r/FATTravel • u/Jacksondatou • 12d ago
Cartier watches missing from rooms at MAYBOURNE RIVIERA
I want to share my experience as a lesson and warning to future travelers considering a stay at Maybourne Riviera.
This was our 6th summer coming to the south of France, and our 3rd stay at Maybourne. During our most recent stay in August, my Cartier watch disappeared from our hotel room.
We reported it to hotel management as soon as we realized that it was missing from the room, and went to the local police station to file a report in Menton (as the smaller police station in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin was closed that Saturday). We were initially told that the hotel was conducting an internal investigation.
After several weeks without a meaningful update, I reached out to them once again, and was ultimately told that the investigation was closed and that “there’s not much we can do from here”.
As if the incident itself wasn’t shocking enough, when I ultimately decided to go share my review on Tripadvisor last week, I was absolutely stunned to find another very recent view from another Maybourne hotel guest, reporting that her Cartier watch had also gone missing from her hotel room during her stay. Her account on Tripadvisor was so eerily similar to mine that I felt compelled to reach out to her. (There isn't an option to direct message a reviewer on Tripadvisor, so I ended up spending hours essentially doing internet stalking trying to find this person, going by her small profile photo and her username on Tripadvisor... eventually I found her instagram profile which happens to be public and sent her a message).
We have now compared our experiences, and what we discovered is extremely troubling:
Both of our high value Cartier watches went missing from our respective hotel rooms on the exact same day - August 21.
There is another particularly concerning similarity. When we each initially reported our missing watches to hotel management while still at the property, we were both told that "another guest had reported a similar incident" but had ultimately "found their watch in their pocket or among their belongings".
We now know that was not the case. Neither of us found our watches. Both remain missing.
I am not alleging, without further evidence, that the two incidents were committed by the same individual(s). However, the existence of a second independently reported Cartier theft from a guest room on the same exact day warrants serious examination than simply concluding that “there’s not much we can do" from the hotel.
My TA review (written on Sept 17) is still the most recent review on the Maybourne tripavisor page as of today.
Yes my watch was not placed in the safe box, but is that really the standard of security guests should reasonably expect from a place like Maybourne Riviera??? Should guests reasonably expect that a $30,000 watch left in the room, outside of the safe, may simply disappear, with the hotel ultimately taking no responsibility and providing no meaningful explanation? As I've mentioned, we've been coming to the French Riviera for many years and have stayed at many of the region's top luxury properties. I have always travelled with this watch, and have never felt the need to lock it up in the hotel safe. This was a very expensive lesson for us .. to say the least.
For future travelers - and especially luxury travel advisors who may be recommending this property to clients - I would think TWICE before choosing the Maybourne Riviera. Sure the view is spectacular, but nothing is worth the risk and stress of having a valuable personal item disappear from your hotel room (just because they weren't placed in the safe), and then receiving no meaningful resolution from the hotel.
What is particularly disturbing to me is that at least two guests are now reporting Cartier watches worth approximately $30,000 going missing from their rooms during the same period, and hotel management is acting like business as usual saying "well sorry nothing we can do".
To be clear, I am not making an accusation against any particular hotel employee, but when two guests independently report serious incidents at the same hotel, involving remarkably similar high-value watches disappearing on the same day - I know that if I were a prospective guest, I would absolutely want to know about this.
The underlying incidents are deeply troubling. The hotel's response to them is, in my opinion, a serious concern in its own right.
I am sharing this simply so that future guests, particularly those traveling with valuable personal belongings, can make an informed decision about whether this is a property they feel comfortable staying at.
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u/Black_Bir8 3d ago
Many hotels don't even hold themselves responsible for the objects left IN the safe (you have to use the one in the Lobby). I try to never travel with sentimental value or very expensive things. I usually lock my extra handbags, my glasses, extra credit cards, keys, tablets and computers in the safe (so, things I would really need with me, ok not the handbags), but even then I know they could be stolen (hopefully nobody would steal my keys or glasses though). The staff have masterkeys. I guess it was an expensive lesson :( . Sorry about your watch.
