Skift Take
This is one hotel amenity you can't outsource to technology.
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- This cute bunny-shaped towel sculpture showed up at the Grand Bahia Principe Coba in the Mayan Rivieria. http://www.flickr.com/photos/87455506@N00/3057710833/in/photolist-5EcyUi-5J5TU1-5NHHEJ-5NHKcN-5QVsBJ-5R9gnw-5Uw17x-5UAncy-5ZXT42-6135pm-61VGrE-62FCsB-68hFS2-68naPU-6cbj3a-6cbjdM-6cbjBH-6cfsiN-6eprWk-6epsbn-6epsbT-6epsck-6epstx-6etzgY-6etzqb-6etA13-6etA3Y-6etA4L-6etA53-6etA5w-6Jyhjt-79WSzC-7epmPJ-7kdEsE-8LgWGH-fhNfHf-fhNggd-fhxZpZ-fhNfYA-9PWuKC-9PWuzh-9PZonA-9PWuWb-bARPeD-96B5UQ-dNjM8s-dW7278-dW71Ma-f2JNRU-f2JP1o-f2uxLF
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- This puppy-shaped towel sculpture was left for a guest at the Allegro Resort in Cozumel, Mexico. http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadianexcerpts/1363389017/in/pool-towelart/
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- This elephant-shaped towel sculpture was also created at the Allegro Resort in Cozumel, Mexico.
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- This photo comes from Flickr user Marc Ricks. He was surprised to find a new towel sculpture each day at his hotel on the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
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- Here’s a strange attempt to create a sitting girl out of towels.
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- This might be the creepiest version of hotel towel art out there.
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- Extra materials were needed to create this gator on a hotel bed at the Marsa Shagra Village Hotel in Egypt.
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- Look, the real rebels take the towel sculptures out of their hotels!
Apps may soon replace hotel phones, walls may be turned into screens, and room service may be delivered by a robot. But it will be very difficult to take the human touch out of hotel towel art.
Towel art, also referred to as towel sculptures or towel origami, are left for hotel guests by housekeepers. The most popular kind of towel art is animals including elephants, swans, puppies, and rabbits.
The trend is most common at resorts in major vacation destinations and onboard cruise ships.
It has an impact into even the most jaded of travelers; even travel blogger Johnny Jet remembers the towel animal he found wearing his sunglasses when he came in.
The pleasant surprise might increase the likelihood of guests’ leaving a tip, but hotels now have an even better reason to allot housekeeping time to towel origami.
Guests will undoubtedly post a picture and the name of the hotel on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. This generate social media buzz for the property without hotels spending a dollar of marketing spend.
See some examples towel-inspired statuses below, or for more examples, click through the slideshow above:
Towel art-how fabulous is this! The glasses make the finishing touch, thank you cleaning staff at Ibertol II Mercato pic.twitter.com/7pdZ8vfAhO
— Brigit Egan (@Brigitegan) September 26, 2013
When Hotel Room Towel Art Goes Too Far… #potentialhitshows pic.twitter.com/GOlL5ahhr7
— Daniel Pearson (@daniel_pearson) August 3, 2013
This has got to be the flyest towel art I've seen in a hotel room #swag pic.twitter.com/881lGKfmrS
— Derek Drouin (@ddrouin10) March 26, 2013
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Tags: arts & culture, room service
Photo credit: A couple wears towel art on their heads in Egypt. FroggedDesigns / Flickr