Hilton HHonors - Hilton Paddington - Multiple Thefts

Be forewarned. My wife and I checked out this morning after a three night stay at this property. On Sunday 30-APR afternoon (most likely between 2pm and 6pm), upwards of six individual rooms were broken into. There were no signs of forced entry. The consistent theme of all of the thefts were that laptops, digital cameras and mobile phones were taken, everything else was ignored. We know this because we spoke to several of the other victims in the hotel lobby. We lost a laptop and a mobile phone.

The worst part is not the theft. While that sucks, there will always be criminals. I'm out quite a bit of work and a few irreplaceable items, but there is nothing I can do about that. The worst part was the conduct of the front desk hotel staff (from the Duty Manager to the people working behind the front desk). When I have more time I will document the entire chronology, but suffice it say that we came away amazed at the complete and utter lack of customer care. Not one person said "we're sorry". How about a note from the manager? How about a "can we buy you a drink?" It certainly didn't feel right that we were walking, alone, to the Paddington Police station at 10pm on Sunday night (after waiting nearly 4 hours, and chasing people for status) on our last night in London. It doesn't matter that I'm a Diamond member, I expected a little bit of consideration as somebody who just got robbed on their property and got absolutely none.

You should consider your alternatives when staying London, not because this incident is necessarily indicative of their overall safety procedures (one should certainly question those) but rather their actions (or I should say complete inaction) afterwards.

Probably an insider at work. How would they otherwise had an access to the rooms where they know valuables would be?

Probably an insider at work. How would they otherwise had an access to the rooms where they know valuables would be?

They were definitely professionals. The on-site folks logged the card swipe info, etc. but I expect that while that might come up with some leads, it will do nothing to get my property back (particularly since we are now back in the US).

Again, I am simply very, *very* frustrated with the conduct of the hotel after we reported the theft. You'd never know they were in the customer service business. Absolutely horrible conduct. They need a complete "do over." I would consider alternative locations when staying in London.

Again, I am simply very, *very* frustrated with the conduct of the hotel after we reported the robbery. You'd never know they were in the customer service business. Absolutely horrible conduct. They need a complete "do over."

I had a similar accident in the US where several cars were burglarized on the hotel parking lot. The hotel was not prepared at all to deal with the issue.

I was last checked out there 4/18 and had two laptops and cell phones, so it could have easily been me added to the fact I often leave my laptop exposed in the room of hotels.

I have stayed at this property 6 or 7 times and have always felt the service/staff left something to be desired.
Its best attribute being the convenience to Paddington Tube station and the HEX.

Sorry about your loss its a real hasstle losing a laptop.

mike

I was last checked out there 4/18 and had two laptops and cell phones, so it could have easily been me added to the fact I often leave my laptop exposed in the room of hotels.

I have stayed at this property 6 or 7 times and have always felt the service/staff left something to be desired.
Its best attribute being the convenience to Paddington Tube station and the HEX.

Sorry about your loss its a real hasstle losing a laptop.

mike
When I stayed there, I was NOT pleased with the front desk staff.

I was last checked out there 4/18 and had two laptops and cell phones, so it could have easily been me added to the fact I often leave my laptop exposed in the room of hotels.

I have stayed at this property 6 or 7 times and have always felt the service/staff left something to be desired.
Its best attribute being the convenience to Paddington Tube station and the HEX.

Sorry about your loss its a real hasstle losing a laptop.

mike

I agree as well. I have had good service when checking in at the little desk for Diamonds across from the front desk but overall there is definitely something to be desired with the staff here in particular the front desk. The hotel conviences outweigh the negatives...well unless I get my laptop stolen.

I think how hotel management handles these types of issues though really would make a differerence in how I make stay decissions in the future. I had a bad experience with the Hampton Inn management in Baltimore so I understand how bad management can make a difference.

Oh man, really sorry to hear about your stolen items. I travel to London often for work and will think twice about staying in the Paddington now.

I will take your message as a warning to be more careful myself with my belongings. I think I'll also send a note to the Hilton corporate to inquire about their security measures at the Paddington, and to let them know that word has gotten out about the unsatisfactory service at that hotel.

That's an appalling experience you described, and I strongly sympathise. Especially together with the four hours wasted following it up, and then a visit to Paddington Police Station.

.... We lost a laptop and a mobile phone....


