How much can you snaffle from your hotel room?

Luxury hotels offer a panoply of temptations. 

There's that nice bar of soap, the good smelling shampoo and body lotion, the super comfy slippers. 

You might fancy a sachet of tea for your next camping trip, or perhaps a hot chocolate powder.

But what are you entitled to liberate from your hotel room, and what must stay where it belongs?

Earlier this week I overnighted at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Melbourne and the hotel conveniently provided a list of what it gifts to you, what you can borrow from reception and what you must pay extra for. 

Remember they have all your credit card details so if you've taken a liking to a bedside lamp and half inch it then you will pay in the long run. 

Obviously, the rules vary from hotel chain to hotel chain, but I think the Hyatt list serves as a good guideline to what the big hotels see as "promotional material" and what they do not. 

Under its "To Keep" list the Hyatt includes the likes of bath soap, shampoo and conditioner, body lotion, slippers, toothbrush and the various sewing and nail kits found in most hotel bathrooms. So help yourself to anything you do not use. 

Likewise a coffee sachet or teabag will do no harm, particularly if you have not used any of them during your stay.

Under "To Borrow" the Hyatt lists loan items like phone chargers, yoga mats, cufflinks, even an office chair or a spinning bike. Which is most helpful should you need them.  

But you'll ned to buy most other items if you forget them, or want to take them home, including toiletries, nail clippers, Panadol or sunscreen lotion. 

And you are not encouraged to take items ranging from pens, minor transgression, to TVs, which could end in a likely arrest. 

I like to take any basic toiletries I have not used, things like vanity kits, shampoos etc and donate them to local charities. The recipients of even a small gift might find them a treat. 

Feel free to join me. Just leave the bedside radio/alarm alone.