Money stolen under baggage storage - what should I do?
 

I'm a long time lurker on this forum. Stayed 2 nights at a GH. Everything went smoothly until about $400 of cash was stolen from my wife's handbag during the 1 hour in their baggage storage room after we checked out. We went straight to the airport from the hotel parking garage and only discovered it en route.

Tried to report it via phone but was redirected to a person at the baggage storage, who claimed they would investigate it and call us back. No one called.

Followed up by sending an email to the hotel's homepage email and their 'Director of Rooms' gave me an opaque response claiming they had reviewed video surveillance and interviewed staff, were unable to find any evidence, and so couldn't compensate for our loss. No apology offered at the end of this explanation, sounds to me like they were felt that I had maligned them so they didn't want to offer an apology.

Very disappointed about this. I have been a SPG plat for several years and this was my first stay on the elite tier offer as I'm considering to switch over. I hadn't even requested for any kind of compensation throughout my contact with them and I've already spent 10x the value of that theft at Hyatt in the last 10 days. I don't even fit the profile of someone who would fabricate the story. I guess they just don't want my business.

Question: I don't want to name the specific property until I am absolutely certain and have heard the full story from their upper management. The property is in Asia. Is there a recommended way for me to reach higher management to reassess the evidence objectively? Anything else I should do?

Thanks!

Who stores a handbag with money in it?

I find your conclusion that it happened at the hotel storage very hard to believe, and if it did happen it's the price to pay for being not very sensible with your money.
You will be able to offer no proof that it happened as you assume it did, so contacting the hotel and getting a response is about it.

What woman normally stores a handbag with left luggage or at a coat check place? What was wife doing while the handbag was out of her sight? Also, if you had a rental car in the hotel's garage (which sounds like it wasn't valet parking since you "went straight to the airport from the hotel parking garage"), why not just put the luggage directly into your locked trunk when you checked out?

In fact, did you try to use your Plat late checkout privileges and just keep the room until you were ready to depart for the airport?

It might help to at least know which country in Asia this was. There are very different attitudes toward theft in this region.

I would doubt that any property anywhere would accept responsibility for valuables, e.g. cash, left in a baggage storage area.

Here, my guess is that you are politely being told that they don't believe you as to the $400.

Water under the bridge for OP, but if there was a reason your wife could not hang onto her handbag for an hour, the cash in it belonged in the hotel safe.

Good Afternoon rkrn,

If you would like to PM me your reservation details I will be happy to follow up with the hotels Management Team.

Thanks!

They're not going to apologize for the same reason you don't admit fault after a car accident, even if you caused it, on advice from your insurance company. Simple evasion of liability. And I would do the same pending absolute proof that my property was to blame.

Sorry, but I am not understanding the chronology here. Why was your luggage in hotel storage for an hour?

That's a good reason for not issuing an apology, but it is safe to empathize without admitting liability. For example, I understand how upsetting it is for the OP's wife to lose cash. That doesn't mean I stole her purse.

Help me out here....just what is "the profile" of someone who would fabricate the story? Let's see what your intentional/unintentional biases are!

Popcorn,please!:D

someone who doesn't really care about 400 bucks.

I have worked in the hotel industry for a very long time and have had numerous claims that money has been stolen or taken from someone room, bag, purse, wallet, etc...


You have to understand this, the amount of people that know that complaining or fabricating stories will get them something for free these days has gotten so out of control. We now have to keep our guard up. Over the last couple years it has gotten so out of control that we now have to over question guests when there is an issue, we've had to become detectives and it really sucks. It not only harms people with legitimate issues but makes customer service that much more difficult.

The maid stole my diamond ring, you need to comp my stay (lets call the cops, no no no no, just comp my stay, no proof of even owning a diamond ring)

a bellman broke my camera, comp my stay ( the bellman didn't even touch their baggage, we track what rooms use the bellman)

my toilet was running all night and I couldn't sleep, give me a free room (engineering checks the toilet, it's not running, everything works fine)

The list goes on and on.

Yes, there are certain times when we screw up and we will do what ever is in our power to make your stay the best it can be. Everything we do at my property is focused on the guest experience. I will do ANYTHING to make a guest happy.

But, The hotel will never apologize unless there is 100% proof that the hotel is at fault. If we know that without a responsible doubt we are at fault we will do whatever we can to fix the situation.

We have cameras in our baggage storage for that very reason. We have notices telling guests not to leave money in there. We have try to document anything and everything.

So I can see why the hotel isn't apologizing...

Interesting post. May I ask which region you worked in? North America? High-end hotel operation? Thanks.

While that may be how lower end hotels manage these situations, Park Hyatts and Ritz Carltons empower their staff to fix the situation promptly.

I recall at the PH SYD the maid accidentally spilt bleach on a guest's fur coat heading to the opera. The head concierge took the guest to David Jones (Department store) and bought whichever fur coat she choose before taking her and her husband to the Sydney Opera House in the hotel car.

That's a bit different than an unsupported assertion that the property is at fault.

You only need to take a spin through FT to see what sorts of petty scams and frauds people who apparently hold decent jobs and can afford to travel are willing to perpetrate in order to save a buck.

And even those who are not fraudsters are quickly to report as theft that which might well have been a careless move on their part, e.g., the cash is lying on the street because they turned their wallet the wrong way briefly.

True. We often have concurrent reservations at 2 different hotels to avoid carrying luggage with us and convenience when doing a side trip. Even then we lock our bags and put valuables in the safe.

If leaving luggage prior to check in or post check out I guarantee there would be no cash, passports and certainly not a handbag!

You may as well leave a wallet with a sign that says 'Rob me.'