Holiday Inn review: Employees stole my Car Keys

I had a horrible experience on my last stay Wednesday the 19th of February at at the Holiday Inn Express Autonoma Guadalajara.

My Name: Jaime Felix Member #: [protected]; made this reservation as a Rewards Redemption Night with Business and Leisure purpose with my family as my son was having a Soccer Tournament that weekend.

The incident:
We arrived on a rental car AVEO (Gray Color) 2018 (EUROPCAR RENTAL) around 10:00 pm. My wife and son stayed inside the car while I was doing check in. During the check-in I experienced several customer service problems:

1.-We had trouble getting our second and third night reservation under the same type of room; whereas the solution from the front desk was not friendly and fair. they wanted us to do check out and check in and wait til roon type availability, something we didnt agreed as we were already checked in; and we should it been extended on the same type of room.

2.-Customer representative FRANCIA and the other Girl who was there too; finally fix th problem but they were very pissed off and angry about giving us the solution we wanted and believed was the fair one.

3.-In the procees when the CUSTOMER REP was giving us the keys my wife gave my the car keys and I put them inside my pants. After checking iN, we proceed with unloading baggage, portfolio and a yellown purse from the car. I introduced the key in the trunk to unload things and my wife opened the back door and have my son taken to our room.

4.-Once I unlaoded things, I went to the car and closed the trunk and doors, but couldnt remember if I put my keys inside my pants.

5.-It took around 7 to 8 minutes from that moment I closed the car to the moment I got back to the car ( I needed to park it correctly; it was left at the lobby door) from delivering the baggage in my room 103.
after those 7 minutes, I realized I didnt have the keys wih me neither were at the car inside or placed at trunk or doors.

6. What could it happen in between those 7-8 minutes interval and 100 meter distance I walked to deliver baggage and got back to the car?

7.-This incident was reported to everybody at the hotel at the momento which was around 11 pm. Neither the Customer Reps which seemed careless, the security officer in charge couldnt couldnt find anything and didnt let me watch Security Cameras.

8.-Time passed to midnight and 2 am; doing ultra dilligence in order to find the keys inside the car, lobby, elevator, 103 aile, 103 room inside my portfolio, yellow bag and cloth I was wearing. Nothing found and around passed 2 am; the security officer which looked the cameras but didnt let me take a look at them; told me I had open the car trunk but couldnt say if the keys were removed or left. Also, nobody seemed to have them picked off from the trunk or from the floor if they fell accordingly to the videos.

9.-As I was afraid someone had the intention to stole my cars or even just to have me had a bad time due to the check in situation; I decided to step inside the car and remain there from 430 am to 545 am. In the mean time I checked all Garbage cans, and all lobby furniture. Customer rep a male, was reallu pissed off about what I was doing and was so rude arguing with my wife as situation was so strange.

10.-By 6 AM I start tlaking to all employees at the hotel about my situation and offering them a Reward. By 8 am I had mostly all the guest explained this situation with hope of having any of them found the keys,

11. At 8:30 am I had the opportunuty to watch the videos, with Security Boss Carlos. Things werent clear as with the cameras, nobody could prove cars were removed by my when closing the car; but on video if keys werent removed it was clear accodingly to the videos that nobody took them, There was only one bell boy rep who walked twice next to the trunk but didnt seem he took the keys.

12. Security department came with me to the room and we looked all over for the keys and nothing showed up neither in the room or the aile. By that moment, around 9:00 am I missed my business agenda and I was running late to my personal family affair.

13.-The security boss arranged having search inside the basement of both elevators. I personally entered both basements but couldn find anything.

14.-At that moment the only thing left was interviewing the bell boy who walked next to the car trunk twice when I was deliveryng the baggage at my room. I called Carlos at 14 hours when this individual was supposed to attend but he called in sick…..

15.-I started looking options and needed to have the rental company give my another car or having someone do the car keys. So I decided to have someone doing them a $4, 500 MXN but couldnt have them done until next day Friday at mid morning.

16.-By thrusday Night when coming back to the hotel, nobody had reported any keys to the front desk. All guests constantly asked me If I had found them…..

17.-On Friday morning I packed and continue paying Ubers as I wasnt able yet to use the rental car. By mid morning when the Car Key Manufacturer was at site starting to craft the key and programming it; the Manager suddenly showed up for the first time and told me they just found the keys.

18.-I asked her to take me to the spot they found them and who found them. She tooked me to the 1st floor where she said initially I visited after going to my room in other floor; something that wasnt correct as I always stayed at the first floor and never visited other floor or room. Anyways, the guy who found them was very quite, actually he dind t talk at all, and the manager just said, keys were just on the bottom layer of a Wood table next below a painting.

19.-Lots of inconsistencies as that spot was completely checked by myself, wife and security officer. When I was given the chance of looking at the cameras I asked for the cameras on the 1st floor but they told me they didnt work…..

20. At the end, I has a 42 hour day non sleep. Lost my business agenda on Thursday, had payed 4, 000 pesos for the manufacture of the car keys and have a horrible headache on my famuly event. Actually a disaster.

I have no doubt, those keys were kept by the hotel employee; very probable by the leader of the Customer Representatives as a result of the conflict of the check in process.

Car keys were not inside the car.
Car keys were not inside my room.
Car keys were not inside my pants.
Car keys were not inside the elevator nor the lobby or basement.
Car keys were not reported by any guest; as no one of them reported.
I never stopped by that Wood Table at Floor #1. Keys couldnt been there.
The aisle of floor 1 was empty and nobody picked up anythind overthere.
When I was given the keys on Friday mid morning; by 15:00 hours I called the Security boss Carlos, and he told me he wasnt aware of the finding; and seemed pissed when I strongly suggested him look carefully to the cameras to get to the point.

The only options left are:
-Someone of the employees having a way to pick or collect the keys either from the trunk or between the car and the elevator If by any chance the fell from my hands when walking to the elevator.

This is the only place where they could it take the keys as it was a matter of 7 minutes at the most and the only left to have done that were the employees in their anger.

I strongly suffest taking action against this situation. I am an executive officer in PRIMOS AND COUSINS, and I am a IHG member since 15 years ago aprox. Never had an issue in the US or in MX.

With this, I just want you to take action as this isnt fair, all damages Monetary and health have them repaired and in the meantime I Will stop and not recomed this hotel.

Jaime Felix
[protected]
[protected]@gmail.com
[protected]@primos-cousins.com.mx