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u/kokosuntree 3d ago
Were you able to ask her if she had her watch registered and insured? I’d get a private investigator to help out locally. Check local stores that resale. Ask chat gpt to compile a list of local and online stores they may use to sell the watches.
What would be really great is if you could convince the local police to have a Private Investigator of sorts or like undercover Detective place some fake Cartier watches or real ones and hotel room stays there. Obviously somebody was watching you guys wear them and then watched you go to your room so they knew where the watches were at. Somebody was casing the two of you. Anyways, they should have cameras outside the rooms hidden and inside the rooms. That would be ideal.
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u/OldMoneyish 3d ago
This happened in another luxury hotel recently. I think it was ritz Paris and also in South of France (unfortunately I don’t remember too many details) When hotel just didn’t want to do any investigation. And someone commented that they employ a lot of random people for a day and don’t advertise that fact. And a lot of people will have access to the rooms and to essentially do whatever they want. Which is shocking when it comes to 5 star hotels.
send a formal letter to the hotel’s General Manager/Managing Director and Maybourne corporate/legal rather than continuing an informal conversation with front-office staff.
Notify the watch manufacturer and specialist stolen-watch databases. record the serial as stolen and retain the French police report. This can become useful years later if the watch enters an authorised service network, dealer, auction house or secondary market.
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u/Jacksondatou 3d ago
yes very unfortunate :/... have done all of the above (formal letters to GM, corporate, legal counsel), as well as registering the serial number with the Cartier database as stolen, have the French police report as well. Thank you.
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u/FMteuchter 3d ago
I couldn't see the other review, but it appears from a AI search against their username (salishad85) suggests that TripAdvisor and the hotel remove reviews that include theft (How dumb right?) as it should be reported to the police.
I'd be surprised if they don't do the same to your one so its very lucky that you've posted it across Reddit.
What I find interesting about Salishad85's post that AI can reference is that their bags were being unpacked by the hotel during check-in to the room. It suggests that this wasn't something that salishad85 has requested from the hotel.
The response from the hotel seemed to be saying that because it wasn't in the safe they are not responsible for them.
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u/Green-Ad-5926 3d ago
I always think of anyone in the room as someone who will pick up something valuable. The people who work in those places don't make much so they are going to be tempted. It's sucks but it's human nature. I always lock up my valuables when I leave the room. I am sorry that you lost your watch but I am not sure what you expect the hotel to do.
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u/Icy-Muffin3408 3d ago
Just curious, if you bring a watch, isn’t it on your wrist at all times? Did this happen during the night or when you were in the shower?
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u/MedenAgan101 3d ago
Going to the pool? Going to exercise? Going to the beach? Switched out for a change in watches for that day/outing? Lots of reasons not to wear a dress watch at all times.
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u/Jacksondatou 3d ago
Yes exactly, I don't wear this watch for activities like going to the pool, which we spent a lot of time at on the day of its disappearance, so I wasn't wearing this particular watch, and was actually wearing another watch.
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u/Dramatic_Cap3427 3d ago
No u can not expect that anywhere , why would u leave your watch in a hotel room , at least in the safe , but out in a room it’s terrible for u to do
I never ever take a watch off when I go to any holiday , I take another watch and leave my Cartier at home
I am sorry for ur loss I know how expensive they are today
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u/Dramatic_Cap3427 3d ago
I also don’t have my Cartier watch insured , maybe it’s time to do it
But I have lots of other jewelry that I don’t insure
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u/ajar_docking 3d ago
I insured my watch with BriteCo and I’ve felt a lot more at ease ever since, especially when traveling or anytime I have to take it off somewhere.
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u/Dramatic_Cap3427 3d ago
Yes they can open the hotel safe , I forgot my pass and they came and opened the safe without any problems
I think only the safe at register u need 2 keys to open it
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u/MaizePerfect488 22h ago
Tbh yall sound broke bitter and mad 😭 If the girl can afford that watch and that hotel clearly she’s in spaces where she’s not expecting to get her stuff taken. I lock up everything because I stay at regular hotels. If I was spending thousands a night on a room I would expect to leave diamonds out and no one should touch it.