How to get a hotel to reimburse me for lost items?
April 11, 2019 4:30 PM Subscribe
I stayed at the Wynn Las Vegas for a conference. I brought my own pillow and also an old cell phone that I use as a backup alarm. I realized as I was checking out that they were missing. I'm sure they got swept up in the bedding when housekeeping changed the sheets. Hotel can't find them, it's been 2 weeks so I'm sure they're long gone. They won't reimburse me. Do I have any recourse?
I did check with security when I was checking out, they didn't have the items. I have called several times, filed a lost report, spoken to a claims agent, then spoke to a supervisor. The items are not super expensive, about $200 total to replace, but I'm pissed because I don't feel that it's my fault that they were lost. I wasn't a drunk vacationer who left her phone at the cabana, I was a busy conference-goer who assumed my stuff was secure in my room.
I'm waiting for a Director to call me back. Any suggestions of things to say to get them to reimburse me? Or other ways to go about this?
I did check with security when I was checking out, they didn't have the items. I have called several times, filed a lost report, spoken to a claims agent, then spoke to a supervisor. The items are not super expensive, about $200 total to replace, but I'm pissed because I don't feel that it's my fault that they were lost. I wasn't a drunk vacationer who left her phone at the cabana, I was a busy conference-goer who assumed my stuff was secure in my room.
I'm waiting for a Director to call me back. Any suggestions of things to say to get them to reimburse me? Or other ways to go about this?
This link might be helpful in determining their liability.
I had a dispute with a hotel once that I couldn't resolve with the front desk. Like the Wynn, it was a stand-alone casino hotel (i.e., not a large corporate chain). It was a total Hail Mary, but I actually got in touch with their social media person through Twitter and she's the one who ended up righting the issue.
I would frame it as "I'm not comfortable staying OR GAMBLING at your property again unless I have some reassurance that my belongings won't be removed from my room by your housekeeping staff." The benefit of having lost your stuff at a casino hotel is that they're not primarily after their guests' nightly lodging fees -- they're after the money you lose gambling while you're staying there. If nothing else, framing it from the gaming angle might get you a free room during a subsequent stay. (If you're not a gambler, fine, just make them think that you are and they'll be more likely to try to set it right than they would if they thought the cost was just a pillow and an alarm clock.)
posted by mudpuppie at 4:56 PM on April 11, 2019 [2 favorites]
I had a dispute with a hotel once that I couldn't resolve with the front desk. Like the Wynn, it was a stand-alone casino hotel (i.e., not a large corporate chain). It was a total Hail Mary, but I actually got in touch with their social media person through Twitter and she's the one who ended up righting the issue.
I would frame it as "I'm not comfortable staying OR GAMBLING at your property again unless I have some reassurance that my belongings won't be removed from my room by your housekeeping staff." The benefit of having lost your stuff at a casino hotel is that they're not primarily after their guests' nightly lodging fees -- they're after the money you lose gambling while you're staying there. If nothing else, framing it from the gaming angle might get you a free room during a subsequent stay. (If you're not a gambler, fine, just make them think that you are and they'll be more likely to try to set it right than they would if they thought the cost was just a pillow and an alarm clock.)
posted by mudpuppie at 4:56 PM on April 11, 2019 [2 favorites]
Was the pillow super noticeably different from standard hotel pillows? If it just had a standard white/beige pillowcase, I would not really be able to fault housekeeping for just grabbing it.
posted by nakedmolerats at 6:53 PM on April 11, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by nakedmolerats at 6:53 PM on April 11, 2019 [7 favorites]
"I really do not want to leave a review stating that housekeeping took items from my room and management made no effort to recover them." "What steps have you taken to find my phone?" "I don't fault the housekeeping crew for taking them accidentally. I do have a problem with your inability to track them down."
posted by Jane the Brown at 7:32 PM on April 11, 2019
posted by Jane the Brown at 7:32 PM on April 11, 2019
And of course you can always mention that you will be speaking to the conference organizers to let them know that items were taken and apparently no effort was made to locate them and return them, so that they can take that into account the next time they are planning on booking a conference. Between that and a couple on line reviews they might decide your loss was worth at least a little effort. Even if they cell phone ended up inside a washing machine and was destroyed, you want to know what happened to it.
posted by Jane the Brown at 7:37 PM on April 11, 2019
posted by Jane the Brown at 7:37 PM on April 11, 2019
Response by poster: nakedmolerats - it was smaller and the pillowcase a different color.
I left a 0 on the NPS survey they emailed me and I also tweeted about it. Good idea about the conference organizers - I am actually a brand advocate for the company so maybe they can push the hotel to reimburse me.
posted by radioamy at 9:28 PM on April 11, 2019
I left a 0 on the NPS survey they emailed me and I also tweeted about it. Good idea about the conference organizers - I am actually a brand advocate for the company so maybe they can push the hotel to reimburse me.
posted by radioamy at 9:28 PM on April 11, 2019
That must be super disappointing.
From their point of view, anybody could fabricate the loss of anything, so they are very jaded. Cash for lost items is a slippery slope and a non-starter. Also, to cut an actual check would require jumping through way too many hoops.
It might work better to frame it as a full or partial refund of one night's stay, instead of a reimbursement for the cost of the items.
