History Main / StealingFromTheHotel

** Alluded to in "Nelson's Sparrow," which offhandedly mentions that Gideon was in the habit of putting together bags of hotel soaps, toothpaste, and such and handing them out to homeless people. It's used as a sign that he's recently been traveling, but no one mentions it as having "stolen" said items.

** In the fifth season episode "The Boy Who Knew Too Much", we get this hilarious piece of conversation:

** In one episode in which Homer and Bart became Catholics, Homer is confessing his sins to the priest. One of them is that he stole a TV set from a hotel.

* ''Series/RedDwarf'': In the episode "Justice", a nervous Lister about to be judged for his sins reveals that he used to steal the ''furniture'' from hotel rooms.

A character steals the complimentary items from their hotel room, such as towels, robes, ash trays and unused toiletries. This is usually played for comedy, showing that the character is petty, rude, cheap or without class. It often results when a character is staying at a much nicer room than they can usually afford.

This is sometimes taken to the extreme, where the character takes--or tries to take--everything in sight from the establishment.

This can be related to PokeThePoodle and EvilIsPetty, though it's often not an indication of villainy. Related to StealingFromTheTill.

* ''Film/{{Freaked}}'': When Ricky tells Elijah that he shouldn't have [[MayContainEvil Zykron-24]], Elijah holds up two towels from the Ramada Inn and replies, "I shouldn't have ''these'' either!"

* Cyclist/aspiring con artist Mario Trantino is shown to be a petty thief in his EstablishingCharacterMoment in ''The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight''. He has already shoplifted an issue of ''Playboy'' and an assortment of packs of gum and chocolate bars by the time he checks into his hotel room, after which he promptly empties the bathroom of towels and toiletries, then scoops up the tourist brochures and local restaurant menus and anything else that isn't nailed down.

* In the ''Series/{{MASH}}'' episode, "Snappier Judgment," with Klinger facing court martial for theft, Winchester interviews Father Mulcahy about Klinger's character. In the interview, Father Mulcahy praises Klinger for getting a supply of new bibles, specifically Gideon bibles from a certain hotel. Upon hearing that, Winchester notes that he cannot form a defence on Klinger's obviously stick fingers. To that obvious insinuation, an outraged Mulcahy has one question:

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* ''{{Series}}/BurnNotice'': Played for laughs when Sam and Michael are staying at a hotel as part of a stakeout and Sam starts storing away some of the soap and other similar toiletries. Sam claims that since the hotel restocks them without charging extra, it's a shame not to take advantage.

* Turned UpToEleven in ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'', episode "Kracked Krabs". Mr. Krabs starts [[InsistentTerminology "exaggerating"]] (stealing) from the hotel room, and Spongebob helps him. They steal the toiletries, the furniture, the wall.... They stole the entire room! As a hotel worker inspects their suitcase, the entire room pops out.

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-->'''Charlie''': It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, there's one thing that absolutely everyone does when they come to a hotel. They steal.
-->''*montage of people stealing*''
-->'''Charlie''': Soap, shampoo, teaspoons, ashtrays, bathrobes, lamps, phones, towels, remote controls, toilet seats. ''*someone steals a flatscreen TV*''
-->'''Charlie''': You get people shelling out thousands of pounds a night who will piss in a miniature bottle of whisky if it means getting something for nothing. And the most commonly stolen item from hotel rooms? Yeah, you guessed it. ''*someone steals a Gideon's Bible*''
-->'''Charlie''': But don't feel bad about it. Hotels add 10% to every room rate to cover theft. So help yourself. Take a towel, some soap, an ashtray. You own these items. Whether you know it or not, you've paid for them.
-->''*Rebecca and Charlie corner the actor Les Dennis, who was trying to leave with a set of shower heads*''
-->'''Charlie''': It's okay to steal from hotels. Take what you want. Just don't take the piss.

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[[folder:Stand-up Comedy]]
* Dylan Moran mentions this trope in one of his acts. He says "hotel rooms are the most corrupting places in the world. Where else do you start stealing everything that's not fixed down within minutes of arriving?"
* British comedian Creator/PeterKay used to dread being out on the road with his comic partner, Paddy [=McGuinness=]. Put in a hotel room together, Kay relates that Paddy suffered from hotel room fever - he stole ''everything'', regardless of whether he needed it or not. He would even gain access to empty adjoining rooms to steal things from them, too. Paddy would arrive with one suitcase and leave with four, which had Peter cringing with embarrassment. Both men have since become TV stars, Peter as a comic actor and Paddy as a dating show presenter.
* One Creator/JeffFoxworthy routine has him describe the time he put his entire redneck family up in a swanky hotel; at one point they encounter a housekeeper's cart and clean it out. When one relative is asked what he plans to do with so many shower caps, he replies "[[ConvenienceStoreGiftShopping Christmas presents]]".
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--->'''Principal Skinner:''' You're stealing a table?
--->'''Homer:''' I'm not stealing it. Hotels expect you to take a few things. It's a souvenir!
--->'''Principal Skinner:''' Ah. Is that my necktie you're wearing?
--->'''Homer:''' Souvenir.

** There was an episode where Ross and Chandler were together on a hotel and they decided to do this (in this case because the hotel ripped them off).
** Friends conversation (courtesy of [[http://www.livesinabox.com/friends/season9/919dream.htm here]]):
-->'''Ross:''' No, Chandler, you have to find the line between stealing and taking what the hotel owes you. For example: hair drier, no, no, no, but shampoo and conditioners, yes, yes, yes. (pause) Now, the salt shaker is off-limits, but the salt (he opens the salt shaker and pours the salt into his hand) I wish I'd thought this through.
-->'''Chandler:''' I think I know what you mean though...the lamp is the hotel's, but the bulbs (goes to take the bulb)...oh, you already got that.
-->'''Ross:''' Not my first time in a hotel, my friend.
-->'''Chandler:''' Ok, how about this (picks up the remote control)?
-->'''Ross:''' No, no, no, you can't take the remote control!
-->'''Chandler:''' Yes, but the batteries...
-->(Ross claps his hands)

->Everybody is corrupted by hotel rooms. You can't help it! It's the only place in the world where you walk in and the first thing you do is steal everything before you take your coat off.

->'''Terry''': I know everything that's happening in my hotels.\\
'''Danny''': So I should put the towels back?\\
'''Terry''': No, the towels you can keep.
-->-- ''Film/OceansEleven''

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** Lorelai and her mother Emily stay at a spa resort for a weekend and Emily just loves their robes. When they start to realize that they aren't having any fun due to their strained relationship, Lorelai convinces Emily to steal the hotel bathrobes as a "souvenir". Emily later tries to sneak it back when Lorelai doesn't look.

* ''Series/{{Crashing}}'': Just before they check out, Pete's small-fry agent emerges from their hotel bathroom with an armful of robes and asks him to tell the front desk that they didn't receive any robes. Pete is annoyed that he's stealing them.

* In the ''Series/LawAndOrder'' episode "House Counsel", the detectives discover an important lead when they find stolen items from a hotel the victim's apartment.

* ''Series/{{Crashing}}'': Just before they check out, Pete's small-fry agent emerges from their hotel bathroom with an armfull of robes and asks him to tell the front desk that they didn't receive any robes. Pete is annoyed that he's stealing them.