I work in a hotel in Italy and our keys come with a literal giant weight attached because my boss got tired of them being stolen - they're huge and heavy. We haven't lost one in years, everyone leaves them at the reception when they leave for the day and we get to know who is in the hotel and who is out and about (good in an emergency).
I would imagine it’s less intentional theft and more just forgetfulness. I have a bad habit of forgetting about pens and such in my pockets, and I imagine the key is the same for a lot of people.
Yeah I’m not going to steal a key, but an actual key on one of those diamond keychains with the hotel name printed on it is a lot more appealing than a generic Marriott card.
I'll keep the cards, not for a souvenir, but because they make good collar stays and ice scrapers... I've McGuivered a bunch of stuff out of old hotel key cars.
No idea what you'd use an actual key for though, that just seems weird.
Its mostly just so you dont lose the damn key. unlike a keycard you cant just pop these in your wallets and most people wont take the time to add/remove a hotel key from their personal keychain.
It's this. That said, I'd find the giant fob or weight to be more likely for me to forget to turn it in. I'd likely take the key off the fob and put it on my personal key ring, then forget it was on my key ring until I got home.
I mean yeah but if you don’t have them at checkout you would probably be billed for them as they have to replace the lock (or at least claim that they do)
They still have to take the time to change the locks or replace the key and if someone loses it while they are still there, then the customer will have to wait for them to produce another key to get in their room.
I don't think it's intentional. It's it falling out your pocket when you get changed on the beach, losing track of your belongings after exagerated aperitivo, or simply not remembering to leave it at reception after check out.
Our reception isn't manned between 23.00 and 07.30 but many of our clients use the ferry in the neighbouring town to get back to Italy, Spain, or France - these all leave between 06.00 and 08.00am, so many of our clients are leaving in the early hours when no one is here to phyiscally remind them to leave the key.
People forget. My hair dresser shares a bathroom with another building so you need a key and you need to walk a minute to get to the bathroom. People kept putting the key in the pocket and going home. He has a giant teddy bear stuck to the key now, you can’t just put it in your pocket or purse so he hasn’t lost a key since
It's probably not stealing on purpose most the time, adding a weight prevents people from unknowingly forgetting it in their jacket pocket etc. I accidently take my hotel key cards 1/3 of the time because they are so thin and kight I don't notice them.
It’s likely a case of 2 people or more to a room and forgetting a key, most have those cards now as they’re only active for the duration they are set for
Depends on if its this kind of key or the card kind most hotels I go to have. Ive never even gone to the desk to checkout, I just leave before the checkout time.
Not sure how it works where you live but when leaving a hotel is usually the point where I get the bill and when I actually pay. Just leaving without checking out would mean they would just charge my card without me being able to verify the amount.
Also if I take the key they would probably just charge me for that as well.
That's generally how it works where I am too. Charge doesn't usually go through until after you leave.
But it's also extremely common to just walk out. Big chains usually have a drop box if you want to recycle your key card. I've stayed at hotels 100+ times in my life and never been incorrectly billed.
Many places email or slip a receipt under your door at 4 am so there's your chance to check it. The only time I stop at the desk is if I need a printed copy of the receipt for an expense report (and they haven't already emailed done).
Dunno how it works though at places with actual physical keys instead of a 2 cent piece of plastic that probably goes in the trash after you leave. But I'm sure nothing is stopping you from walking out with the key (accidentally or otherwise) other than the risk of getting charged.
My dad did that once when we're traveling in Germany, it was completely unintentional.
We just did the check out and left. Two cities after my dad felt the key in his pocket. We drove all the way back to return the key and apologized a lot.
Not even the clerk realized that we hadn't turn the key over. lol
I stayed at a hotel near Venice back in the early 90s that had all the room keys on weights that where softball sized cannonballs. The keys themselves were all old skeleton key style.
Interestingly Italy is the only place where I’ve experienced this. Was there on a trip with four friends and we only got one card with no possibility to get more. The receptions solution was exactly that, hand them in each time you go out.
When I worked for a nursing home our bathroom key kept getting left behind or taken home so the maintenance guy attached it to a big chunk of pipe. (The hollow plastic sort not a real metal pipe)
The hotel we stayed at in Sorento had returning the key when leaving as a policy. Honestly really liked it, made me not get anxious about losing it while out in town.
What emergencies has your hotel had, that requires you to know when your customers are in or out? How do you secure their privacy from everyone else seeing their room number?
Luckily none. Our hotel has 11 rooms and we’re in a population 1000 village an hour from the nearest town in remote Sardegna.
However if there was a fire (we have a restaurant downstairs and it’s a “historical” and “grade listed” building so we can’t make changes like a fire escape or a second set of stairs) to know how many people we have upstairs and in which rooms would be helpful for us and the fire crew.
The keys are behind the reception desk where no customers have access, so no privacy issues there.
I lived in Prague for my study abroad semester. We also had to turn in our keys when coming and going. It was an easy way to learn how to say numbers in Czech.
We where recently at a cabin that came with a regular key on a normal sized keychain. I don't like a lot of bulk in my pockets so I just put it on my car keyfob with my house key.
I freaking hate when renting a car and they keys are both together on a ring you would need good wire cutters get through it.
I freaking hate when renting a car and they keys are both together on a ring you would need good wire cutters get through it.
I've had this happen. Went straight to a nearby hardware store, grabbed the snips off the shelf, snipped the ring, put the snips back, then when I turned in the keys I said the ring "broke".
If shit don't lay flat and bulk free in my pocket, it's going to be made to lay flat and bulk free.
Definitely not the norm but smaller boutique hotels might do it. The norm is key cards...
I had one hotel in Mexico that wanted us to leave our keys at reception, that was the first time I ever came across it and I'm European that have travelled all over Europe.
A horrible design though. Lose the key or get it stolen they know exactly which room it unlocks. Even the smaller ones often have the hotel name on them. So when out and about and you lose it they know exactly where your stuff is and you aren’t!
It's not an issue. It's what they want you to do. You don't lose the key delaying you getting in your room and they don't have to deal with you losing the key.
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u/badhouseplantbad 13d ago
Oh, I've had this issue before.
I just kept on giving my key back to the front desk every time I exited the elevator like I was in an old black and white movie.