I, too, am always worried about things in the room. When there's a room safe, I sometimes put a laptop & camera in that, but some of those room safes aren't big enough to take a laptop. Sometimes I end up taking my laptop bag with me - everywhere - and it's really heavy, and in the way. I'm just paranoid about losing it - especially if it has client data on it.

Does the Paddington Hilton have room safes big enough for a laptop? And did the thieves get access to any of the safes, or are room safes generally secure against this sort of thing?

regards, Talisman

have been staying at the Paddington a bit recently and would agree the standard of customer care there is an absolute disgrace. I have only once been upgraded to an Executive room (nicer rooms with a seperate shower) and on other occasions been given a "deluxe" room which seems fairly ordinary.

The lounge offering is extremely weak (I have been allowed lounge access when not in one of the alleged 15 Exec rooms in this property). Whilst the food and drink selection is good, it is served in what can only be described as a large walk in closet. They seem to have converted one of their smallest rooms into the "temporary" lounge (which does not seem to be so temporary).

I have some extreme issues with the general manager of this property (after a very bad experience at the Euston Hilton which he also manages) so the complete lack of customer care really does not surprise me. Whilst the hotel is fairly conveniently located, unless an unusaully good rate is available, I would always take the Hilton Metropole a few minutes walk down the road in preference. Customer service at the Metropole might leave something to be desired, but they seem to try a tiny bit harder.

The front desk staff at the Paddington are some of the worst I have ever encountered in any UK Hilton. This is a shame because all the basics are good with this property, if only it were well managed it could be sooo much better :(

The OP should have insisted the police attend the hotel and deal with this matter properly, they would have been able to take fingerprints etc. That said unless you are driving too fast it is difficult to get the British Police to take interest in anything.

Sorry to hear about all this.

Weren't they just approved for a casino license ? This Hotel was just sold to Hilton International (HI also purchased Hilton Honors Worldwide). It seems they have a huge commitment with this property.I'd contact an exec at HI and tell them of your concern.

That's an appalling experience you described, and I strongly sympathise.

. . .

Does the Paddington Hilton have room safes big enough for a laptop? And did the thieves get access to any of the safes, or are room safes generally secure against this sort of thing?


The room safes aren't big enough for my laptop, but even if they were, I highly doubt I would have stuck it in there.

They did not (apparently) hit any of the individual room safes. They were in/out like a flash, and did not go through any of our belongings (except they did go through the desk in a hurry it appears).

I did get a call from the hotel security manager (only after, of course, calling myself) but there was no update.

Does anyone have experience with in room hotel thefts? What should we expect the hotel (through the insurance carrier) to do? What is appropriate compensation? I refused to pay the bill on check-out (I nearly fell on the floor when they unbelievably presented it to me). Will talking to Hilton International do anything? Worthwhile dropping a note to the Diamond desk?

TIA for all the advice --

TMK, in my experience, Hilton and its properties seem to remain very calm and disinterested in this kind of thing. I have not had items stolen, but I did have an experience in Buenos Aires a couple of years ago where the Hilton was the ONLY place I'd used my VISA card in over a year (special offer) and a large unauthorized charge (over £2000 / $3680) was made.

I cancelled my card, reported to Hilton and the Bs As Hilton, no interest whatsoever was displayed. The Manager at Bs As basically asked me what the probelm was, until I told him that if this was an inside job (where else could it have happened! :p ) this individual was probably also stealing from / defrauding the hotel. I did detect an uptick of interest when I mentioned this possibility. :rolleyes: )

But this seems to be pretty much the same at any hotel - I have known people who had thefts in Starwood an dother properties as well, same (non)response. Perhaps they feel if they offer any assistance or make an apology they are implicating themselves?

Mind you, I have enjoyed the Hilton Paddington (location, location... and the Nouveau / Deco style) but have always noted abysmal service - IMO that stems from a rapid turnover of personnel and poor leadership / training. Sorry to hear of you loss - but I would not expect anything from the hotel or its parent.

BTW, if you travel a lot with a laptop you may want to check out a policy from Safeware (http://www.safeware.com/). They have been around a long time.

I don't know if this helps or not but if you purchased any of the stolen items with an AMEX card you might be able to get some reimbursement. I have never used this service but I remember it being mentioned in promo literature and commercials. I am sure there are restrictions like "within 30 days of purchase" and one would have to submit a police report. Sorry that I am not actually providing any true helpful info but I am not at home right now and don't have access to my credit contract that details features like car insurance, extended warranty, etc.

