In pictures

Explainer

Five robes a month in a 100-room hotel

Explainer

Four fixes, in the order to try them

In this article

What a lost robe really costs
Four fixes
Choices at the buying stage that help
Budget for it anyway

Short answer: robes go missing because they are the nicest thing in the room that fits in a suitcase. You cut the loss by giving guests a way to buy one, marking the robe clearly as hotel property, and counting stock every week instead of every quarter.

Five robes a month in a 100-room hotel

robes lost in a year

10%

of opening stock, gone

fixes that cut the loss

What a lost robe really costs

A terry robe costs $9.50 to $13.00 FOB. By the time it has been shipped, cleared and embroidered, it has cost you more than any other piece of linen in the room. Losing five a month in a 100-room hotel is 60 robes a year, which is one tenth of your opening stock.

The larger cost is the room that goes out without a robe. Housekeeping notices the gap on the busiest day, when there is no spare.

Four fixes

Four fixes, in the order to try them

Sell the robe

A card on the hanger offers a new one at reception.

Embroider it

A named robe is plainly the hotel's.

Word the card

State the price. Skip the threat.

Count weekly

Loss found in a week can be traced.

1. Sell the robe

Put a card on the hanger: the robe is yours to enjoy during your stay, and a new one is available to buy at reception. Guests who would have packed it now have a polite alternative, and some will pay. See selling robes in the hotel shop.

2. Embroider it

A robe with the hotel name on the chest is harder to walk off with, because it is obviously the hotel's. It also makes the retail robe worth buying as a keepsake. Our monogrammed bathrobe page covers logo sizes and thread colours.

3. Word the card carefully

Avoid threats. "Robes removed from the room will be charged to your account at $X" works when the price is stated and the tone is plain. A vague warning is ignored. A stated price is read as an offer.

4. Count weekly

Loss found within a week can be traced to a floor or a shift. Loss found at the quarterly stock-take cannot. Count robes when you count towels, using the method in how to run a linen count in one afternoon.

Choices at the buying stage that help

Choice	Effect on loss
Hotel name embroidered	Fewer robes taken, more bought
Distinct spa colour or collar	Spa robes stop drifting to rooms
Mid-weight terry instead of heavy velour	Cheaper to replace, still feels generous
A retail version in a box	Gives the guest a legitimate way to own one

Budget for it anyway

No hotel gets robe loss to zero. Plan a 10 percent yearly top-up and order it with your towel reorder so the shade matches. For general loss control, read how to reduce linen loss. To price robes with and without embroidery, send us your quantity.