a hard lesson to learn.

On Tuesday morning, we packed up and went to breakfast at a little diner near the hotel.  I was a little sad to be heading to the airport since Charleston looked so bright and sunny that day.  But I was looking so forward to seeing Mom in Arizona, I could barely stand it!! 

Charleston to Dallas to Tucson... We were exhausted by the time we arrived that night!!  Mom made us one of my favorites for dinner: chicken tortilla soup with a cheese-and-green-onion quesadilla on the side.  After dinner, we just chatted and enjoyed some of the Birthday Cake Oreo's we bought on our way home!!  (Have you guys tried these?  They are delish!!)   

On Wednesday morning, I started pulling things out of my suitcase to put together my outfit for the day.  When I reached for my watch in the jewelry bag in my carryon, it wasn't there.  I immediately had a sinking feeling in my stomach.  I am extremely organized when I pack - everything has a package or a container or bag of some sort.  I tore through my bags over and over again, thinking it had slipped out and gotten tucked somewhere else.  No such luck.  

I wore the watch when J and I went out to dinner on Sunday night and took it off in the hotel room that night.  I didn't wear it on Monday, but I was in the hotel room Monday evening until I left Tuesday morning.  My jewelry bag was with me in my carryon until I got to my parents' house.  So the watch disappeared sometime during the day on Monday while we were out.

I honestly felt depressed all day on Wednesday... I felt guilty and awful that I had allowed such a beautiful gift to be stolen.  I felt frustrated that I was so far away from Charleston and I couldn't just go to the room and search it myself or ask the cleaning staff at the hotel or something!!  And I felt sad because I loved the watch and had been so touched that my father would pick out something like that for me.  

I called the Market Pavilion Hotel, spoke to the manager, and waited to hear from him while he spoke to his staff and searched the room again.  A little over a day later (it was pure torture waiting) he called me back and said that his employees didn't know anything about the watch and that it "wasn't there".  I called the Charleston Police Department and filed a claim on the watch, which they are currently investigating... I am clinging to this for any hope I have left.  I also placed "reward if found" ads in 2 Charleston newspapers.  I feel like I have done all I can at this point.  

I may try to see if my homeowner's insurance will cover the watch, but it's more than just the monetary cost of the watch.  My dad saw the watch and got it for me as a gift, so the watch is worth 1,000 times more to me than it could ever be sold for.  That's the terrible thing about theft, isn't it??  The person who stole it from you has no idea how much sentimental value that item may have to you.  

I choose not to use the safe at hotels because I've heard horror stories about how the hotel staff have a master key to unlock them... About how they have not opened when people try to retrieve their items... About how hotels have been hesitant to open a locked safe in case the items were locked in by the previous guests and not you.  

And this may make me incredibly naive, but... If I'm paying a significant amount to stay in a nice hotel, shouldn't I be able to leave my belongings in the room I'm renting?!  I mean, I wasn't staying in a Motel 8 here, people.  It just seems ridiculous.  

My parents have encouraged me to accept the fact that the watch is long gone and I will never see it again.  But I just can't help thinking the next time I open my jewelry bag it will magically be there... Or that my phone is going to ring and the police will have located it.  Why is hope so difficult to suppress?!

I guess, if anything, I have learned a difficult lesson.  The next time I go to a hotel, I can guarantee you I won't be leaving anything in the hotel room.  I probably won't bring my nicer items at all... And anything I do bring will be worn and with me the entire time.  

And maybe some of you can learn from my lesson and you won't have to experience it yourselves.  To sum up, here are a few hard-learned tips... 

1)  Leave your more valuable pieces at home and put them in a safety deposit box at the bank before you go on vacation.  

2)  No matter how nice or "five-star" the hotel is, always take extra precautions!! 

3)  Keep your jewelry in your carryon or handbag while traveling and while staying at the hotel.    

4)  If you trust the safe, use it... Or simply keep valuables in your handbag when you go out. 

5)  Keep the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door at all times so that cleaning staff don't have a reason to enter your room when you aren't there.  (Thanks for this tip, Megan!!)   

6)  If you DO end up missing an item: Retrace your steps... Speak to a hotel manager... Then don't hesitate to call the police. 

7)  You can call pawn shops around the area where the item was stolen to ensure that anyone who might try to sell it is stopped and the pawn shop can notify you. 

8)  Placing ads or notices in local newspapers can get the word out.  Research shows that people are more likely to respond to ads that offer a "reward if found".

9)  Always keep all receipts, boxes, and serial numbers when you purchase or are given something more valuable.  This information is necessary when filing a police report for stolen items or filing an insurance claim for stolen items.  

 

10)  Once you've checked your suitcase and bags 3 or 4 times, you need to stop... Or you will go insane.  Trust me!!! 

I hope that none of you have had to go through this lately!!  And if you have, I would love any tips or suggestions for tracking down items or for preventing theft in the first place!!

Xoxo B.