Hotel receptionist steals phone from mother of 4, manager refuses to fire receptionist despite video evidence: 'The lack of accountability here is staggering'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Oct 28, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

A hotel employee is barely in trouble after allegedly stealing a guest's phone, and the guest just isn't sure what to do next. 

Most of us know that common knowledge about staying in hotel rooms — you should be very, very cautious about which valuables you leave lying around when you leave your room. Many hotels provide safes where you can leave your valuables. The guest sets the code themselves, ensuring that their wallet or watch won't mysteriously go missing while they're out enjoying their vacation. 

But this person had an absolutely enraging experience with a hotel theft, and they're barely even to blame! As this person shares, their sister checked into the hotel with her 4 children, with all intentions of celebrating a family wedding. But her wedding plans were quickly derailed when she realized her phone was missing. She asked the front desk receptionist, and usually this person will be the most helpful during your hotel stay. At least they're supposed to be! They're usually very pleasant and eager to make guests' stays exceptional. But this person was totally dishonest, and she's not even the only culpable person here! Instead of losing her valuables by leaving them in her room, this person claims to have had her phone stolen by the receptionist herself, with the entire crime caught on camera. 

The full story is shocking, and this person revealed more information in response to one person who was defending the hotel workers. I really hope that this Mom and her siblings get the employee fired properly, as well as get some compensation for the ruined phone. As mentioned, there's no way for Mom to get her wedding photos back, but so long as there are consequences for this employee, hopefully this will never happen to another guest at that establishment. 

Up next, read about this single mom of 2 teen boys as she confronts her neighbor, whose 16-year-old keeps parking in her driveway: "I'm not going to be responsible for his vehicle." 

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  • 01

    '[Hotel] employee stole my sister’s phone, lied to her face, got caught on camera, and is still working the front desk'

    Cheezburger Image 10568790016
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 02
    My family stayed at the Hartford Cromwell SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Cromwell, Connecticut from Wednesday night through Saturday, October 25 for my brother's wedding. It was supposed to be a happy trip, but it turned into one of the most unbelievable experiences we've ever had at a hotel.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 03
    On the first night, my sister's Samsung phone went missing inside the hotel. She's a mom traveling alone with four kids, so that phone was her navigation, safety, and way to reach everyone. She immediately went to the front desk and asked if it had been found. The woman working there told her, "No, we don't have it."
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 04
    She kept asking every time she passed the desk over the next three days. Every single time she was brushed off or treated rudely. At one point my boyfriend showed the "Find My Device" screen literally pinging from the front desk area where the phone had last been seen, and the employee working there at the time yelled at him and told all of us to stop asking.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 05
    We finally called the police because it was clear nobody at the hotel cared. When officers reviewed the camera footage, it confirmed exactly what we suspected: the front-desk employee stole the phone. It was later returned by that same employee's boyfriend when the police told her it was her last chance to tell the truth, and was already mid-factory reset when recovered.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 06
    And somehow, that employee is still working there. When we called the property later to ask about next steps and to arrange compensation after leaving hours late because of the police investigation, the person who answered the phone was the thief herself. We were told she was the only person on duty.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 07
    To make things worse, corporate Marriott told us they couldn't do anything except give us the GM's email, which bounced back as invalid. They said to "call the property directly," which put us right back in contact with the same employee who had stolen from us.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 08
    Because of this, my sister missed parts of the wedding and has no photos of her children or the ceremony. She lost navigation while traveling alone with four kids and had to rely on family members for days just to get around. We're currently caravaning a ten hour car ride home with 6 kids between us and praying that we don't lose each other.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 09
    On top of that, the hotel itself was filthy. There were potato bugs in the rooms, breakfast was constantly empty and never cleaned, and we were charged $3 per night for parking even if we didn't have a car. I have a random $21 charge labeled "Visa" on my receipt that makes no sense.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 10
    A Marriott employee caught on camera stealing from a guest should not still have access to guest rooms, keys, or personal data. That is a major safety issue for anyone currently staying there. The lack of accountability here is staggering.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 11
    A police report including the video was filed. The police asked my sister if she wanted to press charges and she said yes, apparently an arrest warrant is being released soon. If this is how Marriott allows its franchise hotels to operate, people deserve to know.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 12
    Quicherbichen1 I'd go straight to the local media. They love to catch the big guys protecting criminals.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 13
    BringBackUsenet In addition to the police report, notify Marriot Corp., not just the phone drones. that do nothing but read scripts. Escalate the case, and open a BBB complaint if you must to get their attention. I would also call the bank and inititate a chargeback for the ruined stay and suspicious charges. If a chargeback doesn't get their attention,
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 14
    something is really wrong! Not only should that person be fired, but so should the manager for not firing her after this event.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 15
    6poundpuppy Contact a lawyer. Marriott has deep pockets so maybe you could find a high power lawyer willing to sue Pro Bono providing your evidence is truly damning.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 16
    Promo Hunter77 This exceeds mildy infuriating, absolutely insane. Sorry this happened to you all OP!
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 17
    Cheezburger Image 10568782080
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 18
    ladeedah1988 Did you post on Tripadvisor? That will be much more effective to notify people who are looking at the reviews of the hotel.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 19

    Uhhhh stealing a phone is not a tip!

    deliriousfoodie I used to work at Marriott. Never seen anything like that. But everywhere and everyone is different. You would probably have the same experience if it was a 5 star hotel. The employees are all poor and some would be happy for a small come up.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 20

    This sibling let this person know that their sister was trying her best (while caring for 4 kids!)

    alwaystimeforpizza77 OP replied to deliriousfoodie 16 hr. ago Well the worst part about it was the woman knew my sister was struggling. My sister was alone with four kids, two of which are toddler twins. She didn't even go to the wedding event that night because they were so exhausted from the drive.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 21
    The pizza she ordered never showed up so she bought frozen pizza from the front desk and was talking about it to the thief. She accidentally left her phone on the counter while carrying the pizza back to her room which is when it was taken.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77
  • 22
    The excuse used by the thief was that she was a single mom to four kids and struggling. A little ironic.
    via u/alwaystimeforpizza77

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stolen hotel guest hotel phone hotel room hotels theft thief wedding family
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