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Lagunamar Theft - Take 2

okwiater

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@Smithsingeneva reported a theft of two phones at Lagunamar a couple weeks ago (https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/lagunamar-theft.275490/).

We are staying at Lagunamar now in several rooms and have experienced some suspicious activity in multiple rooms as well as a theft.

One of our rooms has had wallets rifled through, cash lifted (they left two $20’s but there was $100+ in the wallet), and credit cards outright stolen. Fraudulent charges started showing up within 2 days. That same room has had a “mid-week tidy” performed 3 days in a row now. We interrupted the third “maid” standing next to the bedside table and had him stay in the room while we called security.

Meanwhile, in another room, “security” made an unannounced visit to “check the deadbolts and secure the slide latch.” Upon checking the latch, the three screws which secure it to the doorframe had been loosened so that it floats freely away from the doorframe.

We are owners here and love the resort, as well as the vast majority of people who work and live here. However, we wanted to post this as a heads-up that this seems to be beyond a single isolated incident. Even if you don’t have a mid-week tidy scheduled, you should secure all your valuables every time you leave the room.
 

Sea Six

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Pack your nanny-cams until this gets resolved!
 

DeniseM

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Why not just use the safe??? :shrug:
 

DannyTS

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okwiater

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Why not just use the safe??? :shrug:

We do use the safe for extreme valuables (I.e. expensive jewelry, laptops, passports, etc.) but don’t always lock away petty cash, kids’ iPads, etc. unless a mid-week tidy is scheduled since access to these items is needed frequently.

Also, using the safe doesn’t address the safety issue related to the loosened slide latch.
 

okwiater

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Pack your nanny-cams until this gets resolved!

I agree with this — pack a nanny cam for peace of mind until Vistana catches the perpetrators and resolves the issue.
 

taterhed

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Why not just contact the GM and let them know that you're going to publish this on Facebook and youtube if they don't get their act together.

so sad.
 

okwiater

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Why not just contact the GM and let them know that you're going to publish this on Facebook and youtube if they don't get their act together.

so sad.
Yeah, it’s sad, but I’m not really one to threaten or issue ultimatums. They clearly have a bad egg or two on staff and need to figure it out. Vistana monitors this forum and by posting they are being made aware of the issue.
 

taterhed

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You're right of course. It just burns me up. A really nice resort can be trashed with just a few complaints.
Certainly this seems quite concerning.

Hope it goes well from here.
 

VacationForever

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Thank you for reporting this. I typically lock away my laptop, tablet and valuables in the safe. Sometimes we do leave cell phone in the room to charge when we leave for a short period of time. This is a good reminder to all to be vigilant. But often we cannot lock away a large laptop.
 

Ken555

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But often we cannot lock away a large laptop.

I believe all of our resorts have large safes. I’ve had no issue with locking up my 15” laptop.


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controller1

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I believe all of our resorts have large safes. I’ve had no issue with locking up my 15” laptop.


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Same here. Insert in safe short side and then turn around once inside!
 

Ken555

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My husband uses a humongous gaming machine... it does not fit...

Then he should get a lock for it and secure it that way. I travel with one and occasionally use it. A “humongous gaming machine” is atypical and no one would objectively fault a resort for not having a safe large enough for it.


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VacationForever

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Then he should get a lock for it and secure it that way. I travel with one and occasionally use it. A “humongous gaming machine” is atypical and no one would objectively fault a resort for not having a safe large enough for it.


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I often tell him to leave that thing at home as he should give himself a break from his habit, ahem... addiction, when he is travelling. :) He does not want to use a cable lock. He is one who is very trusting of housekeeping or maintenance people, and I have to take his tablet from him to lock up in the safe when we leave the room.
 

dioxide45

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You could also lock items in your suitcase. We take a bicycle lock and lock the suitcase to something fixed. Not a surefire fix, but prevents the quick grab and go.
 

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I have a feeling with three mid week tidy's that some of the upper level housekeeping staff are in on it as well,
especially if they let the maid go etc...,
 

maddog497

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This is very disappointing.

I guess we are very nieave as we didn't lock up our cell phones, laptop or tablet last time we were there and we got a card left in our room stating security had been called during the cleaning to ensure everything was ok. (That's not 100% what it said but you get the drift).

We absolutely locked up money or other valuables.

I was thinking the other post may have been an exception but if this is twice in a short period of time with just tuggers, how many has it happened to that we don't know about?

Hopefully someone high enough up will address this or maybe someone will have to get caught red handed, or even on video to bring this to an end.

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Yes disappointing to hear of multiple thefts. We liked Lagunamar a lot on our sole stay.

DH is pretty meticulous about putting everything of value in the safe if we're leaving unit, including documents with personal info. LOL we make it all fit.
We don't bring high end stuff, but still don't want to present temptations to housekeeping.
 

okwiater

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I wanted to post an update.

Security met with us and explained that we have received multiple cleanings on this particular room because it was part of an Explorer package. I didn’t realize that daily housekeeping was part of the package but apparently it’s treated like a hotel rather than ownership stay. That made us feel much better that the thefts are likely due to the actions of a single individual rather than representative of a more widespread issue. In any case, they are interviewing each of the staff who accessed the room and we are satisfied with their handling of the situation.

On the other room with the compromised slide latch, a maintenance team showed up to make a repair and it is now secure to the doorframe.
 

davidvel

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This is very disappointing.

I guess we are very nieave as we didn't lock up our cell phones, laptop or tablet last time we were there and we got a card left in our room stating security had been called during the cleaning to ensure everything was ok. (That's not 100% what it said but you get the drift).

We absolutely locked up money or other valuables.

I was thinking the other post may have been an exception but if this is twice in a short period of time with just tuggers, how many has it happened to that we don't know about?

Hopefully someone high enough up will address this or maybe someone will have to get caught red handed, or even on video to bring this to an end.

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Once someone gets a video, it can go viral on social media, and only then will the world care. :D
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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I wanted to post an update.

Security met with us and explained that we have received multiple cleanings on this particular room because it was part of an Explorer package. I didn’t realize that daily housekeeping was part of the package but apparently it’s treated like a hotel rather than ownership stay. .

DAILY cleaning & housekeeping is standard at many Mexican Timeshares .
Vidanta has it at ALL brands - from Sea Garden to Grand Luxe .

When we exchanged into Raintree Club Regina in Cancun ( 2015) the suite was fully cleaned daily .

Daily complete towel replacement is included in housekeeping as well.

IMO - the housekeeping staff at Mexican Timeshares should be tipped - based on the
service . We generally do 800 pesos a week / about $ 6 USD per day .
( based on daily service )
 
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dioxide45

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DAILY cleaning & housekeeping is standard at many Mexican Timeshares .
Vidanta has it at ALL brands - from Sea Garden to Grand Luxe .

When we exchanged into Raintree Club Regina in Cancun ( 2015) the suite was fully cleaned daily .

Daily complete towel replacement is included in housekeeping as well.

IMO - the housekeeping staff at Mexican Timeshares should be tipped - based on the
service . We generally do 800 pesos a week / about $ 6 USD per day .
At Lagunamar they only offer mid week tidy for timeshare stays. Daily housekeeping is included if staying on a reservation booked through Westin or Starwood websites (cash or SPG points).
 

okwiater

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At Lagunamar they only offer mid week tidy for timeshare stays. Daily housekeeping is included if staying on a reservation booked through Westin or Starwood websites (cash or SPG points).

And Explorer packages, apparently!
 

Ken555

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And Explorer packages, apparently!

I think I read about this some years ago and the thinking was that this was to improve the chances of a developer purchase. Every little bit helps when you’re selling lemons.


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