That sucks dude. As a hotel insider, I don't recommend leaving valuables lying around anytime you stay in a hotel, or travel anywhere for that matter. I do, however, question whether our Texan friend is ABSOLUTELY sure the ipod was lost in her room, and not misplaced elswhere. Maybe it was left at the beach, or you had a couple of mojitos at the bar and...  9 times out of 10 when guests complain of "stolen" items from their room, the items turn up as being simply misplaced, or elsewhere in the room. It's a natural reaction to instantly assume "someone stole it," but it's usually not the case. Believe it or not, hotel employees value their jobs more than your ipod. Worse still, many guests don't even appologize after accusing employees of theft... one audacious guest of mine, after finding her "stolen" cash and passport in her room, went so far as to accuse the housekeeper of moving the items from one suitcase to another.

I once met a security officer who worked with Cunard lines on the QE2, which is filled with very wealthy, and very old guests. These cruisers often travel with plenty of valuable jewelry, and failing short-term memory. Everyday they would complain that the cabin steward "stole their diamond earings." Now, on a boat in the middle of the ocean, and with a security team like Cunard's, stolen items won't go far. Also, if an employee were caught doing something bad, Cunard would drop them off at the next port without pay, no matter how far from home. Needless to say, after turning over the room from wall to wall, the diamonds always showed up.

Dear guests, please take care of your valuables, and be absolutely positive before you accuse hardworking hospitality employees of theft. I'm not saying theft can't ever happen, just that it doesn't happen even remotely as often as people think.

I agree, its very easy to accuse staffers when you could have just misplaced whatever you are missing. I always try to give the benefit of the doubt. I also know that bigger hotel chains have extensive training programs for employees and they cover the whole missing/stolen items thing intensely.

That said, I try to travel with as little stuff as I can. That means, one pair of earrings, one necklace, one stack of bracelets--usually the cheap Forever21 stuff so if I lose it, it's not a big deal. And I try to bring my laptop with me when I leave the room, although that can be a pain. But still better than someone stealing it!