Stealing a bathrobe could get you blacklisted

Hoteliers get their own back on deviant guests

By TravelMole on 15 September 2010 in News

Over the years hotels have had to put up with damage and theft by their customers.  Insurance company More Than said some £5 million worth of bathrobes had been taken, 336,000 beds broken and 300,000 television sets destroyed.

According to findings, there have been three million instances of guest-related property damage at British hotels over the past five years, and 80% of guests admitted to having stolen from hotels.

Now hoteliers can get their own back. A new database has been launched in the UK allowing hoteliers to blacklist customers who steal or damage property in their hotel room.

The online database means that anyone in the hospitality industry can run a check against any potential customer before accepting their booking. The system is similar to the system used by credit card companies to find out if they have defaulted on payments.

Up to 10,000 small hotels, B&Bs, holiday letting agencies and campsites are expected to sign up to the subscription-based GuestScan network.

Subscribers are able to check the register for known troublemakers and upload information on new offenders — naming and shaming guests who steal towels, make excessive noise, are abusive towards other guests or don't pay their bills.

The database was conceived by Bristol businessman Neil Campbell after a neighbour who owned a B&B suffered a “visitor from hell”.

GuestScan inform offenders and they may stay blacklisted for between two and four years. Under the Data Protection Act, those placed on the list have a right to appeal.

GuestScan is the first database of its kind to be launched in the UK, although a similar scheme called Guests Behaving Badly was launched in Australia in 2007.

Comments

Chantal de Villiers, South Africa Magaliesburg

Samga Zulu stayed by us on the 26 November 2010, they were very dirty and took no consideration towards the cottages they stayed in. When I presented then with the invoice for the damages, they said that I was mad and throw it back in my face.

They also said that they will get their government friends to close us down. Avoid them, you don’t want to have the bills afterwards of fixing and cleaning up after them.

They broke glass plates and pictures on the walls, they turned the sleeper couches upside down, they left hair in the showers and toilets as well as on the kitchen floors and on the patios. They threw toilet paper on the grass, flower beds and their braai packs and plastic bottles and beer bottles. The used the bedding outside on the grass and just left them their when they went out for the day. It was really disgusting and I don’t recommend any guests house to let them stay there.


I followed upfor a while in regards to getting the money from them and still to this day, the blank down refuse to pay up.

It is really a pitty that one can not load photos on here.

Chantal de Villiers (Co Owner)

Thaba Manzi Ranch South Africa Magaliesburg

7 July, 2011

Roberta Weideman, Paso Robles, California

People who are welcomed onto your property do not realize the time, effort and love you put into making them welcomed.

Some use and abuse and will go to the extent of stealing from you without a second thought.

I have actually had guests come into my guest house, pull down beautiful handmade quilts from the closet and throw them onto the floor for their five month old to play upon.

The problem with that is, they are not rugs but indeed works of art meant for the top of the bed not to be walked upon; however, they have to walk upon them to get from the kitchen to the leather sofa in the living room area.

Then to go through your library of current publications and help themselves to expensive magazines without a sense of "so what?" It is there for the taking apparently.

We have a blackball code here, too.

14 June, 2011


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