Mumbai hotel's unusual trick to stop guests from stealing slippers goes viral: ‘Brilliant idea’

A Mumbai hotel has adopted a unique method to deter slipper theft and the tactic has received widespread recognition online.

Many hotel guests are known to take away amenities from the rooms after their stay so a Mumbai hotel started using a ingenius trick to stop the theft fo slippers provided by them. in a post on X, a user who claimed that a hotel in the city has been employing a smart trick to ensure that nobody can steal the footwear they provide for every guest during their stay.

A Mumbai hotel has introduced mismatched slippers to prevent guests from stealing them. (X/@udupendra)

"This Bombay hotel provides bathroom slippers. But to ensure people don't flick them, they provide mismatched pairs," the user named Thejaswi Udupa said, sharing a photo of a pair of slippers on top of a hotel towel. He did not share the name of the hotel or whether he was a guest at the establishment.

The slippers in the photo he shared were mismatched and of different colours. The user claimed that the hotel's trick ensured that the slippers are only useful for the guests while they are inside the room and not for their personal use outside the hotel premises.

Take a look at the post here:

The post gained over three lakh views and the hotel's trick earned praise across social media. While many labelled the trick as a "genius" and "innovative" solution to a common problem, others claimed that some guests might still take the slippers away.

Social media reacts to trick

"I would totally flick these. They are not totally mismatched. Like totally," joked one user.

"Innovative thinking at its finest! Hospitality meets reverse psychology!" added another user, while one comment read, "If this be true, whoever came up with such a brilliant idea, must be a genius."

A third user wrote, "I wouldn't put it past Indians staying at the hotel colluding to find the person(s) with the matching piece and managing swaps so that everyone gets a matched pair."

Others pitched for more hygenic solutions to the problem. "In hotels worldwide, they provide disposable slippers which can be taken home or discarded after one use. No way I’ll will use these slippers knowing fully well it has been used by the previous occupants."