no guest bathroom for guests to linger over cute little hotel bottles and soaps—maybe one day when I'm in a house. That said, the Kimpton hotel group has some of the best robes out there. I loved it so much, that my husband bought me one for one of my bdays from their website.

Jeez - like I need more stuff in my house/life.

My rule for travel is to not bring home any more than I packed. Hotelwise - if they've got aveda toiletries...sure I'll take them but the rest of the stuff...meh.

Well, I can honestly say that I have never taken anything from the many hotels I've stayed in, except for the toiletries.

Some get used for guests visiting our home. The others get donated to the local homeless shelters. You'd be amazed at what a difference such a small thing makes.

my favorite bathrobe came from the ritz carlton in st. louis... my theory is that since i wasn't a guest, i really wasn't stealing after all. ditto for my votive holders from the sofitel in chicago (they retail for $60!).

also, i have some ground rules about theft: one, i never steal from my someone i know; and two, if its not something for sale, then i'm not really stealing it, am i?

@JulesH

If you weren't a guest at those hotels - how did you get them? Were you the hired help - or did you break in to steal this stuff too?

I also had a car stereo that was not for sale, and I didn't know the person who broke into my car to take it - but it was most definitely stolen...

Oh, JulesH, you said a mouthful.
Prepare for the wrath. ;)

the Westin's line of white tea shampoos and body washes etc ... well they are just devine! I stole the ones that came in my room and a handful off the maid cart. I'm sure they would notice a pillow going missing ... didn't think to ask for an extra one!

bathrobes? Towels? Pillows? Really? There's no way you can gloss over stealing by calling it 'borrowing'.

Shampoos - I hardly ever take because they're not great, but sometimes the creams are good.

My parents load up on the bathroom supplies. We travelled through Japan for 3 weeks when I was a teenager; as a family of four, my parents picked up over 85 toothbrushes, most of them with 'dehydrated' toothpaste on them, and we didn't buy toothbrushes for two years after that. overkill? just a bit.

This post is in very bad taste and I would not be surprised if you lost the interest of some advertisers because of it.

JulesH: Wow. Just wow.

The next time you complain about $300 a night hotel rooms think about your little klepto habit. Toiletries that you've already opened are one thing, and maybe that cute little bottle of Ketchup or Tabasco from your room service tray, but everything else is off limits. And I really, really hope they charge your credit card.

who can find the room to put a pillow in their suitcase, much less a bulky terry robe that is always a couple of sizes too big? i'm also uncomfortable with "borrowing" things plus the fact that others have used them also puts me off. but I have a sister who constantly takes things from both hotels & restaurants, esp. during family celebrations. she calls them mementos & the whole family teases & scolds her about this practice. the last time I visited her, she pulled out little dip dishes & asked if I remembered them from the restaurant where we had our last family dinner. she also takes robes from every hotel which are way too big for her--they always charge her but the company picks up the tab, which i'm sure passes the bill on to consumers. we all pay for it somehow.

Are you guys yanking chains here, or is such a large part of the AT readership REALLY immoral? If is isn't something you paid for and it isn't something you are given permission to take (such as clearly makred "complimentary" soaps) then it's not yours. Period. You have no "right" to take it, and it belongs to someone else from whom you are stealing. You can ask for things you want, you can buy t hem if they are willing to sell them, but just TAKE them? Unreal.

I'm too picky about shampoo, lotion, etc... to steal from hotels. I only use one very specific brand of shampoo and conditioner and I only use one specific brand of lotion. General hotel toiletries are always low-quality in my opinion. My parents love taking things though and, like many people said, they are charged for them.

True, funny story: Humor writer Dave Barry once saw a sign in a hotel bathroom informing guests that they could buy their own set of the hotel's towels in the gift shop...but that if they preferred the towels in their room, the $75 charge would automatically be added to their bill. Simply put, if they stole the hotel's towels they'd still have to pay for them.

Dave found this amusing...and stole the sign. Ha!

I don't swipe things from hotels. My brother has been known to pilfer toiletries, but I prefer to bring my own.

Jesus Christ.

@JulesH "...if its not something for sale, then I'm not really stealing it"

At the very least, you might want to check out the OED's definition of stealing...

Most hotel pillows can be (legally) obtained through Pacific Pillows, http://www.pacificpillows.com , which advertises itself as "Your source for hotel bedding, goose down pillows, feather pillows and hotel pillow collections."

I worked at the Four Seasons when I was in grad school. We most definitely charged guests who walked off with the robes. Guests who racked up a certain number of stays, I think it was 10 or so, got a free monogrammed robe, but they were so big and bulky, they were often left behind and employees could buy them for about $25.

Cool! Can we all share our shop-lifting confessions next?

War, genocide, abused children, rape, drug-resistant staph, Sarah Palin, nuclear testing...

yeah, you know, I just can't muster the moral outrage about a g. d. hotel pillow.

I hope the moralists are heavily involved in alleviating the above-listed crises, and not just posting on a website so they can feel really smug about their superior scruples.