Then, if you would accept a hotel or show voucher instead of a check, that might make it easier for them to say yes.
To establish that you're not a random malingerer, use a well-written and personal appeal. Include pictures of the personal items, and explain why they are important to you. Establish that you're a valuable guest by listing all the hotels you've stayed at that managed not to lose your things. Explain that you've always had a high regard for the Wynn brand, and really hope to maintain that faith.
By the way, if you purchased the pillow within the past year on a premium credit card, you could file under their loss protection card benefit. Also, if you paid for the hotel with a premium credit card, especially American Express, you could file for a chargeback, which might get the hotel's attention.
Documentation and persistence, to the limit of your patience, is the key.
posted by dum spiro spero at 10:59 PM on April 11, 2019 [4 favorites]
From their point of view, anybody could fabricate the loss of anything, so they are very jaded. Cash for lost items is a slippery slope and a non-starter. Also, to cut an actual check would require jumping through way too many hoops.
It might work better to frame it as a full or partial refund of one night's stay, instead of a reimbursement for the cost of the items.
Then, if you would accept a hotel or show voucher instead of a check, that might make it easier for them to say yes.
To establish that you're not a random malingerer, use a well-written and personal appeal. Include pictures of the personal items, and explain why they are important to you. Establish that you're a valuable guest by listing all the hotels you've stayed at that managed not to lose your things. Explain that you've always had a high regard for the Wynn brand, and really hope to maintain that faith.
By the way, if you purchased the pillow within the past year on a premium credit card, you could file under their loss protection card benefit. Also, if you paid for the hotel with a premium credit card, especially American Express, you could file for a chargeback, which might get the hotel's attention.
Documentation and persistence, to the limit of your patience, is the key.
posted by dum spiro spero at 10:59 PM on April 11, 2019 [4 favorites]
From their point of view, anybody could fabricate the loss of anything, so they are very jaded
Documentation and persistence, to the limit of your patience, is the key.
These two things. I just dealt with a similar situation, except we did leave the fairly expensive item in the room and knew it. We called within 2 hours of leaving and not only did they say the maid didn't see the item, they argued with me we weren't in the room we said we were in and when i won that argument, then they argued we probably left it at home and would find it when we got there. Called again and made them send security to check the room. Nothing. They assured me it was in their data base and they would call if it was found. Called the next day - nope not here. Called again a few days later and after they got snarky with me about how many times i had called, I got snarky back and said i was going to keep calling cause i didn't trust them to call me, which for some reason the guy thought was funny and he dug a little deeper low and behold, they found it. Under a different room number - whatever, dude, just send it back.
I don't know about getting reimbursed, but they probably have a system of documenting found items and if you harass them enough, you might get somewhere with atleast the phone.
Also, when we were leaving we found a yeti cup under the chair - your phone could be under the bed and theres a chance noone noticed.
posted by domino at 7:08 AM on April 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Documentation and persistence, to the limit of your patience, is the key.
These two things. I just dealt with a similar situation, except we did leave the fairly expensive item in the room and knew it. We called within 2 hours of leaving and not only did they say the maid didn't see the item, they argued with me we weren't in the room we said we were in and when i won that argument, then they argued we probably left it at home and would find it when we got there. Called again and made them send security to check the room. Nothing. They assured me it was in their data base and they would call if it was found. Called the next day - nope not here. Called again a few days later and after they got snarky with me about how many times i had called, I got snarky back and said i was going to keep calling cause i didn't trust them to call me, which for some reason the guy thought was funny and he dug a little deeper low and behold, they found it. Under a different room number - whatever, dude, just send it back.
I don't know about getting reimbursed, but they probably have a system of documenting found items and if you harass them enough, you might get somewhere with atleast the phone.
Also, when we were leaving we found a yeti cup under the chair - your phone could be under the bed and theres a chance noone noticed.
posted by domino at 7:08 AM on April 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
I think you should be satisfied with some form of non-cash compensation, like points or a discount or whatever. The items you are describing, unless I am missing something, are very low value. An old cellphone that is only functional as an alarm is worth, I don't know, $20? A pillow? "Replacement value" is presumably for a new cell phone and/or a new pillow, but that's not what these things were actually worth as old/used stuff. I understand maybe you have a complaint "on principle" as opposed to a significant monetary injury, but that's why non-cash compensation and an apology is probably a fair outcome.
posted by Mid at 7:40 AM on April 12, 2019
posted by Mid at 7:40 AM on April 12, 2019
I don't think there's much you can do at this point. I remembered a lost iPad charger (that was easily visible) while I was still in the hotel and somehow, mysteriously, it was never found. I even came back two weeks later to ask again in person and didn't even get an apology. The Albuquerque Marriott sucks, what can I say? Items that can be resold seem to disappear, while sentimental items don't. Not sure who would steal a pillow, though.
posted by wnissen at 9:15 AM on April 12, 2019
posted by wnissen at 9:15 AM on April 12, 2019
Social media. It's unfortunate, but sometimes making a complaint publicly on a business's social media page gets them to help you out when they wouldn't before. I've seen this happen on Twitter, but other media platforms may work as well.
posted by sunflower16 at 3:04 AM on April 13, 2019
posted by sunflower16 at 3:04 AM on April 13, 2019
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posted by cooker girl at 4:34 PM on April 11, 2019 [12 favorites]