BREAKING NEWS: The South Beach thief isn’t who you think it is!
VACATION TURNS INTO NIGHTMARE: WOMAN CLAIMS HOTEL ROOM WAS ENTERED, BELONGINGS STOLEN, THEN WAS KICKED OUT
A woman named Erica Smiley took to Facebook to share a troubling experience that she says happened during what was supposed to be a celebratory trip.
Erica explained that she and her husband had just returned from a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale on Friday, March 27—her 30th birthday. To celebrate, her husband booked a stay at Hotel Ocean in South Beach before they planned to head home the next day.
When they arrived, their room wasn’t ready, so they left their suitcases with hotel staff and went out. After later returning, checking into their room, and heading back out for a bit, they came back again—only to realize something wasn’t right.
According to Erica, when they tried to get back into their room, their key cards— which had just worked earlier—suddenly would not unlock the door. They went down to the front desk and had new key cards issued, but those didn’t work either. Maintenance was then called, but even a master key card failed to open the door. Eventually, someone had to use a physical key to get them inside.
Once inside, they discovered several items were missing, including multiple watches belonging to her husband, valued at over $2,000, as well as Erica’s wallet. She said her debit card was then used at multiple nearby businesses, about three-quarters of a mile away.
Erica also pointed out that there is a separate entry door to the room used by hotel staff, and while she admits she didn’t check that door before leaving, she says guests shouldn’t have to worry about their belongings being taken from inside a locked hotel room.
After reporting the incident to the front desk, law enforcement was called. A police report was filed. However, Erica says no real action was taken. Frustrated, they left the hotel and went to a nearby restaurant. While they were there, she says they received a message from the hotel telling them they needed to leave the property immediately, claiming that filing a “false report” violated hotel policy.
Erica believes the key card issues may not have been a coincidence and suspects the cards were intentionally disabled during the time someone may have entered the room.
At this time, these are her claims, and no official findings have been released.