If you were lucky enough to qualify for the replacement costs I am sure it would involve AMEX contacting the Hotel and perhaps even the police department. This would definitely bring the security problem to the attention of Hilton corporate. It would not however bring to their attention the poor manner in which you were treated by the hotel staff. I strongly reccommend writing letters to individuals outside of the managment of Hotel Paddington. A simple note at the bottom indicating a "cc London Times Editorial Desk" might garner you a nice response from someone even if it is a little to late to make you a happy customer. I don't think any newspaper in London would care to print an editorial from an American irritated with the staff at a Hilton but I could be wrong. Just adding the "cc" might be enough to get someone at Hitlon corporate to respond in the way that should have been when the theft occurred.

Good luck. Keep us informed as to anything that transpires. I have never had to send a letter to Hilton about the conduct of staff. Guess I have been very fortunate. However I have had other issues that, when brought to the attention of management, were addressed and rectified to my satisfaction and beyond. (Not so with Hertz, Thrifty, and Budget, but so with Hilton regarding one Hilton Hotel and two Hampton Inns).

I found this on line regarding AMEX and purchase protection. It is in the section regarding the DL Amex but I am sure other versions of the card have the same or similiar. If the number is wrong I would hope that they could direct you to the correct department for your Amex.

The Purchase Protection Plan - at no additional charge

The Purchase Protection Plan provides you with added peace of mind when you use your Delta SkyMiles Credit Card for everyday purchases. Eligible purchases made entirely with the Card are protected against theft or accidental damage for 90 days from the date of purchase-at no additional charge. Coverage is good for up to $1,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per Cardmember account per year. For more information or to file a claim, please call 1-800-322-1277.

The (almost) exact same wording is on line for the HHonors Amex with the same phone number. So perhaps it is the same number no matter which type of Amex you have.

Ouch. Sorry about your loss.

I have a definite "there but for the grace of..." feeling after reading your post. We just stayed at Hilton Paddington Thursday night (April 26) and I left my laptop right out on the desk all evening while we went to a show. I usually will at least hide it if it won't fit in the safe, but that night I was in a hurry. Your story is certainly a wake-up call. Maybe I'll get one of those cables you can use to lock your laptop to the desk.

I thought the hotel was pleasant enough, and certainly convenient, but service was so-so. We had requested non-smoking but were given a smoking room at check-in. It really reeked, so I immediately went back down to the desk to request a different room. They said they only had one other in that category (Jr. Suite, which is what I booked) and I'd have to wait about 20 minutes for it to be cleaned. After an hour, no word. I called the desk and was told there was a maintenance issue being worked and it would be another 10 min. Sure enough, 10 minutes later they brought the new keys up.

However, we soon discovered the "maintenance issue" must have been non-functioning A/C. Never could get the room cool. Luckily we were on a high floor so it wasn't too noisy with the windows open. We left very early in the AM or I would have complained.

I agree the Exec. Lounge is a closet. It offered some fairly good evening food items, though, and Mr. Free101Girl was happy with the free Stella Artois.

Slightly OT but I take it frm some of the comments that the nice basement Executive Lounge is no more?

Slightly OT but I take it frm some of the comments that the nice basement Executive Lounge is no more?

If you mean the "Tower of London Dungeon " lounge :) its no more, its being converted into a casino yet.
The temp lounge which is worse, if thats posssible is on the 5th floor.

mike

sorry to hear about the robbery. make sure that you have protected yourself against ID theft. notify credit reporting..etc. we thought the services at the hilton paddington was ok. the exec lounge was so tiny and so so. hope they improve on it. the location is great.

Sorry for your loss/experience. We had a break in at our home recently (and many, many things were stolen.) I know the feeling of "violation" you must be going through and I am disappointed that the hotel staff was not more helpful or compassionate.

Not to dilute your terrible experience, but unless you were in the room, and there was the use of intimidation (or threat of force, i.e. they had a gun) by another individual, you were not robbed, you were burglarized.

Please, let's not make this out to be worse than it was.

Sorry for your loss/experience. We had a break in at our home recently (and many, many things were stolen.) I know the feeling of "violation" you must be going through and I am disappointed that the hotel staff was not more helpful or compassionate.

