KEEP THE LATCH LATCHED ON YOUR HOTEL DOOR!

[jayinsat]

I am still shaking as I'm typing this but I need an outlet to calm me. I'm in a Marriott Residence Inn in Gulfport Mississippi right now with my family for a wedding. It's a 2 bedroom suite. My wife, daughter and daughter in Law are members of the wedding party so they're gone getting dolled up and should be gone for several more hours. My 26 yo son and myself are here sitting in the living room talking when suddenly the door opens and a young man dressed in street clothes walks in and heads straight for one of the bedrooms. I HAVE NO IDEA WHO HE IS and this young man OBVIOUSLY was not an employee! He saw my son and me and immediately stopped and apologized, saying "oh, my bad. Wrong room". He got on his cellphone (without dialing any numbers) and start talking "which room was it again..." He then walked out. I went out behind him and asked him how he got in my room. He pointed to the maid who let him in. The maid said "I asked him if he was sure this was the right room. I told him my list says this is a stay over." He claimed he just checked out and forgot which room he was in. The maid says to me "I'm so glad you were in there." I immediately called the desk and demanded the manager get up here right now. She comes about 10 minutes later, already aware of what just happened, and is as very apologetic and assures me it is about to be dealt with. I told her I don't feel safe and NO ONE comes in this room, under ANY circumstances, not even the maid. She also tells me that the young man and his party were just kicked out of the hotel for their behavior.

I am most upset because I was a draw and press away from shooting that young man. Had he taken one more step...

[TomV]

We were in Brazil and had just checked in. We go up to our assigned room, use the key card and open the door.
There sitting at the desk is a man, buck naked, working at his laptop.

I admit, I never would have thought a housekeeper would just let someone into a room.

[SewTexas]

Jay, my family is from that area, and although it's hard to believe, it's apparently a hub of gang activity. Always be careful there and always, always be armed there. Have fun, bless the happy couple.

[Abraham]

Even keeping it locked doesn't always work.

On a business trip, I was staying at an upscale hotel in Chicago.

I'd just showered and was simply stretched out on the bed when I heard a knock on my door.

I didn't answer it. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I was exhausted from flying all day.

30 seconds or so elapsed and in walks a woman hotel worker of some kind.

She never even glaces in my direction and heads for the bathroom.

I had nothing of value in the bathroom, my luggage was in full view.I never said a word and shortly she leaves, not once looking in my direction.

I raised heck with hotel management and never got a satisfactory answer why she thought what she did was acceptable.

[jayinsat]

Even keeping it locked doesn't always work.

On a business trip, I was staying at an upscale hotel in Chicago.

I'd just showered and was simply stretched out on the bed when I heard a knock on my door.

I didn't answer it. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I was exhausted from flying all day.

30 seconds or so elapsed and in walks a woman hotel worker of some kind.

She never even glaces in my direction and heads for the bathroom.

I had nothing of value in the bathroom, my luggage was in full view.I never said a word and shortly she leaves, not once looking in my direction.

I raised heck with hotel management and never got a satisfactory answer why she thought what she did was acceptable.

At least she was a uniformed employee that had reasonable access to the room. This guy was not even a guest anymore. He was kicked out according to management.

[puma guy]

I'd be very suspicious of the maid. If he just checked out he'd have his receipt. I'm sure the management does not allow maids to simply allow access on the word of someone. I'd fire the maid on the spot if I was the boss. You can't use the latch when you're not in your room.

[ELB]

Interesting scenario to play what-if with, and a good lesson in the problems of identifying friend (or fool) or foe.

You are presumed to have acted reasonably if you employ deadly force against someone who has unlawfully and with force entered your habitation...but the young man enter unlawfully or with force? He may have deceived the maid on purpose, which might indicate unlawfulness, but he may have really been mistaken. And if the maid let him in with a key or pass card, did he really enter with force? hmmm. Had you "drawn and pressed" after one more step., would you be in the legal right? moral right? Tough scenario. If you had actually bagged the fool, I think in the end you probably would have come off OK legally, minus perhaps some lawyer fees and plus some gray hairs, but you might not feel all that good about it.

Expanding the scenario slightly, I have been given keys/pass codes by the front desk to rooms that were already occupied. If I sauntered in and didn't see you immediately...until you started to draw...what then? I would certainly argue that I did not enter unlawfully or with force. I would especially argue that if my draw and press were faster than yours...

Would the calculus change if this were midnight instead of noon? You were asleep instead of awake talking to your son? If it was a woman that walked in? etc. Oh, this is an excellent training scenario.

Glad you came out OK in the end, and hope the wedding goes well, and hope you can calm down enough to enjoy it!

[goose]

I'd be very suspicious of the maid. If he just checked out he'd have his receipt. I'm sure the management does not allow maids to simply allow access on the word of someone. I'd fire the maid on the spot if I was the boss. You can't use the latch when you're not in your room.

Man. I sort of think that this is probably close to right. The maid was either in on a potential burglary explicitly (on purpose) or implicitly (by not making the security of all rooms a priority). They should probably be gone or otherwise made an example of. The maid claimed knowledge of the list showing that it was a stay over.

[ErnieP]

Shortly after we were married, my wife and I went to NJ for a convention she was speaking at. Got in around 12:30 am and went to bed. No latch on door. We hear door open and Both Run Towards Door. Hotel had failed to update database, and re-rented room. The plus was confirmation that we are both Sheepdogs who run toward danger, versus Sheeple who grab for the phone and hide under covers. Upsetting for sure, but confirmation we are a good match!

[jayinsat]

I am inclined to believe the guy was on the wrong floor. I've got off elevators on the wrong floor and, in hotels, the all look the same. I put all the blame on the maid regardless of the guys intent. She set the potentially tragic events in motion by violating a basic security rule.

If it were actually a coordinated theft then at least he was smart enough to abandon the mission. At any rate, that made needs to be terminated. I don't know if the manager has that authority or not but corporate offices will be notified.

Thanks for the well wishes. The ceremony is tomorrow. I'm sure it will be grand. I will be calm by the. My wife, on the other hand. I'm the calm one!

[striker55]

Stayed in a motel in the Bronx NY, car broke down on the way to a funeral. Sitting in the room and the door starts to open, I said someone's in here. The person quickly closed the door and left. When I called the front desk they apologized and said they thought the room was empty. Pushed a chair against the door and did not sleep very good.

[howdy]

I flew 30 years for Delta. I have ALL KINDS of hotel stories.

[mr1337]

I'm from Gulfport, MS - and yeah, the north Gulfport area isn't the greatest. I feel much safer in Texas than I did there.

Glad you guys are okay, and I hope that hotel maid got at least written up. People need to go to the front desk and show ID to get into a room.

Also glad the situation didn't end up messy for the guy who tried to sneak in.

[dlh]

I don't have any data to back it up but my gut tells me that motels/hotels have trouble geting good help these days.

Several years back (in San Antonio) we stopped at one of the motels on IH35. About two in the morning we get a knock on the door...I look through the peep-hole and it is a young male dripping in sweat in a wife-beater t-shirt. Freaked me out and of course I did not let him in. By the time the motel sent somebody to check on it he had already left.

Back at the beginning of the summer in New Mexico former CNN news-anchor Lynne Russell and her husband were robbed at a motel. Her husband was carrying and he killed the robber but was himself shot and wounded. Had to spend weeks in the hospital recuperating from his injuries.

My only suggestion is the usual situational awareness and to try to rent a room in the "good" part of town.

dlh

[mr1337]

Also, I think you just convinced me to order one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Rishon-Enterprise ... B00186URTY