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Jun 06, 2024

Moment hotel guests strip room of everything they can carry

Shocked owner Natalie Newton, 43, said the “horrible individuals” stole everything except the shampoo and soap in the bathroom at the Dolphin Hotel in Pembroke Dock Two hotel guests emptied their room

Shocked owner Natalie Newton, 43, said the “horrible individuals” stole everything except the shampoo and soap in the bathroom at the Dolphin Hotel in Pembroke Dock

Two hotel guests emptied their room of everything they could carry - before grinning into CCTV cameras on their way out the door with hundreds of pounds of stolen swag.

The couple arrived at the hotel without any luggage, the shocked owner recalled, but after check-in they went back to their car to grab empty holdalls to contain all their loot. The pair made off with the room’s kettle, tea caddy, lamps and the fan from the room, as well as two bath towels and two hand towels and even a power extension block with USB ports went into their bags.

They even took the remote for the room’s TV. The total value of their spree is estimated by owners to be around £200. “The only thing they didn't take were the shampoo and soaps from the bathroom," said stunned hotel landlady Natalie Newton, 43.

“I can't believe how cheeky they were - the man appears to be smiling into our CCTV camera on the stairs. They were super-friendly when they checked in but I thought it was a bit strange because apart from the women's handbag they had no luggage. I just feel they are horrible individuals who rip the mickey out of hardworking people like me and my staff.”

Natalie has posted stills from the building’s CCTV on social media in an attempt to identify the couple. The newly-opened Dolphin Hotel in Pembroke Dock, West Wales was struck by the room looters after they made a reservation through the Booking.com website.

However their card was declined before they arrived, with the woman presenting a different card at the front desk when they checked in at 8.45pm last Saturday night. Natalie noted that the pair had no baggage on them upon arrival and after going to their room for 10 minutes the couple went to the bar and sat in the beer garden while the man smoked. They checked out late the next morning and had made their escape by the time horrified hotel staff found their bare bedroom.

Natalie said: “I couldn't believe it - I'm so cross they took the expensive fluffy white towels I'd bought for all the rooms. When we checked on the CCTV we saw they went back out to the car to fetch bags to load up everything from the room.He had a holdall and she was carrying a bag for life.”

Natalie was left unable to rent out the decimated hotel room, and had to wait until Monday before she could replace the items. The woman gave a mobile number during booking but Natalie said every time she rings her call goes unanswered.

Natalie and her partner, chef Ben Randall, opened the hotel in 2019 after her family ran it as a pub since 1999. They have worked hard to make their business a success, with the hotel and restaurant a popular overnight stopover for people traveling to and from Ireland via the nearby ferry port.

However Natalie thinks the room strippers might be from closer to home - she believes the pair had Welsh accents and may be from the Valleys 50 miles away. She has given the CCTV to the police along with full descriptions of the “scruffy” couple.

Natalie said: “We hadn't been open for long and then Covid struck - it's not been easy. We are struggling to keep our head above water so when so- called guests behave like this it's sickening. We will find out who they are - someone is going to recognise them. Shame on them when we do.”

Natalie is warning other hoteliers, air B&Bs and guesthouses in West Wales to be on the lookout for the light-fingered couple, in case they decide to hit other establishments in the area.

The woman has dark hair tied above her head, a leopard print top and spectacles. The man was in a blue North Face hoodie and navy baseball cap. Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed they are investigating after a report of theft from the hotel.

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