Dear Ms. Phu Gia Tran:
The Browning Hotel management has received your feedback.
To provide our online community and guests with an accurate and comprehensive viewpoint based on facts and legal considerations, we would like to clarify the following points you raised:
1. Regarding the search for lost items: Ms. Gia, you took photos of your personal belongings scattered on the bed upon check-in (including a pillow). These photos prove that the pillow was on the bed upon check-in, but do not prove that it was still on the bed upon check-out.
Upon receiving the report of the lost items, the housekeeping team immediately conducted a thorough search of the entire room, considering all possibilities. The hotel manager checked under the bed, in the wardrobe, and in inconspicuous places such as behind the curtains, but did not find the pillow.
Regarding your claim that "a large pillow cannot be hidden in a backpack," pillows are designed to relieve neck and shoulder pain (typically made of high-density, resilient foam or cotton fibers) and can be easily rolled up in a large suitcase. It is possible that you forgot the pillow while packing and placed it in another bag.
2. Regarding CCTV footage: Our hotel is fully cooperative and will provide CCTV footage of the hallway upon request. The footage clearly shows that the cleaning staff followed standard procedures after the guest checked out.
In the past, several guests have repeatedly claimed that our hotel staff discarded the bag containing the pillows. However, CCTV footage shows the staff taking the trash bag from near the elevator, not from the guest's room. This evidence fully demonstrates the honesty and reliability of our hotel staff. Our hotel does not believe the allegations of staff bias and considered filing a police report, but the staff refused.
3. Regarding cooperation with the local police: The guest claimed the pillows were still in the room, but the hotel denied this claim. Therefore, to protect the guest's rights and prove the innocence of our hotel staff, the hotel requested a voluntary investigation by the local police.
By law, after being notified of missing property, the police must prepare a crime scene investigation report signed by all parties involved. The fact that the police could not conduct an investigation by telephone, and the guest had already moved to Hue, necessitated extensive legal action. The hotel did not intend to pressure the guest or complicate the situation. However, the guest refused to cooperate with the investigation and posted negative and false information on social media, including the claim that "the pillows cost less than 500,000 Vietnamese Dong."
