ElainePDX
Level 2 Member
We just returned from a trip - sadly without my husband's computer and computer bag - and I am considering whether it is appropriate to request compensation from the hotel. Here's what happened:
The Short Version:
My H went into the small, glass-enclosed Business Center located just off the lobby of a hotel, leaving his rolling suitcase and his carry-on computer case just outside its door. He printed our boarding passes, and exited the area to find his case, with all its contents, gone.
Mitigating Circumstances:
He had gone to the lobby earlier, while I packed in the room, to print the passes. Both computers in the Bus Center were in use, but a child sat at one of them playing a game. Rather than ask the child to allow him to use the machine, he decided to do it later.
The door to the Bus Center only opens if you scan your room keycard. It is a heavy door and maneuvering through the door with all your luggage is not easy. Moreover, when he arrived with his luggage, there were at least two people in the business center, using one of the computers. In theory he could have tried to enter with all his stuff, but it would have been quite awkward.
What the Hotel Did:
One of the front end managers reviewed the security tapes, and clearly saw a well-dressed man enter the lobby and head toward the elevators. He noticed my H's things, circled around, checked to see if he was being watched, snatched the case, and exited the hotel. We didn't view the tapes but the manager said it all happened in just a few seconds. (My personal speculation is the thief had someone in a car idling out front; I wonder how many hotel lobbies they hit each day....but I have no proof of that!)
What's Next?
Although H was less than a few feet from his belongings, which were easily seen through the glass walls and door, when he faced the computers and the printer, they were left "unattended" and out of his eyesight. So, to some degree, he has culpability. A hotel lobby, while private property, is also a semi-public space which people can enter and leave very easily. Given the semi-public nature of the space, does/should the hotel also share some responsibility for the theft?
We were at the hotel for three nights on a award stay. Aside from this, we had an excellent stay.
The computer is actually owned by my H's employer, but because it was rather old, he was due to get a new one. I am more uneasy about the personal info that may have fallen into the wrong hands.... Because gmail opens automatically, H immediately changed his email PWs. While he did not have a PW list on the machine, his address book does contain hints to various PWs. Luckily I'm the one who maintains all the financial/points stuff; the PWs he tracks are to news websites and the like. Nevertheless, I will be extra attentive to all our statements.
I am of a mixed mind about whether to request some sort of compensation. I feel he is at least partly responsible, but that the hotel may have some responsibility as well.
What do you all think? What would you do? Thanks!
The Short Version:
My H went into the small, glass-enclosed Business Center located just off the lobby of a hotel, leaving his rolling suitcase and his carry-on computer case just outside its door. He printed our boarding passes, and exited the area to find his case, with all its contents, gone.
Mitigating Circumstances:
He had gone to the lobby earlier, while I packed in the room, to print the passes. Both computers in the Bus Center were in use, but a child sat at one of them playing a game. Rather than ask the child to allow him to use the machine, he decided to do it later.
The door to the Bus Center only opens if you scan your room keycard. It is a heavy door and maneuvering through the door with all your luggage is not easy. Moreover, when he arrived with his luggage, there were at least two people in the business center, using one of the computers. In theory he could have tried to enter with all his stuff, but it would have been quite awkward.
What the Hotel Did:
One of the front end managers reviewed the security tapes, and clearly saw a well-dressed man enter the lobby and head toward the elevators. He noticed my H's things, circled around, checked to see if he was being watched, snatched the case, and exited the hotel. We didn't view the tapes but the manager said it all happened in just a few seconds. (My personal speculation is the thief had someone in a car idling out front; I wonder how many hotel lobbies they hit each day....but I have no proof of that!)
What's Next?
Although H was less than a few feet from his belongings, which were easily seen through the glass walls and door, when he faced the computers and the printer, they were left "unattended" and out of his eyesight. So, to some degree, he has culpability. A hotel lobby, while private property, is also a semi-public space which people can enter and leave very easily. Given the semi-public nature of the space, does/should the hotel also share some responsibility for the theft?
We were at the hotel for three nights on a award stay. Aside from this, we had an excellent stay.
The computer is actually owned by my H's employer, but because it was rather old, he was due to get a new one. I am more uneasy about the personal info that may have fallen into the wrong hands.... Because gmail opens automatically, H immediately changed his email PWs. While he did not have a PW list on the machine, his address book does contain hints to various PWs. Luckily I'm the one who maintains all the financial/points stuff; the PWs he tracks are to news websites and the like. Nevertheless, I will be extra attentive to all our statements.
I am of a mixed mind about whether to request some sort of compensation. I feel he is at least partly responsible, but that the hotel may have some responsibility as well.
What do you all think? What would you do? Thanks!
!) His final comment: "Dad really shouldn't have done that!" 
