Liability for theft when hotel room is broken into during (false) fire alarm

littlerock

it is an interesting issue - in the fire alarm case the individual was obliged to leave the room due to a fire alarm (false) which was locked and then forcibly entered. It seems if it is a business laptop there is almost no way to insure it against theft from a locked hotel room

In the concierge case , seems like negligence by the hotel to me. But if the hotel wants you out of your room by 10:30 am in order to get it ready for the next guest, it seems to me reasonable to expect it, in 4* hotel, to provide secure storage for your luggage if you have to check out early. The guest concerned was given 3 receipts after all .

I have stayed there in the past and did not care for it. It is a very large rambling hotel and security must be a problem. In the burglary last week the guest left his laptop in his room locked, not on display, in order to attend an event (leisure) in the hotel. There was no sign of forced entry. Looks like an inside job. (An ex employee was found guilty of theft from the hotel in June so maybe staff vetting is not what it should be. )

I am sure I am not alone when I say I would not expect to have to leave my laptop in the hotel safe in a 4* hotel every time I leave the room to go somewhere else in the hotel. I am surprised that a hotel can refuse to cover theft from its locked rooms when modern high tec electronic card keys are used as is the case here. However I see there was a spate of thefts from Hyatt's a couple of years ago using an electronic hi jack tool. Must be a nightmare for hotels.At least with a big ole metal key you had to break the door down to get in.

It does look like it is quite difficult to travel with a laptop without a lot of insurance for a range of possibilities and locking it up all the time.

littlerock

Update on this weeks burglary - hotel verified that the door lock had not been activated when items were stolen. Police then checked the doors (self locking) and found several on that corridor (and maybe others too) including the room burgled, were not closing correctly. Looks like someone knew and periodically tried the doors to see if they could get in. Police said looked like a design issue or faulty doors. Hotel said they were not aware of any problems with the doors not shutting properly previously. OH was discussing it with someone he knew staying there and they said their door did not shut properly either - apparently the locks were not engaging correctly. What is position if hotel door locks are faulty?

InsideInsurance

littlerock wrote: »

It seems if it is a business laptop there is almost no way to insure it against theft from a locked hotel room

If its a business laptop then it should be insured on a business policy. The only issue is when trying to cover it by a personal policy.

littlerock wrote: »

Update on this weeks burglary - hotel verified that the door lock had not been activated when items were stolen. Police then checked the doors (self locking) and found several on that corridor (and maybe others too) including the room burgled, were not closing correctly. Looks like someone knew and periodically tried the doors to see if they could get in. Police said looked like a design issue or faulty doors. Hotel said they were not aware of any problems with the doors not shutting properly previously. OH was discussing it with someone he knew staying there and they said their door did not shut properly either - apparently the locks were not engaging correctly. What is position if hotel door locks are faulty?

littlerock wrote: »

Broke down doors it is an old hotel

So the thieves broke down the door to a room that wasnt actually locked?

You'd need to try to establish if the hotel knew there were problems with the doors and had ignored it or not. How faulty were they? Is it that the lock was only partially engaging or not at all?

littlerock

Well I wasn't there obviously, but apparently the police investigated the door and said when pulled to, it did not click fully shut (so I assume the lock only partially engaged) and could be opened with a good shove. The police then, I am told, tested other doors on the corridor, and found some with the same fault. The hotel denied all knowledge of the problem (predictably) and it is not clear if they were faulty doors or the bearings had worn in some way. Either way the hotel is unlikely to tell the guests that their room door might be faulty but meanwhile someone has worked out they are (maybe inside information) and, presumably opportunistically, goes around testing them out for access.

littlerock

I imagine this is the problem - and someone knows not all the doors shut properly. Maybe it is a lack of maintenance?

http://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/safety-tips/category/hotel/tip/video-showing-why-you-should-always-make-sure-your-hotel-room-door-shuts-when-you-leave