I was there, too.

The alarm was an automatic one triggered by the sprinkler system on the second floor above the kitchen area. That came from the driver of the ladder truck. They were still investigating when we went back inside. To the best of my knowledge, sprinkler systems are tripped by heat sensors. Pulling an alarm doesn't automatically trigger the sprinklers. Given the timing and the fact that the kitchen staff had just started prepping for breakfast, I figure it was probably someone firing up a grill or oven and the exhaust system got too hot and triggered the alarm. But that's all just conjecture on my part. I'll ask the staff next week when I get back out here what happened.

I came out of the building through the south stairwell and through the kitchen area. There was already water streaming down through the floor into the bar area when I came through. Going back up, the elevator let out some people on the second floor. It already reaked of wet carpet, etc.

I'm glad I secured a parking spot last night right outside the lobby entrance. It was easy for me to walk outside and park my butt in my car.

BTW, I'm an IT consultant. When alarms are tripped, my priority is clothes, wallet, cell phone and LAPTOP. Everything else is replaceable.

And I sure wouldn't ask the hotel for compensation unless the alarm was deliberately tripped by pranksters. The only complaint I had was that the hotel staff were not in or near the stair wells directing traffic. We had to guess which door on the bottom level led to the outside. Neither was well marked (at least to my groggy recollection) and we wound up going out through the kitchen which I know is not the right way. It would have been good if the staff had been at the bottom of the stairwell directing guests to the proper exit.