Have you ever taken something from your hotel room? How about a towel, ashtray, bathrobe, coat hanger, washcloth or pen? Historically, these have been the usual targets of hotel guests, who have simply packed them in their bags without guilt or remorse and then checked out.

But now let’s add to the list with some remarkable objects of desire that are not so easy to fit into luggage — let alone remove from the hotel. A growing number of hotel guests are now exhibiting astonishing levels of ingenuity with their thievery. We’re talking priceless oil paintings, marble fireplaces, grand pianos and not one, but hundreds of television sets from guest rooms.