At least a dozen cars broken into at high-end Midtown Atlanta hotels
12 cars parked by hotel valet broken into
Atlanta police want to find out who is responsible for a dozen car break-ins at two popular Midtown Atlanta hotels. Many guests say they maybe could've dealt with the invasion of privacy they experienced at Crown Plaza and Staybridge Suites Atlanta with the break-ins, but they were taken aback when their claims to repair their cars were denied.
ATLANTA - Atlanta Police are still trying to find out who is responsible for a dozen car break-ins at two popular Midtown Atlanta hotels.
Many of the guests say they can almost deal with the invasion of privacy they experienced at Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites Atlanta with the break-ins, but they didn't expect their claims to repair those cars would be denied.
Some recent visitors to the city came here to enjoy Atlanta, but they left disappointed after their stay at a high-end hotel.
"The central location," Chandler Collins explained. "We wanted to be in the heart of downtown where we were able to walk everywhere."
He and his wife Ashley decided to stay in Atlanta overnight to break up a long trip to their home state of Mississippi. They valet parked to secure their vehicle and woke up the next morning ready to hit the road, when they realized their Audi had a problem.
"I saw some people in the lobby yelling and screaming, I didn't know what was exactly going on. Then the valet manager told us we were one of 12 cars broken into. I was pretty much shocked, honestly," Collins explained.
Chandler says he was shocked because he and his wife had paid for valet parking. They say a valet attendant told them the garage was full, and their cars were parked in a lot with a sign that read, "Unauthorized parking, 30-minute visitor parking."
"When you pay $48, you put your trust in the valet that they are going to take good care of your car, that they are going to secure that vehicle, and there's not going to be anything stolen," the Mississippi resident complained.
Many of the 12 victims filled out a claim form from third-party vendor, Town Park, but most of those claims were denied.
"They are throwing the terminology: ‘We are not responsible for vandalism.’ Well, at what point, is it a negligence of security? You pay a $48-valet fee, it is on the hotel to make sure your car is in the right spot," Collins exclaimed.
Retail manager Seigee Jones from Mississippi had a similar experience at Staybridge Suites Atlanta. Her Infiniti QX60 truck was broken into after valet parking.
For some, the negative experience in Atlanta leaves a bad taste in their mouths.
"We were at the Dollar General getting cardboard, duct tape, and trash bags for my window, and one of the workers said, ‘Did you lock keys in your vehicle?’ And I said, ‘No, someone vandalized my car last night’ and she said, ‘Hey, welcome to Atlanta,’" Jones said in disbelief.
FOX 5 reached out to Crowne Plaza to get their side of the story, the hotel says they do not run the valet or parking lots and would have Town Park reach out. They have not yet responded.