Hotels - Hilton Hotel, 54th & 6th Ave., NYC appalled by recent treatment at this hotel

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# 4 for July 4, 2000

Complaints.com received this e-mail message on July 3, 2000:

From: Orellana

RE: Hilton Hotel on 54th street and 6th Avenue, in New York City

Copy of letter sent June 30, 2000

To: Stephen F. Bollenbach, Hilton Hotels

As a Hilton Honors member since 1992, I stay at a Hilton Hotel an average of 30 nights a year. This does not include many additional nights (well over 200) spent at a Hilton Hotel by several of my sales representatives. Approximate spending $40,250 per year for the past 8 years at your Hilton Hotels (230 nights @ $175), I am appalled by the recent treatment I received while staying at the Hilton Hotel on 54th street and 6th Avenue, in New York City. My name is Orellana and I'm Vice President of Sussman Automatic Corp. I am writing to you after a very disturbing incident of which I received an unsatisfactory answer from many of the in-house staff, the security and the administrators at the hotel. I was basically shrugged off as a nuisance, because I expected the staff to do their job.

Here's a brief summary of what happened:

On June 2nd, 2000: I left the room at about 10:30 AM and realized that my significant other- Lourdes Roman had left her rings on the corner of the tub in the room since we were going to play a game of racquetball. Her intention was to take them, but we were late for court time and in our rush left without them. At approximately 2:30 PM we realized she had left the rings. Trusting the Hotel's reputation we called thinking everything would be all right, but as a safety measure we called security. We asked personnel to go to room 2806 and check if the rings were there. We were asked to call back and when we did, we had learned that the room had been cleaned AND the rings were gone. Immediately we filed a report with Glen Mercado. Then we went to the 18th precinct and filed incident complaint report #7127. The charge - GRAND LARCENY, since the value of the jewelry was $12,800. Mr. Mercado told us he would have an update the following day.

June 3rd: We questioned the morning security officer who asked us simply and very nonchalantly to come back after 3 PM to speak to Mr. Mercado. At 4PM we returned and were told by Mr. Mercado that they were still interviewing people and that he didn't have the time to review the mornings interviews with the supervisor, of the housekeeper and bar attendant who had entered the room. We are only talking about two people! The rings did not walk out on their own. Unless the hotel makes a habit of not knowing who entered the room at the time, the answers seem pretty obvious.

Either way, Mr. Mercado bragged that the interviewer were ex NY Police officers and usually gets 98% of their crooks. Not satisfied, we asked to speak to the supervisor, Mr. Randolph Green. Mr. Green's attitude and demeanor were inexcusable. He was curt, unconcerned and pompous and made us feel as if we were intruding on his time. Is this the way the hotel treats it's honored members or any guests for that matter, when something as serious as a Grand Larceny is committed on its' premises? Frustrated, we contacted Mike Smith, the manager on duty to alert him to what was going on.

He indicated after the investigation was through, that the hotel would turn it over to the claims department and keep us updated. We were told to contact the Claims Company, Gallagher Basset at (516) 694-7073. We then left messages for both; Barbara Wendel and Peter Gretchman, who is the director and assistant hotel director. They did not even have the decency to return the call.

June 4th: At check out time, we once again went back to security to get an update.

Again, Mr. Randolph Green had the same attitude as if we were intruding on his coffee time. Apparently, they were still conducting the investigation, because they had still not interviewed the last employee. The only one who had a bit of decency was the acting manager, Robert Casellas. He tried hard to get us a resolution, but even he was unable to do so.

June 5th" Back in Los Angeles we called once again and had to leave a message with Peter Grecthman's secretary, Margarite. A few hours later we received a call from a Paul Frederich, director of security. He was returning the call for Peter Grecthman. He told us, the investigation has been completed. That all the employees said they never saw any jewelry and the investigation is closed. What criminal admits to the crime? That was the extent of the investigation? We were told we needed to just file a claim with our insurance carrier. He added that the police department may make an inquiry but he couldn't' be sure.

Totally unsatisfied by this poor attempt for an investigation, I called Hilton Corporate headquarters and was directed to Trina, the guest service manager for all the Hiltons. I Left her a message at 1PM, no return call. Called back at 4:25, left a voice mail for her. Asked the operator to page her, and got her voice mail again. Calling back a third time, the offices were closed for the day.

Final Straw: Yesterday, we got a letter from the Hilton and your claims department indicating that they concluded their investigation and that "there was no liability on the behalf of "Hilton" for the aforementioned accident." That's it. In a nutshell the rings are history, and the hotel is not holding itself liable. End of case!? Enjoy the day. Sorry you lost $12,800 but please feel free to stay with us again.

I am a Hilton Honors member who is being done a grave dishonor. Whose liability is it if a crime takes place on your property? Are supposed to just forget about it? I am totally frustrated by the lack of professionalism, effort and honesty of the Hilton Employees and staff. We want the person that took the goods to come forward. We will not press the grand larceny charges if they send it to us. Surely knowing who entered the room on that day at that given time, it is not too difficult to nail the culprit. Was a polygraph conducted? How were they questioned? We expect much more than just a letter saying in effect, "Opps sorry, nothing we can do

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What kind of idiot would leave $12,800 worth of rings on a hotel bathtub and go play racquetball?? You deserve them to be stolen. Idiot. This is nobodys' fault but your "significant other" who is clearly a bimbo!

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I also had a similar incident happen at the Hilton at Disney World in Orlando Florida Dec 2007. Your story is almost exactly like mine except my items were diamond earrings. I took them out of the safe that moring with the intenion of putting them on. I got ready for my business meeting and realized later that I was not wearing them. I rushed up to the room and discovered them missing and the room freshly cleaned. I called security and the police. But here's the kicker, the hotel refused to allow the police to interview the employees (who were still on duty) without a warrant!!! The police were shocked as they had NEVER had this happen before with any other hotel. Since the warrant takes time days, weeks, who knows,I was denied any chance of ever recovering my earrings. I was met with the same attitude and basically was told it was my fault for leaving them out... should have used the safe (DUH?). I understand that I have a responsibility to keep them in the safe, which was my intention. However the hotel makes it perfectly clear to thier employees that it is ok to take anything you can get your hands on because we simply do not care and we will help you every way we can by allowing you to walk out the door with your new "gifts" becasue we won't even allow the police to speak to you that day. Consider it a bonus for working for Hilton Hotels. I would not feel safe ever staying at a Hilton again becasue of this "policy" If you read this go stay at any other hotel at least if you get something stolen from you you'll be able to get the help of the police. Oh and by the way if you ever need a job it seems that being a housekeeper at the Hilton is an incredible gig.