Yes. You can. You can hold a Florida hotel liable for negligent security when the hotel authority fails to take necessary steps to prevent assault or robbery on your property. You may have a case, depending on what the hotel authority knew and what precautions it could have taken to keep you safe.
If you have been in a similar situation, talk to a verified personal injury attorney and get a clear picture of your case. You don’t have to figure out your options alone.Â
Hotel security failures happen more than most guests even realize. After a mishap, victims are left with medical bills, missed workdays, physical and mental distress, and many unanswered questions.
What Counts as Negligent Security at a Hotel?
Hotels have the duty to keep guests safe. That’s the law in Florida.
When a hotel neglects that duty, and you suffer damages because of it, you may have the right to sue the hotel for negligent security. You need an attorney to get a clear picture. Here’s what negligent security in a hotel usually looks like:
- No surveillance cameras are present in the hallways, lobbies, or parking spaces
- Poorly lit staircases, corridors, or parking areas
- Damaged and malfunctioning key cards
- Property personnel without security background or training
- Previous cases reported and not acted upon
- Outsiders having access to guest floors without being registered
One bad lock. One burned-out light. That’s all it takes.
It doesn’t have to be dramatic negligence. Sometimes it’s just a hotel that cut corners on staffing, or overlooked a repair request for weeks. Small failures add up fast when safety is on the line.
How Do You Prove the Hotel Should Have Seen It Coming?
This is the crux of most personal injury cases on hotel premises. Attorneys call it “foreseeability.”
You don’t just have to prove a crime happened. You have to prove the hotel should have known, and yet did nothing.
Here’s what usually helps prove the reality.Â
- Past crime reports. Robberies, assaults, or break-ins at the same hotel before your accident.
- Guest or staff complaints. Emails or reviews on broken locks, poor lighting, or inadequate security.
- Police call logs. How often police officers were requested to that address.
- Internal hotel records. Maintenance requests that were never fixed.
Courts also look at the neighborhood and the series of events that have happened there. Was the area known for crime? Was the hotel aware of that, and still missed basic safety steps?
A personal injury attorney Orlando can request and preserve hotel security footage before it’s deleted. You can’t do this on your own. Get help preserving your evidence.
What Should You Do Right After an Assault or Robbery at a Hotel?
The first few hours are crucial.
Here’s a simple checklist:
| Steps to take After an Assault or Robbery at a Hotel |
|---|
| Seek medical attention: Even if you feel fine, get yourself examined by a doctor, as there may be hidden injuries/trauma. |
| Inform the hotel authority: Request a written report about the incident. Make sure to take the name of the person you reported the issue to. |
| Call the police: Call 911 and file a report on the very day. This becomes key evidence later. |
| Take photos and videos: Snap photos of your injuries, the scene, broken locks, dark hallways, or anything else that makes sense. |
| Get witness names and numbers: Memories fade fast. It’s better to collect witnesses’ contact details. |
| Save everything: Preserve texts, emails, receipts, the hotel folio, all of it. |
| Talk to an attorney before you sign any paper, especially before talking to the hotel’s insurance company. |
Don’t wait on this. Hotels often erase security footage within days or weeks.
A quick note on something a lot of guests misunderstand –Â
You don’t need to know exactly what went wrong with the hotel’s security to start a claim. That’s what an in-depth investigation is for. Right after the accident, your job is to protect yourself and collect what you can.
Who Is Actually Liable – the Hotel, the Security Company, or Both?
This part confuses the victims. It’s often not just one party. More than one party can be responsible.Â
- The hotel owner or operator. If they neglected maintenance, staffing, or safety complaints.
- A third-party security company. If the hotel hired outside guards that weren’t properly trained or vetted.
- A management company. Many hotels are run by a separate operator, not the known authority you recognize.
- The franchise brand, in some cases, if it set safety standards the local property ignored.
A personal injury lawyer in Orlando reviews ownership records, security contracts, and personnel logs to determine who’s responsible. This may change the value of your claim.
This is also why so many victims choose to sue hotel for negligent security claims with more than one defendant listed. It’s not about piling on. It’s about making sure every responsible party pays their fair share. An attorney makes sure you’re not left chasing one company while another company walks away clean.
How Much Compensation Is Available?
Every personal injury case is different. But here’s a general range of what’s typically recoverable:
Hotels involved in negligent security lawsuits pay an average of roughly $1 million in jury verdicts, according to an analysis of negligent security case outcomes.Â
Numbers like these don’t guarantee anything about your personal injury case. But they show these claims are taken seriously and can carry real weight.
Keep in mind, no two cases are the same. What you’re owed depends on your injuries, your recovery time, and how strong the evidence against the hotel is.
Have You Suffered An Assault While Traveling in Florida?
Millions of tourists visit Florida every year. Not everyone lives here.Â
If you stayed at a hotel while visiting from out of state, your case involves a few extra layers. It includes which state court handles your case and how to manage the legal procedure from a distance.