BELLEVUE, Wash. — Hotel prices are yet another way to gauge the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m paying under $100 a night, not including parking,” said business traveler Jeff Kophs of Vancouver, Wash. “In the past, you’re talking $200 to $400 for a decent hotel room."
Kophs is on the road for business roughly 100 days a year. Two weeks ago, he was staying in a Bellevue Hilton when he heard someone trying to break in to his room.
“It was clear someone was trying to pry the door open with that screwdriver. So I turned and put my back to the door. Thinking that I’m the last deterrent, if they get through the stop, it’s just me,” Kophs said.
The suspect eventually gave up, but the frightening experience has stuck with him.
“That 10 minutes was the most terrifying time of my life, I will tell you that. Not knowing if they were out there going to try to get in again. I was scared for my life,” he continued.
Kophs reported the incident to Bellevue police – a department that’s already been working with hotel managers across the city to stop a growing problem. A problem they say is partly fueled by record low hotel prices as travel has slowed across the country.
“When we saw that crime rate kind of go up, and we saw the increase in crimes and we saw the increase in property crime, that is something we wanted to make sure we addressed quickly and we focused our resources on it. And want to make sure that there are not more victims,” said Major Andrew Popochock of the Bellevue Police Department (BPD).
Emergency calls from the Bellevue Hilton on 112th have increased dramatically, as documented through 911 calls: Up from 56 in 2019 to 202 in 2020. That's a 260% increase, according to BPD statistics.
In Kophs' case, the thieves didn’t take anything – though he can’t help but wonder what could have happened.
“If my wife or kids were in that hotel, I don’t think they would be as lucky as I was to push back or resist them,” Kophs continued.
According to a Hilton spokesperson, the location where Kophs’ incident happened is locally owned and operated. A request for comment has been forwarded to the property managers.
Meanwhile, BPD said they’re continuing to work with hotel management across the city to stem the spike in crime.