A very interesting article in the LA Times this morning, especially if you are one of those people who contribute to the 5% monthly loss that hotels/motels experience of their linens:
"A company out of Florida has developed a device to pinpoint the location of every towel, sheet and pillowcase in a hotel.
The Linen Tracker service uses thumb-size radio frequency identification tags, sewn into hotel linen, to keep an accurate linen inventory and determine when a sheet or towel needs to be replaced.
Antennas that read the devices can be placed in hotel laundry rooms and stockrooms to determine how often a towel has been washed and how many sheets and pillowcases are in a stockroom's shelves."
The article goes on to say that there already are other companies who sell hand-held scanners that keep track of inventory, but Linen Tracker makes it possible to read tags from about a 20 foot distance from the antenna.
While the object of the new company is to keep better track of inventory, if a hotel/motel wants to limit its shrinkage it can install antennas near the exit doors and catch linen thieves in the act.
I've never considered stealing towels, washclothes or sheets, but one time I briefly considered how to negotiate with the motel to trade my mattress at home for the one I slept on in their facility. I didn't consider stealing it, but I sure hated to check out and leave after I'd had the best night's sleep in years.
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