HotelChatter

On May 21st, I arrived in Shanghai from Nanjing at about 9pm by train. I took a taxi to the Holiday Inn hotel arriving about 9:30 pm. When I arrived at the hotel, I paid the taxi and exited the taxi with my briefcase. The bellman was attempting to remove my luggage from the trunk of the taxi. He was struggling with the luggage. There were a number of people nearby. I waited a minute and then decided to assist the bellman. I did so with out setting down my briefcase. There was no apparent reason the bellman could not remove the luggage from the trunk.
I proceeded into the lobby to the registration counter. The bellman followed me with my luggage and placed it by a near by pillar.

I placed my briefcase at my feet, right side. Greeted the desk clerk and removed my passport from my briefcase. I gave the passport to the desk clerk and proceeded with registration. There were 3 clerks behind the desk, I was the only person registering. Two of the clerks were assisting me, one was a trainee. They found my registration and noted it was for the other wing. I requested they move me to the wing we were standing in, they proceeded to do so. When they finished and returned my passport, I bent down to put the passport back in the briefcase. The briefcase was gone. I initially assumed the bellman had taken the case. But there was no bellman in sight and my other luggage was still sitting by the pillar. I sounded the alarm and the duty manager, Joyce. Came rushing up. I suggested she call the police immediately. She stated " we can't call the police from here". I offered her my cell phone to call the police. I also suggested she call her manager and the general manager. About this time my business associate Mr. Johnson arrives. He assists in translations and questions for the hotel staff.

During next 2 hours, the police were eventually called and arrived. The hotel security staff arrives and reviews the surveillance camera tapes, the resident manager Mr. Gary arrives and reviews the surveillance camera tapes. I request a claim form from the duty manager so I can start documenting the items in the briefcase.

The general manager Mr. Robin, calls me on the house phone. He apologizes for the problem. Explains the hotel accepts full responsibility for the incident. Tells me not to worry, the hotel has insurance and I will be reimbursed in full for my losses. He repeatedly tells me the hotel accepts full responsibility and that he will contact me the next day.

I explain to Gary, the duty manager my biggest problem is the notebook computer which has all my presentations and data required for work on Monday and the rest of my trip. He assures me the hotel will provide what ever I need.

At about 12 PM, the Resident manager, the duty manager and I proceed to the police station. For the next two hours I'm interviewed by the police and they document all actions and losses in detail. The duty manager provides translation and time line details for the police report. The police are very professional and courteous. Eventually at about 2:30 am , all the forms are signed and a copy prepared for me. We return to the hotel. The duty manager attempts to open the business center to allow me to send an email to my wife. There is some problem starting up the computers. I proceeded upstairs, call my wife and stop telephone service on my international telephone which was in the briefcase.

At about 5 am, the telephone rings and wakes me up. It is the front desk with some question from the police regarding the value of the airline tickets. I answer as best I can with no sleep.

Sunday AM

At about 8am. I proceed to the business center and use a computer to respond to some urgent business emails and some urgent emails to the business associates for the rest of my trip. I ask the staff where I can purchase a battery charger for my cell phone. (It was in the brief case). They direct me across the intersection to large building with many cell phone shops. After purchasing a charger, I was returning to the hotel when my cell phone rang. It was a person speaking only Chinese but very insistent that he talk to me. I do not speak Chinese so at first I assumed it was a wrong number. But as I thought about it, where would anyone get the number because it was a brand new sim card.

I called the resident manager and informed him of the call and gave him the stored call back number. He called and the number and informed me it was a person who had found my briefcase in the river and wanted a 200 RMB reward. I told him I had no problem with the reward if the briefcase had my valuables in it. I also told him we needed to involve the police in this matter. He called the police and arranged a meeting.

The caller had insisted I must be at the meeting to collect the briefcase and pay the reward. I agreed. After meeting all the undercover officers, I proceeded with a hotel security guard and undercover police officer to the meeting point. After a short wait, contact was made and man on a three-wheel bicycle with empty coal containers on the back approaches us. He directs us to follow him to a coal storage shed.

We are met by a second man and we proceed inside, down a semi-dark hallway to an open room with a ladder leading up to a trapdoor in the ceiling. The hotel security guard indicates I should not go up the ladder. The undercover police officer proceeds up the ladder and talks to the two men. They bring out the briefcase and show me some of the contents. They have raised the reward request to 300 RMB. After some discussion additional police officers arrive and take the men into custody. We all proceed to the police station.

At the police station, pictures of the recovered items are taken and documented. See attached police form. After about 2 hours, the security guard and I return to the hotel with very wet and damaged briefcase. I spend the next several hours drying out the contents of the case.

I also met with the resident manager about my need for a notebook computer. He asked for and I prepared a detail list of the minimum requirements for the notebook. He told me the hotel IT manager would find me one the next morning and I would have it before I left the hotel for the airport at 2 pm.

I left the hotel for important business dinner meeting. I returned to the hotel about 10 pm to finish drying out the documents and papers etc.

Monday AM
I met with the resident manager and explained my schedule. He asked for my local cell phone number and if it was ok to call me. It was very inconvenient because I was a speaker at a technical seminar. I took several telephone calls from the resident manager, the IT manager regarding the computer configuration etc. The last call was from someone who identified himself as "associated with the hotel Insurance company". I agreed to call him back during the lunch break.

When I called him back he proceeded to explain to me the insurance company had not made a decision but the policy did not cover the loss because the hotel staff did not have possession of the brief case. He briefed me on the fine detail points of the insurance policy and how it was not covered. I explained to him in no uncertain terms, it didn't matter to me if the insurance paid or the hotel paid. I explained that the hotel is in business to serve it's guests and if they can not protect their guests and their property while registering then it isn't much of a hotel and the travel industry should be aware of this fact. If the hotel did not see feel it was necessary to cover my losses then I would proceed with notifying as many travel agencies, travel magazines, news groups etc and providing the details of this case. I was quite upset by this phone call and wondered why the hotel had chosen such a dramatic change in their course of action. I called the resident manager and arranged a meeting upon my return to the hotel.

I requested my business associate Mr. Johnson to attend the meeting as my witness. The meeting was with Mr. Robin, GM, Mr. Gary , Resident Manager, Mr. Johnson and myself. Mr Robin and Mr. Gary denied an knowledge of the phone call from the insurance company. And in fact were a little upset because I was so upset. Then Mr, Robin repeatedly stated in front of the witnesses. The hotel accepts full responsibility for the incident and if the insurance didn't cover the loss the hotel would cover the loss. Mr. Gary apologized for the fact they could not locate a computer for me. I reminded Mr. Robin and Mr. Gary of my course of action should the hotel no keep that promise of reimbursing my losses.

I departed the hotel at about 2 PM for the airport. Since that time a number of emails have been exchanged.

As of June 5, 2005, there has been no action by the hotel, only more requests for documents etc. As of July 30, 2005 the hotel has offered a settlement of $3500 on the claim of $15,074 and refuses to negotiate.