Hotel guest takes another guest's car keys from the valet and drives away, refuses to give them back when hotel staff calls to ask: 'They stole our key'

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jun 30, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

This might be a hot take, but I never understood the need for valet parking. Leaving your car keys in the hands of an 18-year-old, allowing them to park your car and then hold on to your keys for however many hours, trusting that nothing is going to happen to it. Not to mention the theft hazard when you consider all the other car keys just sitting there waiting to be taken. The entire business seemed plagued by unnecessary security issues, all so you wouldn't park your car yourself.

The only positive thing I will say about it is that it feels really cool to have someone bring your car to the front door while you're in the midst of an important conversation with a business partner. Then the valet worker steps out of the car, hands you the key, and moves away to allow you to step into the driver's seat and drive away dramatically. 

However, I am willing to give that up after reading the story below, because that cool fantasy can't really happen when someone else steals your keys, right?

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  • That is what happened to the hotel guests in the story below. They left their car and keys at the hotel valet, but when they wanted to leave, they found out that another guest had taken their keys with them and driven away.

    This could have been written off as an honest mistake if that guest had not refused to come back and return the keys…

  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10523145216
    via AndreyPopov

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02

    Hotel guest took our car keys, wouldn't bring them back

    Love this subreddit. Had an experience today that fits right in. We're staying at a hotel in La Jolla. Very nice hotel, great service. We called down to
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
  • 03
    the valet to get our car brought around from the garage so we could go visit my aged mother at her nearby residence.
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    When we get down to the valet station, no car. We wait. Still no car. The valets go check, and discover that our car is in the garage, but the key is missing. After checking
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
  • 05
    all around, they look at the security footage of the valet stand and see that a hotel employee had placed the key on a stand by the valet desk.
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
  • 06
    And before a valet could get it and go get our car, another hotel guest had just walked up and taken the key. The guest then proceeded to get in their own car and drive
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    away. The hotel contacted the guest by phone and told them they had taken the wrong key and that they should return with it.
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    The guest responded that they were driving to Oceanside, about 20 miles away, and they weren't going to turn around. So a hotel employee got into a car and
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    started driving after them, and asked them to name a spot where they could stop and meet up so they could turn over the key. The guest responded that they were
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    going to go on to their destination, so the employee had to go there too if they wanted the key back.
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    Valet
    via 400tmax

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Meanwhile, we used our backup key to drive our car to visit my mom. When we got back to the hotel, our key had been recovered, and the hotel had sent a good bottle of
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    wine to our room to apologize for the incident, The staff was embarrassed and apologetic. We don't blame the staff, though. The staff is great and went above and beyond.
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    The idiot who just grabbed a random key without bothering to check if it was the right one, and then refused to alter their plans at
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    all to get it returned -- that's the thoughtless jak we blame. And if you're wondering how they drove off with the wrong key: When the valets bring a
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    car down from the garage, they leave the key in the car at the valet station, usually either above the sun visor, or in a cup holder. So the impatient idiot's key was already in their car waiting for them when they stole our key.
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
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    Because of course they were too important to wait another 10 seconds to ask somebody, or to check for themselves.
    via Aromatic-Speed5090
  • 18
    Vaaliindraa I would have called the police to have them bring the guest back with your keys.
    via Vaaliindraa
  • 19
    biscuitmcgriddleson Unless they had the same brand car as you, they probably did it just to do it.
    via biscuitmcgriddleson
  • 20
    damageddude Once the guest refused to return your keys, your property has been stolen. Call the non- emergency police number and file a report.
    via damageddude
  • 21
    baldguytoyourleft I may be paranoid but my first thought was this guy's making a copy to give to a friend to have the friend come back and steal your car.
    via baldguytoyourleft
  • 22
    TerrorNova49 "We have you on camera stealing the keys of another guest. Stop and wait for our employee or we will report it." Of course "customer service" would prevent them from ever doing that.
    via TerrorNova49
  • 23
    Delta9THICC Well first off, it it's the hotels fault. The valet is s. at their job. Leaving someone's key out is an automatic loss of job.
    via Delta9THICC

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car keys guests workplace-stories hotel guest employee hotel car front desk work tales from the front desk reddit story valet entitled Reddit weird parking entitled people
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