KENNECTED

I don't know, since the hotel has not responded here. Possibbly OP and the hotel are the only to know.

Dr. HFH

From a legal perspective, most state theft statutes have a requirement that there must be an intent to permanently deprive the owner of the items stolen.

Cathay Boy

Ouch, so someone can just joyride my car, return it, and it's not theft? Urgh... I need a good lawyer...

Flying Lawyer

This is the law in Germany. To deal with such issues, legislator created sec. 248b of the Criminal Code:

GH83

Yikes. Fortunately the guy in this room was fully clothed. It wasn't until these incidents that I made it a regular practice to bolt/chain the door.

Dr. HFH

As Flying Lawyer pointed out, CB, motor vehicles are usually treated differently. "Unauthorized use" is a crime in many/most U.S. states.

Cathay Boy

I guess it's a matter of law catching up with behaviors. It is such an appalling behavior that no one imagine people doing (hotel cleaning out your belongings before the contract stay is up) that legally it seems to be a gray area.

WilcoRoger

Kind of tricky to do that when you're NOT in your room.

mikeef

Agree. I was referring to the occupant of the room, not the person mistakenly given their key.

Mike

sbierig

I January, I was staying at the Hard Rock in Orlando, FL for business meetings and returned to my room one evening to find everything missing. The previous occupant thought they left something in the room and called hotel security. Security got confused when they came in and just took everything, including what was in the locked safe.

After a 5 minute freak-out and no help from the front desk, the senior guy from security sorted everything out and returned my belongings. He came to my door and handed me my suitcase and was about to leave when I insisted he come in and watch as I confirm that everything was still there. He claimed that my room showed up as vacant in their system but I had my doubts as my keys worked. He apologized sincerely but did not even mention some type of compensation. I would have thought that a hotel manager would have at least contacted me but that never happened. I survived.

erdehoff

Yeesh! The only time this has happened to me was at a London youth hostel (upscale, as youth hostels go) in 1999 -- the housekeepers took all my stuff during the day and put it in a locker to which I was not given the combination until I paid them £10 or so in ransom. I was running late for a film premiere and my dress was in that locker! Seems like a paltry sum now, of course, but when you're a student, that's like three pints.

7Continents

To add some light reading:
SPG property in Europe - my room was given away during my active reservation. Key card didn't work and was given a new one without asking for ID to match the name on the room. Walked into my room and a couple had just finished the throws of passion. I stood there and pointed to my shoes on the floor and asked if they enjoyed themselves on my bed?
SPG property in Europe - on day of checkout but before checkout time, couldn't get into my room. They gave me a new key. Still couldn't get into my room. Manager came up and knocked hard on my door. Housekeeper was in the room with the door locked behind him. Very strange, nothing personal touched or missing.

ysolde

Pardon me, all of you, for skipping over several pages of posts here, but I just wanted to point out how much I agree with this statement. Spot. On. I cannot imagine the feeling, first of disorientation (Wait, is this my room?), then of violation (Someone went through my things, including my private things that I did not want touched by anyone, packed them up and took them out of my room while I was a guest of this hotel? I am a fairly private person. I don't want strangers knowing what kind of birth control I use, what prescriptions I take, what my lingerie looks like. All of those things are kept in bags or other containers, and then placed discreetly in drawers. Heck, I even keep certain wrinkle creams in my 311 bag, instead of on the counter. I know housekeeping could theoretically open up drawers and unzip bags and rifle through stuff, but to know that someone has, for no discernible reason? Total violation.

ysolde

I have told this story elsewhere on FT, but years ago, DH and I had taken separate flights up to Ottawa, and I arrived first, and had checked into our hotel (not a Starwood property, just to be clear). The room was what the hotel deemed a Junior Suite, which meant you entered into a living room area, then, on the left were some sliding doors leading to the bedroom. DH's flight was delayed due to weather in NYC, so I took a quick shower and went to bed, where I waited for him to arrive.

Sometime before midnight, the door to the suite opened, and I heard the heavy tread of a man entering. I figured it was my husband. Suitcase was put down. Coat was taken off and presumably set down on the couch. I heard the sliding door to the bedroom open and lo and behold, a stranger stood before me. I gave a little shout. He looked startled and confused. Fortunately, I was wearing a nightshirt, and he was just a harmless man in town on business.

He went back downstairs, while I called the FD and gave them a piece of my mind. I suspect he did much the same.

3544quebec

Who needs Ashley Madison when Starwood will do the job just as well