If one of your favorite parts about staying in a hotel is loading up on all the free towels, you may want to take a pause before stuffing your suitcase next time. A few hotels, which don’t want to be named, have started to use a new washable RFID chip that can be sewn into towels, robes and bedsheets.

One Honolulu hotel says they’ve cut down on their towel theft by a quarter and saved $15,000 since implementing the system. But it’s not just about theft, the RFID chips also let the hotels keep track of their linens in real time, so at any moment they know if they need to order more.

Gee, How Did That Towel End Up in My Suitcase [intransit.blogs.nytimes] (Thanks to Adam!)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.