Not to dilute your terrible experience, but unless you were in the room, and there was the use of intimidation (or threat of force, i.e. they had a gun) by another individual, you were not robbed, you were burglarized.

Please, let's not make this out to be worse than it was.

Wow... now I remember why I hate lawyers so much. They just have too much compassion. ;) Kidding ... I married one.

Mrs. Uniter is also always quick to point out that (at least in the US) people can be "assaulted" without ever being touched. Threatening people is considered "assault" ... physically touching them is "battery."

... people can be "assaulted" without ever being touched. Threatening people is considered "assault" ... physically touching them is "battery."

And lets not forget that stalactites hold tight to the ceiling while stalagmites stand mighty on their ground. :D One should always be discreet when pointing out discrete differences. :p

Not to dilute your terrible experience, but unless you were in the room, and there was the use of intimidation (or threat of force, i.e. they had a gun) by another individual, you were not robbed, you were burglarized.

Please, let's not make this out to be worse than it was.

First, I never made this out than more than a property crime. If you read my initial post, I said it wasn't the property crime that was most upsetting, it was the way the hotel handled it after the fact. I am most certainly not making it "out to be worse than it was."

However, we'll see what the police investigation turns up -- because a robbery in UK requires that a person: (i) steals immediately before or; (ii) at the time of doing so, and in order to do so, use the force on "any person"; or (iii) puts or seeks to put "any person" in fear of being then and there subjected to force. As a practical matter, use of force or threat of force earlier in the chain (i.e. on another hotel worker to obtain their credentials) would not likely be the kind of case they want to bring; however, technically it is covered by the statute. :p

But yes, you are correct -- perhaps one of the moderators could change the thread title to "MULTIPLE BURGLARIES" instead. I'm sure that will matter to the majority of the other readers. :rolleyes:

As I said at the beginning, the removal of the laptop and the phone are much less of an issue than the hotel conduct after the crime. I'm hopeful that others will learn (or "re-learn") from experience, and question whether they want to stay at the Hilton Paddington.

Thanks for posting. It is good to know about properties where management fails to step up when called. It doesn't really surprise me - service seems to be lacking at many London properties, with the exception of the Extremely High End establishments like Browns, etc.

I agree that "Robbery" is too strong a term. Often times we only have time to glance at the title, and the term "robbery" immediately brought visions of young thugs pointing guns at you and demanding cash (at least that is what it means in the US - I don't think guns are as prevalent in the UK). Not to diminish the anger you should feel, as it is very upsetting when people steal from you.

Good reason to get one of those laptop cable lock/alarms if you travel frequently.

sorry for your loss. after reading this thread, i cancelled a 6 night glon2 award and will book another london hotel.

I agree that "Robbery" is too strong a term. Often times we only have time to glance at the title, and the term "robbery" immediately brought visions....

I can't speak for the poster who pointed out the difference between "robbed" and "burglarized" but I think what he was trying to point out is that, as is often done in American English, the wrong word was used. "Robbery" is not too strong a word it is simply the wrong word. But these two words are misused often by even the most educated of persons. How many cop shows and movies have shown a scene where a character comes home and calls the police to say "hurry, I have been robbed" when in fact they came home to find no criminal present but rather the mess of a burglary?

Now, if you want to get poetic, I would argue that the criminal burlgarized the OP and the management robbed him of right and just action. After all, they (the OP and management) were vis-a-vis during their altercation.

I contacted the hotel last week and was directed to the head of security who assured me that the investigation was continuing and that he would get back in contact with me on Thursday or latest Friday of last week.

What do you think happened? :mad:

I did receive a letter from the GM who expressed "regret" for the missing items (still no "we apologize" or "we're sorry") and referred me to a police report filed as against the incident. I should know, I'm the one who filed it! :confused: No explanation of the future process, the timing for resolution, etc.

Seems like no customer service 101. I'll let people know what the ultimate resolution is.

My heartfelt commiserations TMK. My laptop was stolen from a hotel room while I was out one evening. The perp just barged in while the maid was doing the turndown and dismissed her. Naturally she assumed he was the occupant and left. It was that easy... I was surprised it doesn't happen all the time. I was gutted with the loss of my data. It's the modern equivalent of having your filing cabinet burn down. But I got over it eventually.

