“…(thieves)Â targeted first-floor Hotel Zoso rooms with open patio doors and took electronics, money and credit cards that were left out in the open…timing it so all the tourists were going to dinner and leaving their patio sliders open because the weather was nice…”
Most of the desert’s 17,000 hotel and motel rooms are expected to be filled from mid-January to early May as season kicks into high gear, leaving the door open for petty thieves to attack.
A number of people fell victim to a Palm Springs hotel burglary spree from April to November because they made two errors that police want current visitors to avoid.
He said eight of the 14 thefts were in October when temperatures were higher and guests left their doors open.
Visitors may not want to keep doors ajar now because of cooler weather, but simply having more people in town increases the amount of potential burglary targets, officials say.
Kazen suggested travelers lock all doors, hide property and be aware of their surroundings to ensure their safety. “They’re just kind of common sense things,†he said.
But they’re also steps that Howard Bianco learned to follow the hard way about five years ago.
The 48-year-old Indio man stayed at a Best Western Inn near Los Angeles International Airport and left his curtain open as he stepped out for dinner one night.
“Someone looked in, saw my iPod and camera, and, long story short, I found the door bashed in and they were gone,†he said. “Never saw them again.†The experience taught Bianco to be more discreet when staying in hotels. He encourages others to do the same, he said.
 In the case of the Hotel Zoso burglaries, the thefts appeared to be crimes of opportunity where the suspect took items from open rooms he came upon by chance.
After climbing over a front wall, Thompson entered first-floor rooms, flipped security latches in case occupants tried to enter from the hallway and took whatever he found, Kovaleff said.
“Stuff small enough to carry,†the sergeant said. “He was in and out.â€
Thompson was arrested Nov. 11 after police set up a sting at the hotel. As two officers hid in the bathroom, the suspect entered a room through an unlocked patio door.
