SEATAC, Wash. — Hundreds of travelers to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport each year are falling victim to car thieves and prowlers, the KING 5 Investigators have found.
Hotels and motels that offer "park-n-fly" or "stay-n-fly" packages are favorites of car thieves, which routinely target their lots. Some of the best-known names in lodging have the most crimes, and they leave customers on the hook, according to data reviewed by KING 5.
“Something needs to be done,” said Carol Olson of Snohomish County. Her insurance paid for $15,000 in repairs after her truck was stolen from the Seattle Airport Marriott on South 176th Street and trashed in December. She took her grandkids on a trip to Disneyland and returned to an empty parking spot. “This back lot gets hit every other night,” a SeaTac police officer told Olson on a bodycam recording.
The airport Marriott topped the list of hotel and "park-n-fly" lots with the most crimes, according to public records. Data provided by the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) shows the Marriott with 94 car thefts and prowls reported in 2023, including 27 stolen vehicles driven off its lot. In 2022, Marriott customers reported 74 thefts or prowls to police.
“They all made it sound like this is an everyday, normal thing and that nobody was surprised that it happens all the time,” said Piper Logg when she told hotel security staff that her truck was gone after attending a two-day conference at the Marriott. “It seems like it’s something that happens all the time and they’re choosing to do nothing,” she said.
Logg said she was told that cameras in the lot weren’t recording, and thieves found ways to evade the pay gates at every exit. “If you go in and you’re only there within a 15-to-20 minutes time period, there’s no charge for it,” she said a responding SeaTac police officer explained to her.
Logg and other victims said thieves drive out behind an accomplice’s vehicle, or they piggyback through the gate when a paying customer leaves. In one police report, a car thief rammed the gate arm to make a getaway.
Adding to the insult, Logg said, the Marriott required her to pay for parking. “I was like, really? My car just got stolen off your parking lot and I get charged for parking?”
The Seattle Airport Marriott’s general manager and its owner Spire Hospitality did not respond to repeated requests from KING 5 for an interview.
“It’s even more disconcerting because Marriott is a well-known company. You actually think it is going to be safer than the smaller hotels,” said Justine Karl. She responded to a call from her son who was traveling for business when the Marriott called to notify him that his truck had been prowled in the hotel’s back parking lot. “It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth,” when she arrived to pick up her son’s damaged truck.
Two other brand name hotels round out the top of the list for the most vehicle crimes. Customers at the Ramada Inn at 16720 International Boulevard reported 58 such crimes in 2023, including 21 cars stolen. The SeaTac DoubleTree Inn at 18740 International Boulevard saw 45 car prowls and thefts, including 24 cars stolen.
Ramada’s manager declined to comment, and DoubleTree by Hilton did not respond to KING 5’s messages for comment.
Sea-Tac Airport’s large, gated parking garage isn’t necessarily a better option.
Despite security cameras, gates and staffed toll booths, thieves stole a record 236 vehicles from the airport parking garage between June 2023 to June this year, according to Port of Seattle Police records obtained by KING 5. In addition, there were 123 car prowls reported during that time.
In a statement, airport spokesperson Perry Cooper said, “Like many airports around the county, SEA has seen an increase in vehicle crimes over the last several years.” He said the airport has a new parking guidance system that can help detect thieves and a full-time officer now dedicated to the garage. He said only a tiny fraction of the 2 million vehicles parked each year have a problem.
The City of SeaTac’s police chief said airport-area parking presents a unique opportunity for car thieves. “Number one, you have a target rich environment,” said Chief Troy Smithmeyer.
In addition to the selection, thieves know that cars they steal may not be reported for days while the victims are traveling. That means police are handed a cold case from the start.
“Even if it’s just a couple of days, it’s very difficult with no investigative leads,” said Smithmeyer. He said the department has two detectives who investigate auto thefts, and the city recently approved a license plate monitoring system that can track stolen cars in the city.
He recommends that travelers do everything possible to make their vehicles unattractive targets. “Make sure nothing is visible in the interior car,” said Smithmeyer, including coins, paperwork or a garage door opener.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has other tips here.
Stolen cars are often used to commit other crimes like smash-and-grab robberies where the vehicle is damaged, police said. In a police report filed in June of 2023, a military veteran reported his “black Glock 19” handgun stolen from the glove compartment of his truck.
Not all hotels and motels are allowing their customers to fall victim.
Of the two dozen SeaTac businesses reviewed by KING 5, the Motel 6 at 18900 47th Ave. South had among the lowest number with five car prowls and thefts in the 88-space parking lot last year. Records show Motel 6 staff called police 300 times in 2023 to report suspicious behaviors and “area checks."
Manager Ava Muasau said employee “due diligence” and working “closely with the police department” are the reasons the ungated lot at Motel 6 has so few vehicle crimes. In addition to an alert staff, she said, investments in more cameras and lighting have transformed the parking lot into a safe place for travelers.
“I’m super, super proud of that,” said Muasau, as she stood in the parking lot of the renovated motel. “It just shows that the hard work does pay off.”