I'll start by saying that I know nothing about this industry.
I always thought that common items that get stolen from hotel rooms (robes, towels, bed runners, maybe pillows?) had their cost built into the price of the room to avoid all of this? If a lamp gets broken, then an extra charge happens. But for "little" things, I figured it was just a part of the price.
Granted I don't know how much each item would cost. And I don't have any source on this, just something I always assumed was a type of thief defense mechanism.