You vetted your hotel carefully and made sure it was in a nice part of town. It had great reviews, looked lovely and seemed like a fantastic place to stay.
You never dreamed you would be assaulted, beaten and robbed by some criminal while you were there.
Is the hotel liable for your injuries and losses? Maybe. Here’s what you should know.
Your case may depend on what the hotel knew about the danger
In general, you usually can’t hold a hotel responsible for crimes committed by third parties – unless you can show that the hotel should have anticipated your danger.
What does that mean? For example, if you stayed in a particularly upscale hotel, the odds are high that the hotel management is aware that guests may be carrying all kinds of valuables with them. You may have reasonably believed that they would have adequate security on hand to protect their guests from robbers.
Or, perhaps there had been a rash of robberies in and around hotels in the area. If they were well-published, you wouldn’t have expected to be aware of the danger (since you’re not from the area), but the hotel owner should have been. They could have added security measures in response.
Finally, imagine that the criminal who attacked you is caught – and they turn out to be a hotel employee who has a rap sheet longer than their arm. If the hotel failed to vet the employee with a background check before hiring them, that might also make the hotel liable.
In troubled economic times, robberies and assaults tend to rise. If you’re the victim of a third-party assault while you’re staying at a hotel this holiday season, it would be wise to talk to someone about a claim for negligent security.