The good news is that the cops caught the guy and charged him and have locked him away. ^ (Turns out he did this a lot and sold the laptops etc. to fund a gambling habit. :rolleyes: ) That made me feel a lot better especially since this was in South Africa where I would have understood if the cops said they had better things to do.

Hope you get some satisfaction eventually - either from the cops or the pathetic management at the Paddington Hilton. I'm booked for a (non-refundable) stay next month and I think I'll take printouts of every unflattering FT reference to the hotel staff just in case they give me a hard time. :p

By the way, I stayed at the Paddington Friday night and was able to fit my 15.4" laptop comfortably in the safe. So unless you have a 17" monstrosity (or the safes differ from room to room), this is a reasonable avenue.

Not to dilute your terrible experience, but unless you were in the room, and there was the use of intimidation (or threat of force, i.e. they had a gun) by another individual, you were not robbed, you were burglarized.

Hey, a little dilution from me: since he was in the UK, he was burgled! I know it sounds funny, but they stopped using the term "burglarized" (or burglarised) in the late 18th, early 19th century. :D

Well, that news is shocking. I have only stayed at the Paddington twice. It's no great shakes. The Metropole is better.

I had items stolen in the Hilton Gatwick. They did come by the room and used some kind of electronic machine to determine which cards were used to open the door. They got a readout, looked at one another; one of them said "hmmm" knowingly. They told me "we'll take it from here," and off they went. I still haven't heard what they result of this investigation was. I know I didn't get my things back!

Hey, a little dilution from me: since he was in the UK, he was burgled! I know it sounds funny, but they stopped using the term "burglarized" (or burglarised) in the late 18th, early 19th century. :D

And there was me, a Brit, who thought 'burglarized' was a daft American word made up by the same guy who thought of 'deboarded'...

And there was me, a Brit, who thought 'burglarized' was a daft American word made up by the same guy who thought of 'deboarded'...
More dilution: In his book "Made In America" Bill Bryson makes a fascinating assertion that many terms that we now regard as new-fangled Americanisms are actually words that were common (although some perhaps only in certain UK dialects) at the time the first immigrants arrived from "the old country". They were so anxious to preserve their "heritage" that they hung on to words that were superseded in Britain as the language evolved. Not sure if "burglarised" qualifies. End of diversion. Sorry.

I don't take my laptop anywhere without a security cable. And after having a bunch of professional thiefs steal a dozen or so laptops right off of people's desks, we are now being told to lock them to our desks. I use the PC Guardian with digital lock.

http://www.pcguardian.com/products/notebook_overview.shtml

I'd also encourage people who travel a lot to make sure any sensitive files are password protected so that people don't have access to personal information. I use RoboForm, which is an auto form filler, and it is password protected. This negates the need for me to keep a Word document which lists all my passwords. You certainly don't want a thief to have access to your bank accounts, etc.

So sorry about your loss, TMK. That truly sucks.

As an update, I want you all to know that the Hilton Paddington has billed me for my stay (yes, the very same stay where my laptop was stolen if you were wondering). :mad: While I can understand they would want to push off the investigation (and liability) for my property to their insurance carrier, this absolutely amazes me.

I received a letter from the GM who was going to refund one night's stay in "full settlement" of the matter. I declined his offer and told him I will promptly dispute the charge with Amex. The way I look at it, they have an obligation to provide me a clean, safe, room -- one free from thieves -- in exchange for my obligation to pay (and not to damage things, etc.). Since they obviously didn't provide me a room free from thieves (they used the Hilton key card system to gain entry!), I'm not paying. I find this completely, and utterly unbelievable -- and the worst example of customer service I have ever come across in my life. I will end up disputing the charge, something I have never done before (ever) in my entire life.

My advice, notwithstanding that this is a convenient property -- don't count on them if anything happens and I strongly consider staying somewhere else. They had a the real chance to make right by me; they've blown it. :td:

BTW, I have received more information as to the process and next steps in the investigation from the London Police than I have from Hilton or their claims agent, that certainly says something.

