Hotel towel thieves, beware! It might have a Tracking Chip

The next time you steal a towel from the hotel, remember, you’ve been warned.

Those travel-size towels might seem handy on a day at the beach, but those good old days won’t last. Hotels across the USA have reported that have been missing 5 to 20% of their towels in any given month.

A Miami-based company recently patented a washable Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip. This mini tracking chip can be sewn into towels, robes and bed sheets. It will trigger an alarm if a guest tries to sneak that item out of the hotel premises. According to the New York Times, three hotels in Honolulu, Manhattan and Miami have already introduced this amazing technology.

William Serbin, Executive Vice President of Linen Technology Tracking told the New York Times that high cotton prices have led to costlier towels. This triggered the need for an anti-theft mechanism. He says the technology also helps monitor linen demand and adjust supply accordingly.

Believe it or not, it’s been working well. The Honolulu hotel has saved nearly $15,000 since implementing the tags last summer. Their monthly towel theft numbers is now less than a quarter of what it was before.

Does this mean travelers can hope for cheap hotel rates? Maybe not.

Image credit: Linen Technology Tracking