Sonesta Emeryville Hotel review: Safety and customer service

I am writing because of my recent experience at the Sonesta Emeryville on Saturday, August 19th. I was taking my daughter back to school and arrived at the Sonesta around 11 p.m. We parked in the hotel lot next to the back entrance and went up to the room with our overnight bags. We left other things in our car intended for her dorm room, etc.

In the morning, I received an upsetting call from someone who discovered our luggage and its contents scattered under a pedestrian bridge that crosses railroad tracks about a five minute drive away. We ran downstairs to find shattered glass everywhere. My vehicle had been broken into.

I approached Miguel B. and asked to speak with the hotel manager. He told me that he was the manager. Since my daughter and I were alone, I asked if anyone could help us retrieve our belongings before someone else took them. He said they could not because of liability reasons. I also inquired whether they had any security cameras. He stated that they did not. When I explained distraughtly that the next afternoon was the earliest I could get my glass replaced and that I would have to stay an extra night, he asked for my credit card.

We called the police and tried to get a taxi; the wait was long. When the police arrived, they completed a report and offered to get our remaining belongings. The thieves had searched through everything. Later, we returned to the location and found my air tag tossed into [censored]ly bushes.

We quickly discovered that there have been past crime incidents around the hotel, and thieves are breaking into cars repeatedly. Mr. Miguel B. (who is not the hotel manager) has had his laptop stolen from his car twice. An employee told us they would not even leave 25 cents in their vehicle for fear of it being stolen. Another individual who works nearby said their car was stolen two weeks earlier and has not been recovered.

Although hotels are not liable for their guests' personal belongings, it seems only fair to inform people of past incidents and advise them not to leave ANY valuables in their vehicles when checking in. In addition, for the safety and protection of all, why is there no security or cameras? More people could get burglarized or even hurt, and it seems to me that this issue should be taken seriously! I am extremely disappointed in how my situation at the Sonesta Emeryville was handled.

Monique