I received a letter from the GM who was going to refund one night's stay in "full settlement" of the matter. I declined his offer and told him I will promptly dispute the charge with Amex. The way I look at it, they have an obligation to provide me a clean, safe, room -- one free from thieves -- in exchange for my obligation to pay (and not to damage things, etc.). Since they obviously didn't provide me a room free from thieves (they used the Hilton key card system to gain entry!), I'm not paying. I find this completely, and utterly unbelievable -- and the worst example of customer service I have ever come across in my life. I will end up disputing the charge, something I have never done before (ever) in my entire life.



Well, my hunch is that your credit card company will not allow you to do this. I've had to dispute a charge once before (purchased a domain hosting service from an ISP that went under the next month) and they ask you a series of questions about why you are disputing the charge. Essentially, what it will boil down to is, did you get what you paid for, i.e. a room to stay in. Since you did I don't think the credit card company will let you dispute the charge. The fact that something was stolen doesn't change that (even though it probably should). Now, I think eventually you may eventually get something from their insurance company to cover the loss of your laptop, but unless the hotel volunteers to not charge you you are out of luck on that front in my view.

Well, my hunch is that your credit card company will not allow you to do this.

I was able to successfully lodge a dispute with my credit card company (Amex). This does not mean (of course) that they have found in my favor, etc.; it just means that they concluded my complaint met the threshold and type of dispute regarding a "billing error" that they need to investigate.

Here's a useful link to the actual text of the Fair Credit Billing Act (as amended by the Truth in Lending Act) on the FTC site: http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcb/fcb.pdf. The operative requirement for a dispute relating to a "billing error" can be found at the bottom of page 4 of this PDF (in Section 161) and reads: "A reflection on a statement of goods or services not accepted by the obligor or his designee or not delivered to the obligor or his designee in accordance with the agreement made at the time of a transaction." I had an expectation of a clean, safe, room (one free from thieves) when I checked-in. They didn't provide that (well they provided a nice, clean, room -- too bad it wasn't free from thieves).

I will let everyone know how this turns out. I am still shaking my head in disbelieve at the short sighted management decision on this one. :mad:

IIRC, liability laws in many countries provide that the hotel is not liable for the loss of guest property unless it is in the "care, custody and control of the hotel, e.g. hotel is liable for guest properties stored in the hotel's safe deposit box, but not for properties stored in the guest room safe." Don't get me wrong, I think the response from the hotel management is totally short-sighted & unacceptable, but legally you might not have a case against them.

[QUOTE=rdchen] IIRC, liability laws in many countries provide that the hotel is not liable for the loss of guest property unless it is in the "care, custody and control of the hotel, e.g. hotel is liable for guest properties stored in the hotel's safe deposit box, but not for properties stored in the guest room safe."

Of course this varies by jurisdiction (regardless of what a hotel places in their terms of stay). For Hilton's in the UK, see: https://www.hilton.co.uk/Reservation/317_BookingTermsAndConditions_Popup.jsp#11333399

particularly Section 12.4.

Just completed a GLONP stay and whilst in the dogbox lounge I witnessed a very distressed new bride filing a report for her stolen engagement ring which she had left on her bedside table. Hilton person taking the report seemed to be showing concern.

I would never leave anything of value in an unattended hotel room that could be picked up and pocketed. I left my laptop with the concierge to store with the held luggage each time I went out (he didnt want too but I ignored his comments) and my mobile, camera were either on my person or in the room safe. The only safety you have in a hotel room is when you are in it and have physically snibbed the door to prevent entry.

The staff at the Paddington are so so but the location is too convenient to make me change.

Sorry for the OPs loss (losing my laptop would kill me, I backup to a memory stick every night) but I would have thought travel insurance would cover the value of the stolen items.

You will hear nothing from the London coppers,

Just completed a GLONP stay and whilst in the dogbox lounge I witnessed a very distressed new bride filing a report for her stolen engagement ring which she had left on her bedside table. ... The only safety you have in a hotel room is when you are in it and have physically snibbed the door to prevent entry.
Jeez, I'm going to be so paranoid when I'm there I will be forced to stay in my room all day with the door "snibbed". :eek: Surely to goodness they can trace the entries with their electronic systems? Even set a trap? What are they thinking?!

BTW Is "snibbed" the technical term? Has a nice ring to it.

[QUOTE=rdchen] IIRC, liability laws in many countries provide that the hotel is not liable for the loss of guest property unless it is in the "care, custody and control of the hotel, e.g. hotel is liable for guest properties stored in the hotel's safe deposit box, but not for properties stored in the guest room safe."

