After a three-day stay at this hotel, we discovered that someone from the hotel staff had stolen an iPod from our gym bag in one of their suites. Although we tried to work with Marriott to resolve this issue, they steadfastly refused to take any responsibility and hinted that I was lying, despite conclusive evidence that the iPod was taken while in the hotel's possession. I will never again stay at any Marriott-owned property, and urge anyone who values their possessions to do likewise. This hotel in particular cannot be trusted, and the corporate management refuses to accept responsibility. Here's what happened.
We checked out from the hotel on a Monday morning and discovered that evening that we had left a gym bag behind. We immediately notified the hotel. The next day, we were informed that our room had not been re-occupied and that the staff had recovered the bag. The management agreed to hold the bag at the front desk for us to pick up. This was great news, or so we thought. Two days later, our daughter retrieved the bag, and while our smelly gym clothes remained, the iPod was missing.
We immediately notified the hotel manager, who sounded willing to help. By Marriott's own admission, the gym bag never left the hotel premises and hotel staffers were the only ones with access to it over the entire three days. No one else had access to it. But in the long run, all we got was a litany of excuses. The manager said he checked with the staff and, surprise (!) no one fessed up to taking the iPod. He offered to file a claim on our behalf with the corporate offices. In the meantime, I filed a theft report with the Irvine police.
Four days later, I received a call from the corporate offices. What started out as a polite conversation quickly degenerated when the staffer said they couldn't verify that the bag contained an iPod. "So you're telling me you don't believe me," I said. "No. We just don't know that there's an iPod," was the lame reply. I informed Marriott that I'd filed a theft report with the local police, and that filing a false report would make me a criminal. She didn't care. Because we had accidentally left a bag behind in a locked hotel room, all bets for safe return of its contents were off. Apparently, the official policy is something like: Finders Keepers.
Finally, the representative offered me a $100 gift certificate, good for my next stay at a Marriott. (Does anyone know a Marriott where $100 covers even one night??) I asked why I would want to return to a hotel where the staff had stolen my property and the management refused to take responsibility. The irony was apparently lost on them. "That's the best we can do," they said.
No, that's not the best you can do. You can take responsibility for the theft of my property from your hotel. You can replace my iPod, and not tell me that it's two years old and that a $100 gift certificate, which costs you nothing, is a fair settlement. You can stop questioning the honesty of a long-time customer. And finally, you can cancel my family's membership in Marriott Rewards. We won't be back. Ever.