My 24 yr old police officer son spent Thanksgiving week in London at the Aston Designer Suites and Apts,near the Gloucester Road tube station: a Fodor favorite hotel in the budget category. The hotel was clean and comfortable, but a fair amount of cash was stolen from his locked room on the first evening of his stay while he was at dinner and the theatre. Just a warning to other travelers.

The warning should be that this can happen to you in any hotel anywhere in the world so don't leave a lot of cash in the room. Use the safe in the room or leave it in the hotel safe. No hotel room is completely crime free. You have to be responsible for your own cash.

This can happen anyplace - the solution is you do not, under any circumstances, leave cash, or any valuables, in your hotel room, whether it be London or Podunk. A police officer should have known better anyway. It's a dumb idea to travel with much cash, that is why they have ATM's all over the place and the cash you do have (small amounts) should be kept on you, that is why they make money belts, etc. Sorry, you are not getting much sympathy from me.

I can only imagine how open to security suggestions a 24-year old son who is a police officer would be...I do hope it didn't ruin his vacation, but it certainly is a life lesson. One of those that 20-somethings seem to need to learn on their own...

Last April we stayed in a Holiday Inn in Prague for one night to be closer to the airport for an early morning flight. Big mistake! The hotel is very impersonal--built by the Russians and later taken over by Holiday Inn. While we were at dinner someone forced open the door, pulling the strike plate completely off and stole my husband's camera bag and all its contents, my camera, and some costume jewelry. We had all of our money, tickets, and papers with us in our money belts. But the experience was awful and we were at the police station at midnight. Be sure to file a police report if you hope to get reimbursed by your insurance, which we did. I prefer small, boutique-type hotels where there is someone at the desk who sees everyone who enters the hotel.