Originally Posted by
satman40
Glass bottles and laptops do not belong together, your mistake,
Was the damage caused by the fall or the water,
The hotel might have dropped the bag, but the items need to be properly packed,
My camera and lenses are protected by additional covers, as well as my laptop.
No way is a water bottle going near my bags.
Bags are always being moved, or bumped into.
The OP stated that both the fall and the water were contributing factors.
I spilled a bottle of water on my Mac Book Air keyboard last year, which made it unusable. I was prepared to write it off, but decided to let my computer repair guy have a look first. Much to my surprise, he quoted me a mere $100 (I'm guessing Apple itself would have charged much more). I accepted, and now that computer works like a charm.
If the OP's laptop could be repaired for $100, I'm guessing the hotel would jump at the chance, but it appears that the drop itself caused damage that put it into the "total loss" category.
IMO, it's unreasonable to compel the hotel to reimburse the OP for a new laptop, simply because depreciation schedules are typically 5 years or less (i.e. from the moment we start using them, they lose value rapidly). On the other hand, the OP clearly needs a working computer in order to perform his job functions, rather than a check that covers 40% of the cost of a new computer. As such, I'm thinking there is probably a middle ground solution that would work for both parties. For example, the OP's computer might have cost $1000 two years ago, but these days $600 computers are on par with --if not better than-- $1000 computers from 2017.