My wife's shoulder bag was stolen inside the hotel lobby on our first day in Madrid
We had just experienced a Madrid's "tourist attraction": pick-pocketing, and it was right inside this 4-star hotel lobby!
My wife and I arrived at the hotel on August 8, 2023, to join a 13-day guided tour of Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Since it was still early to have a room, my wife put her small bag on a sofa in the lobby and went to the bathroom. I sat on the opposite sofa to watch the bag. Someone tapped on my shoulder to indicate my luggage had tipped over. I turned around to erect the luggage, and when I turned back, my wife's bag was gone. The staff checked the security video, said it only showed my wife and me. Upon our insistence, they finally admitted there were two other persons, one diverted my attention, and the other snatched the bag.
My wife's bag contained passport, driver's license, two credit cards, iPhone, iPad, large sum of cash, some jewels, etc. We rushed to the US Embassy for an emergency passport, cancelled the credit cards, and went to the police to file a report. We were so upset that we wanted to return to the US immediately, but decided to go with the tour, and while on the tour, had to contact many US agencies for fraud and identity theft prevention.
We're now back in the US, and have to deal with the aftermath associated with this snafu, i.e., a new passport, driver's license, credit cards, iPhone & iPad, filing travel insurance claims, etc.
It's just outright absurd that the hotel's lack of security allows non-guests to freely roaming the small lobby to steal stuff without catching the attention of the hotel staff. Madrid, especially the hotel, will forever be a very horrible experience for both of us. read more