personal belongings accidentally left in hotel room, hotel claims not their problem

[mmartinez]

A friend and I stayed at a well known hotel/motel chain the Travel lodge in Ontario California for 3 nights. I booked the last 2 nights online through an online booking site so there is record of my stay and in which room I was in. Well upon our departure from the motel my friend received a phone call saying that he needed to return the truck that he had borrowed asap, so we hurriedly gathered up all of our bags and belongings. Between the two of us we had quite a few bags so several trips down t load the car were made. Girls taking longer than boys, naturally my friend was finished loading his bags before me and he then Proceeded to assist me with my bags. In our haste to leave, I had unknowingly and accidentally left behind one of my bags. When I noticed my bag missing, i called the motel we had just left from a few hours prior to ask if the cleaning ladies had found my bag because i had left it in the room. The female desk clerk, whom was the same clerk that had checked us in and out of the room the past few days, informed me that yes they did in fact have my bag. She asked me to describe it, which I did as well as the contents of the bag. The bag contained various law textbooks from when I was attending cal state Fullerton, ($200 in value at least), a wireless Bluetooth enabled keyboard for my Android tablet($80 in value), and about 20-30 paint pens and markers (each valued at $5 each)as well as various other high end art supplies. Not to mention the bag itself was a black Roxy brand overnight bag with a retail value of $75. I told her that I wouldn't be able to pick up my bag for a few days because we had already left to go to Palm Springs. Upon our return to the inland empire, I was going to stop and pick up my bag from the Travelodge in Ontario. I called the motel to let them know that I was coming but the young kid with whom I spoke to said that he was having trouble finding it and that I was going to have to call back when the female clerk was there. Annoyed I asked why it was that he couldn't locate my bag and he told me that they may have gotten rid of it and thrown it out. It had not been more than 2 days since I last spoke with the female who TLD me my bag was there and that it would be here when I returned for it in q few days. I went to the travel lodge the next day to see what had happened to my bag. The same female Clerk from the first time I called was working and when I asked her about my bag she said'" oh yes ill go get it". She returned and told me that she could not find it and that maybe it got thrown away. I asked her Why and who would that But she couldn't give me a definite answer as to what had happened to my bag full of belongings.I returned again the following Day ( day 5 after I left the bag) to speak with the manager and he and the same female clerk who had affirmed my bag was left there, claim that no such bag was ever there and that they don't know what I'm talking about. Ate they liable and what can I do!?

 

[cbg]

You would have to persuade a court that the hotel was negligent and given that YOU left the stuff there, that may not be easy.

 

[CdwJava]

Many hotels in CA have a liability of no more than $250 for lost suitcases (reinforced by Civil Code section 1859). Whether this also applies because they said they had your bag, I can't say. But, the burden would be on YOU to prove the value of the bag and its contents whatever their coverage limitation is ... IF you wanted to take the matter to court.

 

[army judge]

You have to PROVE she said anything.

I don't think you can, seeing as how they have suddenly suffered a debilitating memory loss.