Hotel bathroom cam prompts lawsuit

(September 26, 2002) Bryan Brewer thought the tiny black spot he noticed on a light fixture in the bathroom of his Knoxville, Tennessee Marriot hotel room was just an insect, so naturally he took a swat at it. But that move broke the glass, revealing wires and a small camera. According to his $1.5 million lawsuit against the hotel chain, "The video camera was connected to the bathroom light switch such that the camera would begin recording when the bathroom light was turned on."

Read the full story at Knox News

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_1438232,00.html  

-- Modified on 9/27/2002 2:15:11 PM

Everyone, please double-check your links before posting.  Thanks.

-- Modified on 9/26/2002 11:35:04 PM

This is no more a "Marriott" problem than a car-jacking of a CLK is a "Mercedes" problem. (Maybe not the best analogy, but you know what I mean . . . . ) People do stupid things every day.  The fact that one commits a stupid act at a particular hotel does not mean others need to be "warned" of or be wary of that hotel.

And the guy suing over such an incident?  Give me a break.  He's looking for free money.


-- Modified on 9/27/2002 1:30:48 PM

Strange things can happen even in the better hotels.  One never knows what businesses or hotels are up to.  Call me paranoid but, I am going to start being a little more conscious of hotel rooms and bathrooms before I slide on my thigh highs and garter belt.  

May be a class action lawsuit by former guests of that hotel is appropriate.

I'm trying to see the logic here for either side. If Mariott themselves are responsible (the fact that they won't surrender the tape makes me wonder!), then some *person* did this. Somehow put the video camera in there, hooked it up to the light wiring, labelled it carefully. Holes in this story... if it was a single person wiring a single room, they wouldn't need to put the room number on the tape... and it is HIGHLY unlikely that someone could go into a hotel room, figure out how to change the WIRING of the electrical system, without a) electrocuting themselves, or b) making such a mess that hotel housekeeping would notice.  OK it is POSSIBLE... but UNLIKELY.

But I cannot see a Mariott having REASON to do this either. So maybe it was someone who WORKED for Mariott doing this without the hotel's knowledge. Either way, we definitely need to get to the bottom of it and the people who stay at Mariott hotels have a right to know the deal. I don't blame him a bit for suing... somehow this doesn't seem the same to me as blaming McDonald's for "too hot" coffee.

Hugs*
Nicole

Unless someone at the hotel is found to be responsible for placing the camera, it makes no sense to file a suit against the hotel.  I enjoy my freedom and I know there are many others in this hobby that like the freedom to bring toys or cameras to hotels; if a class action lawsuit is brought against the hotel for one of their guests leaving the camera, the next step for the hotel is to make sure their guests don't bring that type of equipment into the hotel.  Imagine, checking into a hotel would be worse than trying to board an airplane in our paranoid country (imagine the racial profiling for this one; OK, all computer geeks, UP AGAINST THE WALL).

I admit it; I am a pervert according to societal norms (and, probably, even by many of my fellow posters opinion).  If my perversion goes to the extent of placing cameras, I would gladly be held accountable.  However, since I don't work for the hotels I stay at, why should they be held accountable for my actions.  

Following your logic, any hotel that allows a meeting between individuals for illegal purposes is responsible for those actions.  That does not sound like a very well thought out stance for someone associated with this board for some odd reason.  A case against your favorite place to stay for your meeting one of the lovely ladies from the board may make subsequent reservation a little difficult to obtain.

I sincerely hope that this case finds an intelligent judge that dismisses it as it should be.  I wonder if the lawyer filing it would have even bothered if the camera would have been in a Motel 6?

DrX

-- Modified on 9/28/2002 1:39:26 AM

I always wondered where they got that real looking footage for those voyeur videos of girls in the restroom... they got it from the Marriot!!    LOL.

to sue the hotel.  Who do you think has deeper pockets, the hotel or whomever planted the camera or cameras?  Marriott will probably settle in order to avoid anymore bad press, loss of income from such press and to minimize legal fees.  We live in a very litigous society!  Sad but true!

I don't find any problem with them not surrenderring the tape.  I am sure it went to law enforcement as part of the investigation.  As to the wiring, it is EXTREMELY easy to do the wiring which was done to insert the camera between the switch and the light fixture.  It is highly likely somebody could go into the room and place such a camera.  I do agree that it probably wasn't just one room wired.  I bet other rooms were outfitted with cameras.  Marriott didn't disclose their investigation into the other rooms.

It will be interesting to see who actually planted the camera or cameras in the room or rooms.  My bet is on a Marriott employee.  However, we may never know because the lawsuit will probably be settled and contain a nondisclosure agreement.

Lastly, the use of hidden cameras is very widely used these days.  Do you think some incall establishments don't have cameras in their rooms?  With wireless technology they can be placed just about anywhere.  


Cameras and hidden cameras are everywhere in our society.  Just walking down the street of a major city will probably get you filmed on several video systems.  An individuals privacy just continues to erode!

That it was probably an employee of Mariott.

I cannot imagine a joe schmoe off the street doing this and then trying to guarantee that he'd get that room later on, to come get his jerking off materials, yanno? I mean hotels will try to give you a room you prefer if they can... but that's a big IF.

Altho I don't agree with the video cameras *everywhere* these days (Big Brother is WATCHING!), I do think that walking down the street is a bit different then being filmed in your BATHROOM!  

Hugs*
Nicole

If it was an isolated incident then the hotel would not have had a hook up to a vcr and a tape.  This to mee sounds like a set up to entrap somebody.  I just wonder if when the front desk suspects something like an escort checking in to the hotel they assign this room and notify the local law.  Or if it was set up with the local law to have stings against customers of Law posing as escorts.   I have heard marriott cooperates with LE and this might have been the case.     I hope not but I would not bet on it.  

The guy has a very valid lawsuit and should persue it........

SoCal is right.......the hotel's only connection to Marriott is the sign out front.  Marriott doesn't own that hotel nor does it even manage the hotel.  An independent company out of Kentucky (called Columbia Sussex) owns and manages the hotel under a franchise agreement with Marriott.

I don't know much about the case, but most likely a wayward employee of the hotel was involved.  I have worked in the hotel business for a while and am confident that none of the large hotel companies would engage in such behavior - mostly because they are too cheap to buy the equipment!!

Altho of course I've been pondering that angle.... But really, what happens in the BATHROOM during your average session? I mean we are not talking about heavy duty illegal activities taking place in there...at most, someone might go pee! =:O I cannot see that being very good evidence for anything!

Hugs*
Nicole

activated by a light switch and leads to VCR taping somewhere else in the hotel.  The hotel personnel has the copy and not some customers.  It has NOTHING to do with someone leaving a simple camera during a PSE session.

Even if this happens in a private home, I am sure there are attorneys willing to take the case and file the lawsuit.

May be you are the type of person that agrees with the panty cam.  I don't.

Please don't let your dislike of lawsuits and lawyers to cloud your judgment.