When you book a stay at a hotel, the last thing you expect is for a member of staff to access your room and steal from you while you're using the pool, but that's exactly what Michelle Fagan - a teacher from Motherwell - says she experienced when she was staying at the Village Hotel on Crewe Road in Edinburgh last weekend (5 April).
She was in Edinburgh to take her daughter to see Matilda The Musical as a special treat, and says the bad experience 'ruined' her whole weekend.
What's more, although the hotel's duty manager confirmed that a member of staff had checked out the key and accessed the room 'when they had no reason to be there', Michelle says she hasn't had any compensation or news about what action will be taken against the suspected rogue housekeeper.
She told Edinburgh Live :
"The theft happened on the Friday. When we were at the pool, someone went into the our room twice within four minutes according to the key card. They left my mobile phone and other valuables, they just took the cash from my purse. I think they thought we wouldn't notice if it was missing at first, but we'd have spotted the missing phones straight away.
"The duty manager phoned me on Saturday and said I should report it to the police , which I did: but they say it could have been one of four people with access to the room, and they can't charge all of them.
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"I was then told that the duty manager would call me back, but they repeatedly failed to do so. Eventually I did get a call saying that the member of staff they suspect only works one day a week, and that they won't be able to interview them until Wednesday (17 April).
"Although they acknowledge the theft happened, they haven't done anything except say they're 'really sorry', they haven't refunded the room, which I paid full price for, never mind the money that was stolen.
"There wasn't a safe in the room, so I wasn't able to put it in there. I've since discovered that this has happened before at the hotel. One couple who were holding a wedding at the hotel had £250 stolen from their room despite hiding it under a jumper. Another said their luggage was tampered with. I just want it to be dealt with so it doesn't happen to anyone else."
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A check on Tripadvisor confirms that other people have reported missing cash while staying at the hotel. One review is titled "AVOID - maid STEALING money." The user wrote:
"Booked this for our Anniversary for me and husband we opened our cards of which we were given money, put in my purse and went for a walk round Edinburgh. We went the next day to York and found my money wasn’t in my purse. There was only a £5 note with all my receipts.
"My husband called the Manager and we are still waiting to see what door activity there was between 1pm and 17.30 we await your call management."
Edinburgh Live have reached out to The Village Hotel for comment.
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