Of course this varies by jurisdiction (regardless of what a hotel places in their terms of stay). For Hilton's in the UK, see: https://www.hilton.co.uk/Reservation/317_BookingTermsAndConditions_Popup.jsp#11333399

particularly Section 12.4.

The hotel does however have a fairly strict duty of care to provide reasonable things, like a reasonable standard of room safety and security. Whilst the Hotel cannot be liable for the contents stolen by say an opportunistic thief exploiting a door left open etc. it can be liable for shortcomings in it's own security. The more incidents that have occurred of a similar nature (unauthorised keycard access) the more this seems a systemic problem (which is the responsibility of the hotel) rather than as a series of opportunistic events.

If a hotel knows it has one or more members of staff who are/may be stealing guest property and chooses to do nothing, then it has little defence when said guests make a claim against the hotel to compensate for the hotels negligence (in strict legal terms) in failing to remedy the problem. Similarly if it was a lock design issue etc. etc.

As an update, I want you all to know that the Hilton Paddington has billed me for my stay (yes, the very same stay where my laptop was stolen if you were wondering). :mad: While I can understand they would want to push off the investigation (and liability) for my property to their insurance carrier, this absolutely amazes me.

I want to report that, upon reflection, the GM at this property has done the right thing with respect to the room charges. While I will still need to work through their insurance carrier for my stolen items, this has never really been the basis for my strongest complaint -- criminals are everywhere, and the theft isn't what really torqued me (but let's make sure they cover the stolen items!). While the process was wrong, the result on the room charge was right, and I want to thank him for this.

maybe someone could highlight this to hilton corporate... it is indeed uncomfortable that there are multiple thefts happening at one accomodation property.

In the UK (although this is of no use for valuable items) one can resort to the Hotel Proprietors Act 1956. This will cover an individual item upto £50, and a maximum limit of £100 per person per stay. Put simply, in most cases an Inn Keeper is liable for the loss/theft/whatever, of items from a room upto these values. You will usually seem some reference to this Act in most UK Hotel Receptions (underneath the we are not liable notice).

In the past I've had items of clothing 'dissappear' and I've used the provisions of this Act to seek recompense; and been successful. However, as I said, above this limit and (without insurance) they adopt a 'tough luck' attitude.

In the UK (although this is of no use for valuable items) one can resort to the Hotel Proprietors Act 1956. This will cover an individual item upto £50, and a maximum limit of £100 per person per stay. Put simply, in most cases an Inn Keeper is liable for the loss/theft/whatever, of items from a room upto these values. You will usually seem some reference to this Act in most UK Hotel Receptions (underneath the we are not liable notice).

In the past I've had items of clothing 'dissappear' and I've used the provisions of this Act to seek recompense; and been successful. However, as I said, above this limit and (without insurance) they adopt a 'tough luck' attitude.


Thanks -- good to know. ^ Every little bit helps!

Be forewarned. My wife and I checked out this morning after a three night stay at this property. On Sunday 30-APR afternoon (most likely between 2pm and 6pm), upwards of six individual rooms were broken into. There were no signs of forced entry. The consistent theme of all of the thefts were that laptops, digital cameras and mobile phones were taken, everything else was ignored. We know this because we spoke to several of the other victims in the hotel lobby. We lost a laptop and a mobile phone.

The worst part is not the theft. While that sucks, there will always be criminals. I'm out quite a bit of work and a few irreplaceable items, but there is nothing I can do about that. The worst part was the conduct of the front desk hotel staff (from the Duty Manager to the people working behind the front desk). When I have more time I will document the entire chronology, but suffice it say that we came away amazed at the complete and utter lack of customer care. Not one person said "we're sorry". How about a note from the manager? How about a "can we buy you a drink?" It certainly didn't feel right that we were walking, alone, to the Paddington Police station at 10pm on Sunday night (after waiting nearly 4 hours, and chasing people for status) on our last night in London. It doesn't matter that I'm a Diamond member, I expected a little bit of consideration as somebody who just got robbed on their property and got absolutely none.

You should consider your alternatives when staying London, not because this incident is necessarily indicative of their overall safety procedures (one should certainly question those) but rather their actions (or I should say complete inaction) afterwards.

I read this story with sadness an embarrasment but sadly, there is a malaise in our Country on "real," crime these day's.