Hotel Industry Security Risk Management: Hotel Management Can Limit Guest Theft Liability By Maintaining Room Locks, Posting Legal Notices, And Keeping Back And Side Entrances Closed And Locked

Security expert Chris McGoey of  CrimeDoctor.com defended the hotel’s security practices with one exception, the back door not requiring a key card to open. He says that if the victims’ story is true, it’s quite possible the theft was committed by another hotel guest.

Gallagher says he’s considered suing the hotel, but under state law, the hotel would most likely not be liable for the lost belongings because it provided locks for the suite and likely posted the various required legal notices inside of it.

As was later reported in the Chicago Tribune, the Gallaghers claim that when they went out for coffee on the second morning of their stay (as the Bruners slept soundly in another of the suite’s rooms), the suite was burglarized, resulting in the loss of $2,000 in valuables, including purses, wallets, cameras, cell phones and luggage.

Both couples blame the hotel’s lax security for allowing the theft to happen. But Lawrence Duffy, the hotel’s general manager, says the victims told him the break-in happened after they left their door propped open, an allegation the victims deny. He says the hotel rarely has problems with crime.

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