As a regular user of Tripadvisor and having read bradleytraveller’s review, I honestly can’t believe how stupid we were!
We had no choice about stopping at the Strand Hotel (in October 2007), as it was part of our organised tour with Voyages Jules Verne. We read the review of the hotel on Tripadvisor and took some tape with us so we could securely tape up our valuables before putting them into the hotel safe (we thought this was more sensible than leaving them in the room or carrying them around with us).
When it came to putting our valuables into the safe the receptionist talked us through how the security bag and unique numbered tab worked to ensure our valuables were not tampered with so we decided not to tape up the document holder. Big mistake…
When we got it back (the night before check out) we carefully counted the money and found that £40 sterling and 600 SA Rand had been taken out. We immediately confronted the guy on reception and were told that there was no way that the document holder had been tampered with (it had been put into a security bag with a numbered clip in the zip to stop it from being opened).
I mentioned that we had read about their theft problem on Tripadvisor and that we shouldn’t have trusted them. We were told we were liars and that we were trying to rip them off!
We demanded that the police were called and that our guide (from Springbok Atlas) was contacted. A report was filed with the local police.
We know that we will never see that money again, but what we can do is try and stop this from happening to others, so please please please, do take this warning seriously, either do not use this hotel, or if you have no choice please count your money in front of them with witnesses and ask the receptionist to sign a piece of paper saying exactly what you are placing into the safe. It’s the only way we can stop them from pulling this scam again.
As to the hotel itself, the location was great, the room was run down and the breakfast was average… but who really wants to stop at a hotel where you can’t trust the staff!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
14 December 2007
Please allow us the opportunity of giving our side of the happenings at Strand Hotel:
1. The initial review which the "don't trust them' traveller has referred to on ‘trip advisor’ is an unsubstantiated claim: the guests only noticed that they were missing money after they had already left the hotel, and the money could therefore have disappeared any time after their departure or elsewhere during their stay in Swakopmund. It is an unfair review, as we had no way to try to help them solve the problem, and the accusation cannot in any way be proven.
2. The writer of the review "don't trust them", let's call him Mr. X, requested to put some valuables in the safe. He was given a ‘sealable bag’.
3. He put his valuables inside. The number of the unique seal is recorded inside an internal, transparent pocket on the front of the bag, as well as on an official paper, which the guest signed. The pocket can only be accessed from the inside of the bag, i.e. while it is still open. Then the bag was closed with a zip and the unique seal was inserted. Then the bag was put into the hotel safe. The paper which recorded the seal number with the guest’s signature was filed for future reference.
4. When Mr. X. requested his items back, the bag was removed from the safe. The seal number compared to the seal number on the paper which the guest signed, as well as the seal number in the front pocket of the bag. Mr. X. confirmed that it was the correct seal.
5. He then broke the seal, took out his belongings, and went up to his room. A while later, he came down, and reported at reception that some of his money had been stolen.
6. The duty manager was called as well as the police, who subsequently took a statement from Mr. Talbot.
7. Seeing that the original seal was still intact, and the bag undamaged, it is impossible, that someone could have removed any belongings out of the bag.
Maybe, the money was stolen from Mr. X at any time and place prior to him putting it in the hotel safe or maybe he used it and forgot about it, and the review which he had read, triggered his immediate response that his valuables were stolen at our hotel.
A photo series of the bag and the sealing and opening process is available for anyone, who would like to assure himself of the procedure.
Yours sincerely
Nathaly Ahrens
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
