The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL kvirgil@tribunemedia.net POLICE moved yesterday to calm visitor fears after two journalists claimed money was stolen from their room at the Nassau Royal Palm Hotel on West Bay Street. Central Division commanding officer Supt Stephen Dean said despite the victims' claims that the incident was just one in a long list of similar thefts, this is not the case. He said: "I was expecting calls so I double-checked our records. There has been no recent or recurring complaints of breaking and entering." The last theft complaints from rooms at the Royal Palm were in 2005 and 2007, according to local press reports. Mr Dean said police are continuing to investigate the matter. For the second day, the manager of the resort could not be reached for comment, despite several messages being left. Front desk clerks said he was in a meeting, and later that he left the resort. On Tuesday, Californian Sharon Cummings said her visit to Nassau quickly turned into a "nightmare" after $900 was stolen from a safe in the room she shared with her husband. She said the couple visit various Caribbean countries and submit articles to Budget Travel Magazine, an authoritative guide to inexpensive lodgings in vacation destinations. The magazine, owned by world renowned travel expert Arthur Frommer, has a strong online following and the print edition reaches more than 600,000 Americans a month. Mrs Cummings added that she and her husband are outraged that nothing has been done to tighten security, as this is not the first theft from the hotel room. "After someone came in here and took our money, the police told us they have on numerous occasions come in and told management that their security system is not up to par," she claimed. In 2007, The Tribune reported that a guest of the Royal Palm told police her jewellery and cell phone had been stolen from her room by three men seen walking casually from the hotel.