Arturo Brunello said he was on vacation in Cancún, Mexico, when he captured the hotel employee on camera. He used iSentry, an application that turns a computer’s web camera into a motion-sensing security system, to keep tabs on his hotel room. Brunello’s video has racked up 3.2 million views on TikTok since it surfaced on October 4.
“Here, you can see the housekeeping staff help himself to a beer from our fridge,” said a voiceover that played over footage of the employee enjoying the room as if it were his own.
Next, the worker opened the room’s safe and looked inside.
“Why are you going through our drawers?” Brunello questioned as the employee sifted through layers of clothes.
“My bags?” added his voiceover. The staff member was seen opening a backpack and rummaging inside.
“Be careful when you’re traveling,” Brunello warned viewers. “This was the first time I set up a camera…that is alarming to me.”
The employee did not pilfer any items other than the beer, said Brunello. He reported the incident to the hotel management, which “took very good care” of him and immediately fired the staff member.
Hotels generally do not offer insurance policies that would protect the theft of a guest’s personal belongings, according to The Reeves Law Group, a California-based personal injury law firm. Most U.S. states have “innkeepers laws,” which limit hotels’ liability for theft from rooms, damage to cars in parking facilities and injuries to guests. Hotel liability is limited even when items are stolen from the in-room safe.
Brunello said that iSentry sent him email notifications as soon as it detected motion, recommending the app as “10/10” to his audience.
Vadim Zaliva is the CEO of Codeminders, which developed iSentry. In addition to protecting users against theft, the app is often used for monitoring pets’ activity and keeping an eye on personal property in a shared space, he told Newsweek.
“In particular, we’ve heard from some small businesses using it in their storage room sometimes combined with the office to prevent potential theft by employees,” said Zaliva.
The app was developed in Ukraine, where Codeminders’ employees continue to work during the Russia-Ukraine war.
Anxious TikTok viewers thanked Brunello for his security tip and shared their own protective measures.
“The exact reason I don’t allow cleaners in the room while I stay,” said a comment with 4,500 likes.
Another viewer said, “This is why I barely take anything out of my case and I always keep my lock on it and travel with the keys always.”
“I always bring the minimum, no jewelry and whatever is expensive is in my purse with me…but a camera is genius,” commented a third viewer.
Newsweek reached out to Brunello for comment.
