5-Star Miami Hotel Sued After Worker Allegedly Entered Woman's Bathroom

Newsweek

03-06-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A woman is suing Marriott International and Clearview Building Services, LLC, a cleaning company, for more than $7 million after alleging an employee walked in on her in the shower and brushed against her at the Marriott-owned St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort in Miami, Florida.
The woman, identified only as C.N., alleges hotel staff then spent 24 hours "obstructing any investigation and allowing critical evidence to disappear" by urging her not to call police, cleaning her room and refusing to provide photographs of staff members who had been on duty.
Newsweek reached out to Marriott International and the woman's attorney for comment via email outside of regular office hours on Tuesday, as well as to Clearview Building Services, LLC, via an online inquiry form.
The Context
The National Crime Victimization Survey says about 7,800 sexual assault incidents are reported in hotels each year, equaling around one per hour across the United States.
What To Know
According to her lawsuit, the 48-year-old woman was staying at the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort in Miami with her boyfriend on December 11, 2023, when a staff member wearing a St. Regis uniform walked in on her in the shower, stared at her and brushed up against her while fleeing the room.
The guest said she immediately called hotel security and her boyfriend, and waited for around an hour before a supervisor arrived, who told her not to contact the police.
"They told us they have such a great relationship with the Bal Harbour police and that I don't need to call them and that they will handle everything," she told Daily Mail.
The lawsuit alleges hotel staff later claimed C.N. didn't want to call the police, something she described as "patently false."
"I waited 24 hours to call police. In that time they [hotel employees] made sure they had the room cleaned, so there was no effort to protect me - they were protecting the perpetrator," she said.
She added, "Why would they clean the room if they really wanted to know who did it? Or, are they protecting their own?"
Stock photograph of a hotel room. This photo is not related to the court filing.
Stock photograph of a hotel room. This photo is not related to the court filing.
Atlantide Phototravel/GETTY
According to C.N.'s lawsuit, staff refused to show her photographs of those on duty during the alleged incident.
She said: "I was crystal clear on his face and it would have been easy to identify that person but they told me I could not see any photos without a subpoena - they really did not try. They basically ignored me and there was no apology."
C.N. said that after the incident, the hotel "asked us if we wanted to change rooms, and I wanted to get out of the room so they moved us to a larger suite and then they charged us for it."
She is seeking over $7 million in damages, alleging invasion of privacy, gross negligence and obstruction of justice.
What People Are Saying
C.N. told Daily Mail: "I was screaming hysterically—screaming at the top of my lungs.
"I didn't know what was going to happen next. Just the way he was looking at me up and down like a sicko."
C.N.'s attorney, Justin Shapiro, told Daily Mail: "We have a whole lot of cases like this over the years, and when we see this happen, there is almost always a very distinct pattern of neglect on the part of the hotel.
"These employees, who are often not background checked and just bad eggs, feel emboldened by the lack of supervision and see it as an opportunity to prey on the guests—whether it is theft of personal property, when they pop into the rooms or incidents like this sexual assault and invasion of privacy."
What Happens Next
Marriott International and Clearview Building Services have yet to comment publicly on the case. Unless a settlement is reached or the case is withdrawn, it will proceed to court.