The uninvited hotel guest
I grew up in my family run hotel in Kingussie, Scotland. A few days ago my mother had a rather interesting tale to tell. Running a hotel you have more than a fair share of interesting tales… it makes Faulty Towers look tame.
Here is the events as told by my mum when she and her husband Bill entered the twilightzone…
–
At 3am I woke up. I am such a light sleeper but did not realise then that
something must have disturbed my sleep.
I could not go back to sleep again but at 4am a bang woke Bill up. I was
just drifting off then and wanted to think it was Guests at their car, as I
had already been awake for an hour. Bill (who does not move quickly when he
first wakes up) jumped out of bed and into his dressing gown.
Bill came downstairs to the office for his torch and I put the CCTV on. I
looked out of my window, at the front, over the car park which had 4 very
expensive beautiful MGs as well as our car. I could see the beam from Bill’s
very powerful torch but all seemed fine. No one was at the cars.
Then Bill went round the office and shone his torch down the steps to the
drive and out into the garden. All seemed fine there too.
So Bill went out of the office down the toilet passageway through the ‘open’
Restaurant door and had a good look into the garden. Then through the bar
and kitchens to the back door. Then he retraced his steps, still searching
for what caused the bang.
When he came upstairs he told me that everything was fine. Nothing strange.
And then he told me!!
He said that I must have forgotten to lock the Restaurant glass-door to the
toilet passageway. As soon as he said that I knew, without any doubt at all,
that someone was inside. This door is locked from the Restaurant side with a
bolt and I always keep it locked, day and night.
So Brave Bill went back downstairs and I did my bit by plugging my phone in!
He came back to the office and shouted up to me that one window in the
Restaurant was wide open and someone had climbed in as there was soil on my
nice clean white cloth. Several other windows were also open a little as
well and chairs had been positioned in front of these windows probably for
the burgler(s) to jump onto and out of the window if need be. The burgler
(s) obviously went out the same window they came in, which they had forced
from the outside and damaged the frame very slightly.
and sheered off the security brackets. The glass was not broken.
The Builder who came to put it right said the burgler knew exactly how the
windows are made and what to do to get in.
Strangely enough there was no damage to the things on the window sill, or
the table they clambered onto in the Restaurant, which was in the Sun Lounge
end of the Restaurant with my big elephants on and a really old typewriter
and the old phone from Miskin Road.
The Police came and as soon as they saw the evidence they called the sniffer
dog which was actually busy just then. They phoned Forensic in Inverness.
Just after they had finished searching the Hotel they received a phone call
that someone had reported a man trying car doors in the Close just in front
of the Hotel. So two of our three policemen went after the man trying to
steal a car. When they returned they told us that no one was in sight.
We were very lucky Brave Bill disturbed them as they took off with
absolutely nothing. When the burgler(s) were in the Restaurant they slid
the bolt across the glass-door to the toilet passageway, which leads to the
front door, the Hotel. and the office. The bang which woke Bill at 4am was
the door banging shut - it takes at least one minute to shut loudly so the
bang must have surprised them but they went back and wedged it wide open
with the plant, which I have in front of it to prevent Guests from using the
door.
They did not use the front door or the patio doors, in the Restaurant, and
we are assuming they must have thought the doors were alarmed.
Forensic arrived about 6am and after a thorough search for evidence, all
around, dusted and lifted a foot print on the inside window sill.
–
More information on my mum’s hotel can be found at:
Columba House Hotel . com
Any information relating to this event should be reported to: Northern Constabulary
