When we write about suspicion of theft in lodging situations, it’s usually in Airbnbs. With little to no oversight, some Airbnb owners have set up hidden cameras in their rental units (they’re supposed to tell the renters about them, and they’re not allowed to be in certain parts of the house, but not all owners follow the rules). It got to the point where more than one entity on the internet wrote pieces about how to find hidden cameras in your Airbnb rental. That shouldn’t be an issue anymore since Airbnb changed their rules about cameras not long ago, but we’ll see how that goes.
Of course, hotels are just as bad. Guests steal stuff from hotels all the time. Sometimes they’re really brazen about it. There was even a survey of the items most stolen from hotels and the nationalities of who steals what. But, for better or for worse, hotels know that some theft is going to happen; it’s just a part of doing business.
However, when you’re STAYING at a hotel, you want to think (or at least hope) that your belongings are safe, hotel staff isn’t going through your stuff, etc. Of course, it doesn’t always happen; peoples’ things are missing from hotels all the time (that’s why we always say you shouldn’t keep stuff in your hotel safe. Here’s why you shouldn’t, and here’s something you can use instead), and unfortunately, it’s hard to prove that someone may have gone through your stuff.
Well, until now.
Arturo B. was on vacation in Cancun. He was doing what everyone else does in Cancun – exploring the beaches and ancient ruins, maybe even enjoying a cocktail – when he got an alert that there was someone in his hotel room.
Before he left his room for the day, Arturo had set up a hidden motion-detector camera on his laptop. With that, he was able to see anyone who entered his room while he was away, and what they did. He wasn’t very happy with what he saw.
It turns out that, while he was having fun in Cancun, a hotel staff member came into Arturo’s room, presumably for a standard turn-down service.
Caught in the act!
But instead, the hotel worker had a thorough look through all of Arturo’s belongings.
The tourist was obviously horrified when he saw video evidence of the staff member drinking one of his beers, poking around his clothes, rooting through his suitcases, and even investigating the bedroom safe.
After catching the whole thing on camera, and reporting the incident to the hotel manager, Arturo shared the hidden camera footage on TikTok.
He captioned the video: “Our vacation got weird. I won’t be naming the hotel because they handled this situation very well.
“Just be careful out there and use technology to your advantage. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t see the green light on my webcam. Next time, I will be blacking it out.”
Take a look:
@clarincom Puso una cámara en su habitación de hotel y atrapó infraganti a un empleado. #TikTokInforma #Hotel
Arturo said in the comments that the worker did some other things that were even more disturbing (he specifically used the word “perverted”), but they wouldn’t have been appropriate for TikTok.
He said the app is called iSentry. He mentioned there were other, similar programs in the app store (his computer was obviously Mac flavored) but this one was able to send him email notifications when it detected motion. Arturo also made it clear he was not affiliated with iSentry.
I couldn’t find iSentry for Windows or Chromebooks but I’m sure there are similar apps for both.
There were plenty of comments about the video, and lots of people asked what hotel he was in. Some people guessed Secrets The Vine Cancun, any of the Hyatt, Westin or Riu properties in Cancun, Grand Palladium, Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa – AMR, etc.
But Arturo said he purposefully didn’t mention the name of the hotel because when he went down to the front desk with the video evidence, they took very good care of him and the situation (they fired the worker on the spot), and handled it all professionally. When another user said she was positive of what hotel it was, he even said, “Then you know it’s a great hotel. They can’t be judged by the actions of their staff.”
Which is 100% the truth. Some of the best hotels out there could have a lousy staff member who’s willing to pilfer around guests’ things. Some of the sketchiest hotels could have fantastic staff who would never think of doing something they shouldn’t.
But Arturo B. caught this guy in the act.
Feature Photo: Pixnio
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2 comments
Firefights between gangs on the beach. Tainted liquor. Assaults on hotel guests. Multiple scams to separate you from your money at every turn (hotels, rental cars, shops). You put your life and your family’s safety in peril. Why?!?
Only way to catch them and be believed is to have your own proof.