This might seem a little petty but some hotels are now adding washable RFID chips to their towels and robes that are a staple of every hotel room you have ever stayed at.
The tags are from a company called Linen Technology Tracking and are being marketed to hotels as a way to cut down on losses due to the theft of their towels, sheets and robes. In addition it is also giving them a way to monitor their linen inventory for re-ordering purposes.
So far, three hotels — in Honolulu, Miami and Manhattan — are using the chip, said Linen Technology Tracking’s executive vice president, William Serbin. He said the hotels did not want their names used.
Mr. Serbin added that rising cotton prices were a motivation: “A bath towel that might have cost $5 last year could cost $8 or $9 now. High-end hotels want to watch those assets.”
The Honolulu property, which introduced the technology last summer, has reduced theft of its pool towels from 4,000 a month to just 750, saving more than $16,000 a month, Mr. Serbin said.
via New York Times
