Light-Fingered Guests Will Get Their Due: A Vacation In Rio

Who says crime doesn’t pay? To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts is offering guests the chance to win a trip for two to Rio de Janeiro - if they confess to pocketing a “souvenir” from any of the chain’s properties over the last half century.

It can be anything from the usual ashtrays and towels to one of the more grandiose items that have been lifted - which include patio furniture and an imposing poolside tiki. You don’t have to return the loot, but you must send a photo and describe how you carried it away.

Won’t potential entrants fear reprisals? “We’re making it clear this is being done tongue-in-cheek,” said Scott Boone, vice president of sales and marketing for the Americas.

“We understand human nature, that people have a tendency to take things like matchbook covers or ashtrays as a token of their stay, and this was an opportunity to have a little fun with a promotion.”

He said the chain doesn’t expect to get back any large or costly items like the tiki. “I’m just hoping,” Boone said, “that no one is going to charge us 50 years of storage for the thing.”

For information, write Inter-Continental Souvenir Sweepstakes, Suite 2120, 380 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y. 10168.