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But a recent trend targeting hotels across the country hasn't generated any laughs from police.
"Frantic" jokesters are calling guests and employees, informing them of an "emergency" at the hotel, such as a fire or gas leak.
The person is instructed to break a window or activate the sprinkler system — in one case a guest was told to throw the toilet out the window — sometimes causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
Such incidents have been reported in Nebraska, Alabama, Arkansas, California — and now Lancaster County.
Manheim Township police said an Arkansas family staying at Homewood Suites by Hilton on Granite Run Drive fell victim to such a prank Wednesday night.
Police said the family, staying on the second floor, received a call on the hotel phone about 11:30 p.m. informing them they were in danger because of a gas leak in the building.
They were instructed to stuff a wet towel under the door and break a window, which they did. The family soon determined the call was a hoax, police said.
Investigators determined the call came from outside the hotel and went through the hotel switchboard. Police said the male caller asked for a specific room number and was able to identify the occupants by name before the call was transferred.
How the caller obtained the name of the family has not been determined, police said. The family said they did not know the identity of the caller.
Damage to the hotel is estimated at $300.
Similar incidents in other states have resulted in more significant damage.
A hotel in Arkansas sustained $50,000 in damages when a man was convinced to activate the sprinkler system, according to an article in The Baxter Bulletin newspaper in Birmingham, Ala.
In California, a worker activated a sprinkler at the front desk, dousing computers, phones and other electrical equipment causing $20,000 in damage, according to The Tribune newspaper in San Luis Obispo.
In perhaps the most bizarre incident, a man was convinced to drive his truck through the door of a hotel lobby in Nebraska, supposedly to turn off a fire alarm.
Birmingham fire marshal Ed Paulk said investigators believe more than one person is responsible for the calls and could be inspired by Internet sites about phone pranks, according to the Bulletin.
"It's a disturbing trend," Manheim Township police Sgt. Tom Rudzinski said Thursday. "I mean, this goes way beyond a prank. This is dangerous."
Rudzinski encouraged anyone receiving such a call to use a common-sense approach and try to verify the information.
"Be calm, hang up the phone and call the front desk," Rudzinski said. "If you're sensing that something just isn't right, trust your instincts."
E-mail: jtodd@lnpnews.com
