What items can you take from a hotel for free? British etiquette expert weighs in

Unmade bed with crumpled bed sheet and pillows. Photo / 123RF

The line between what a hotel guest can freely take, what they must purchase and what is outright stealing, can be a blurry one.

Especially because many hotel brands move away from cheap or single-use items you could typically take without question (such as small shampoo bottles or plastic water bottles), towards more-expensive, sustainable options.

Fortunately, an expert has waded into the debate.

British etiquette coach William Hanson recently shared a video stating what is okay to take home from a hotel and what you should leave behind.

Those who love the hotel’s fancy ceramic mug or fluffy white robe will have to leave it behind, but small toiletry products are up for grabs, according to Hanson, who has almost 3 million followers across Instagram and TikTok.

@williamhansonetiquette

And definitely NOT the kettle #hotels #etiquette #williamhanson @qe2dubai

♬ hotel r a s p u t i n service - veggibeats

In the TikTok video, Hanson sits in a hotel room in Dubai and lists what guests could take home.

“Basically, anything small like the dental kit, the shaving kit, any miniatures of shampoo or body wash, that’s absolutely fine,” he said.

An item many guests may leave behind but are free to take, according to Hanson, is the slippers.

“Fine to take home,” he said, adding: “Indeed, these say ‘love me, use me, take me home’. Words to live by.”

Items on Hanson’s “do not take” list included dinnerware such as cups, saucers, glasses and mugs, and linens such as pillows and robes.

Hanson advised guests to leave these items in the room. “Stealing is not good etiquette,” he joked.

In the comments section, people shared their own rules when it came to what to take or leave.

“Anything that they would have to replace for the next guest anyway, that’s my rule. Did I drink all this tea? No, but I could have,” one person commented.

Some admitted a far more audacious approach.

“If it’s not attached to a wall, I’m taking it home,” one person suggested.

“I take anything I can fit in the [suit]case tbh. I feel like I’ve already paid for it so,” another added.

One person, who used to work in a hotel, said they saw people take light bulbs.

However, another said these people would pay for it eventually.

“Most hotels inventory check everything after you check out now and will simply bill your card for whatever you take,” they wrote.

Hanson works fulltime in the etiquette industry as a director of The English Manner, which provides in-person and online etiquette training.