Indian travellers third most likely to nick hotel items: study

Indians have ranked third in the list of nationalities that nick items from a hotel room as 38 per cent of them confessed they have stolen from a hotel, according to a new global survey.

The survey by an online accommodation booking service found that 35 per cent of global travellers steal hotel amenities such as a plush robe, gourmet coffee and luxury bedding.

Holidaymakers from Columbia are most likely to steal from their hotel, the survey found, with 57 per cent confessing to having done so at some point, followed by those from Mexico (40 per cent) and India (38 per cent).

Magazines and books emerged as the most commonly taken items.

A majority of hotel guests globally (65 per cent) said they've never pilfered an item from a hotel room but Danish travellers come out on top as exceptionally honest with 88 per cent saying they've never pocketed a hotel amenity.

Around 34 per cent of travellers from US and China have stolen items from a hotel room, the survey by Hotels.Com found.

Linens or towels were the items most pocketed by guests from US, Sweden, Italy, Hong Kong, Canada, Norway and Ireland but Chinese preferred to take furnishings including lamp, clock or artwork with them.

Twenty-six per cent of travellers from UK also admitted to stealing from the hotels they have stayed in.

The survey was conducted in January 2013, using a weighted average based on a sample size of more than 8,600 respondents across 28 countries.