Sigh.

yes Chester Shoeshine I post here to feel morally better about paint colors, identify this sofa that chair and do you like my house. I or no one here cares about the world problems??? so why are you posting here if you are so involved in alleviating the worlds issues? Really since you are so involved with "War, genocide, abused children, rape, drug-resistant staph, Sarah Palin, nuclear testing.."
why do you care if some of use don't choose to take pillows from hotels?

Uh, defensive much? I'm not the one going to great lengths to write "me too" posts about the horrible moral scandal that is a hotel pillow theft. I didn't think it needed excessive explanation, but: I was commenting on the level of outrage (repetitive outrage, at that) about something really random in the scheme of things.

I'm sure you're an incredibly special, thoughtful, exceptionally good person, and perhaps even one of the best people ever, Lori, really! You are, you snowflake, you!

Remember, when internet posters miss an opportunity to clutch their pearls, the terrorists win. So, because I luuuurve America, I'll join in:

BAD SARAH! BAD! YOU MUST REPENT! THIEF! DIRTY THIEF! I BET SHE SMOKES, TOO! OMG! BAN HER FROM ALL PUBLIC SPACES IMMEDIATELY!

I'm not sure how anyone could differentiate between taking a hotel pillow from swiping a friend's pillow. Even if you like the pillow, even if you brought your friend an expensive bottle of wine---how can anyone justify lifting someone from another's place. All this near a post on how to brace for a house sitter or dog sitter, and all the apparently justified worries about people ripping you off!

That's some heated discussion...

On a side note: why don't you ask where the items you like come from ? I do that all the time; in restaurants, I ask for the recipes I like; in hotels, I asked where they got some beautiful glasses.

Once, I asked where they bought some incredibly beautiful huge cocktail glasses. Not only did they answer me, but they told me to keep my glass, with the hotel's crest, as a souvenir. I felt so happy because I had what I wanted, and no guilt.

And I take home some toiletteries. I don't use them, I empty them, then put in some of my own liquid soap and shampoo. It's really practical to go on a week-end.

Come to think of it, a diner I used to love to eat at (still would but I don't live near it now) actually said if you really liked the coffee mug to take it with you - they would even offer to fill it up again for you on your way out.

But I did find out why from someone who was related to the owner - most of the mugs were donated, bought in bulk, or just spare ones people found in cheap yard sales. So it probably cost them less than ten cents apiece, so it wasn't a major loss.

@Chester Shoeshine,

sorry but the argument that petty stealing can't be compared to genocide is patently ridiculous. people can be morally outraged about various things from everyday wrong doings, lack of civility & manners to genocidal crimes. & petty theft does have a huge impact on society--that's why every society in the world has established legal codes to punish offenders. I think you're being morally presumptuous by scolding others about their moral outrage.

Come on everyone.
Let's just get along and agree that we'll never discuss our personal moral-flexibilities ever again! Ever!

@Chester Shoshine: Remember, when internet posters miss an opportunity to deride others for 'clutching their pearls', then the terrorists win.

Here goes: YOU ARE ALL TERRIBLE UPTIGHT JUDGMENTAL PRUDES FOR BELIEVING THAT STEALING IS WRONG! BAD, BAD, BAD COMMENTERS! NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE CONDEMNED FOR ANYTHING UNLESS IT'S GENOCIDE, WAR-MONGERING, ABUSING CHILDREN, RAPE, NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION, USING ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP OR NOT THOROUGHLY VETTING VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES!

Hm, which bandwagon to jump on... I was originally leaning toward the "that's just wrong" camp, but curiosity won out so I'm going with "how DO you smuggle a bulky pillow/bathrobe out in a small suitcase?" Details, please! I promise not to judge :)

I always take the unopened bottles of shampoo, etc. They look very nice in a basket in the bathroom my stay over guests use. I've also bundled them up and given them to my young nieces. They get a kick out of the tiny bottles and miniature bars of soap.

I accidentally stole a hairdryer once. My roommate at a conference left a day earlier than I did and I found a bag with a hairdryer in it in the bathroom. Since the hotel didn't have hairdryers affixed to the wall and I had brought my own, I assumed it was hers. I e-mailed her the next day to tell her I was going to mail it to her.

She responded and told me it was the hotel's.

Oops. It never did show up on my credit card. It isn't a particularly nice one, but I've got it stashed away for the next time mine gives up the ghost.

Sheesh.

1. If I were to take a pillow, the best way would be to probably just walk out with it. No hiding it. A lot of people bring their own pillows to hotels and they all look the same, so whatever.

2. People need to take a deep breath. This is all hypothetical. Calm down and go DIY-yourself.

Newsflash: The internet is serious business.

On another note, I don't recall AT posters being so eager to jump on the "I'm better than you because..." train even a year ago. Y'all are really wearing this schtick thin.

I bet it's the lack of bleached virgin-wood paper towels. Organic will make the crazy, I knew it!

The toiletries are meant to be used up and discarded and can be taken with you. Bathrobes, pillows, glasses, etc. are meant to be reused. To take them is stealing...not borrowing.

I myself generally restrain from taking towels, bathrobes, pillows, etc... if only due to a freakishly hyper-active conscience that would be racked with guilt every time I got out of the shower/laid down my head - I did enjoy this other lovely little article on just this subject though:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31046570/ns/travel-luxury/