Chapter VI: The House Man or Hotel Detective

The house man, or hotel detective, is employed by the hotel to guard the property and reputation of the hotel. To guard the property of guests, to watch dishonest employees and suspicious guests.

When the guest reports the loss of money or valuables it is the hotel detective’s business to make an investigation, and to find out among the bell boys or other employees who had access to the room where the valuables were stolen. Chambermaids and new bell boys should be carefully watched, as this class of petty thieves seldom stay in one place long. When a certain employee is accused test him out; arrange for him to go on an errand to a guest’s room while the guest is absent. If this boy is under suspicion place some money on the dresser or in the room in such a manner that the boy may see it. Do not let any of the help or the boy know they are suspicioned, or even that a robbery has occurred. These thefts are not always committed by hotel help. The professional crooks stop at the large hotels in the cities purposely to steal what they can. These crooks as a rule are fashionably dressed and pose as traveling men, insurance men, etc. They generally make it plain to the clerk that they are selling goods and frequently mention some particular local business man they intend to call on. While the other guests are asleep they will try to visit their rooms; also when the guests are at their meals. Up-to-date hotels use a double lock on their doors which makes it impossible, should the door be locked on the inside, for the hotel thief to open from the outside with a skeleton key. The transoms over the doors are also constructed so they open from the top, which makes it impossible for the hotel thief to gain entrance in that way. It is surprising, however, to a person not familiar with hotel detective work, to know the large number of guests in a hotel who do not take the trouble to, or forget to lock their doors when leaving their room for a meal or on business purposes, or when retiring at night, and of course, it is an easy matter for the hotel thief to rob all such guests.

We have another class of thief who causes hotels considerable trouble by getting them to cash fraudulent checks for them, but lately it is almost impossible for any guest to have a personal check cashed, as the larger hotels make the clerk responsible. When a clerk in a hotel is suspicious of a guest, it is his duty to supply the house detective with such information; also instructions to be on the lookout; then the hotel detective usually has a better chance to observe the actions of guests than do the clerks, for the reason the detective is not known, but is supposed to be a guest at the hotel. The hotel detective should be supplied with all information and data relating to all the well-known hotel crooks, photographs, measurements, descriptions, etc., as these crooks frequently play the same hotel numerous times under different names. The larger hotels are infested by petty thieves, thieves who steal overcoats, wraps, hats and wearing apparel. Women, as well as men, ply this occupation and work usually in the lobbies, waiting rooms and writing rooms of the hotel. These thieves mingle where the guests are thickest and manage to sit near where a guest sits reading, his coat or wrap thrown carelessly over a chair. Then the well dressed thief waits the opportunity when the owner of the coat or wrap is busy with the book, or has his attention directed elsewhere, then he carelessly picks up the overcoat or wrap and leaves the hotel. A more common nuisance around the hotel is the “masher”. This type of men and women are found in abundance and one class makes about as much trouble as the other. Real hotels have no desire to keep either of these classes, as they damage the reputation and the business of the hotel. The male of this class usually will be found hanging around the telephone booths and the waiting rooms. The female inhabits the balcony and corridors. The detective, in dealing with these two classes, must use great caution in order that a mistake may be avoided, as great damage could be done a hotel by a detective making himself obnoxious to reputable, well-mannered guests, and it is well to have the evidence on any one reported before any action is taken. The house man, or hotel detective, is not only custodian of the property of the hotel, but is responsible for the morals and general behavior of both guest and employee. He should familiarize himself with all frequenters of the hotel and know as much as possible about the various employees, even down to the scrub woman. This should be easy for him, as he has plenty of time for observation and is recognized by very few persons as being an official or connected with the hotel. It is the hotel detective’s duty to look out for all gambling and confidence games going on in the hotel. The confidence men and gamblers generally pick out some man whom they know to have money, make his acquaintance, find out if he has a weakness for gambling, and if so, suggest that they have a card game. The gambler will then meet one or more of his confederates, introduce them to the stranger, or “sucker” as he is called by them, of course introducing his confederates also as traveling men, and they will take him to his room or their room and there start a little game. They will then send one of the confederates out for a deck of cards, and he will return claiming he got them from the drug store, but they really are cards prepared or stamped which they can read. These cards they call “paper” and the “sucker” has no chance to make a win. They then increase the limit and the stranger or “sucker” is broke, and nothing more is mentioned of the game. They will sometimes go so strong as to have one of their confederates impersonate the house detective and he will appear when the game is in progress at the appointed time, and threaten to arrest all the players, in this way intimidating the stranger or “sucker” so that he will not mention his loss or game to the hotel management.