Over a single weekend in January, thieves broke into 50 autos belonging to attendees of the Veterans of Overseas Wars (VFW) midwinter convention held on the Columbus Airport Marriott.
With overflow rooms on the Courtyard Columbus Airport, a Courtyard by Marriott property, 35 vehicles have been damaged into on the Marriott and 15 on the Courtyard
Though not obligated to take action, the VFW paid $500 towards every deductible for every broken automobile, totaling $25,000.
“This incident completely blew their price range,” stated Fran Brown, international account supervisor of ConferenceDirect, who deliberate the assembly.
The VFW was contracted to carry its 2026 convention on the similar resorts. It has switched the placement to Dublin, a Columbus suburb.
“Marriott allow them to out of the contract with out penalty,” stated Brown. “Between the visitor rooms and meals and beverage, this was a $160,000 piece of enterprise the lodge misplaced.”
When sourcing for resorts in Columbus, one of many first questions Brown now asks is, “What safety measurements do you might have in place in your parking tons?” she stated.
Columbus Teams Working Collectively to Alleviate the Concern
The Columbus division of police management and metropolis hospitality teams are working collectively on the difficulty of automobile break-ins, stated Glenn McEntyre, assistant director of the Metropolis of Columbus Division of Public Security, which manages the operations for the divisions of fireplace and police.
The Ohio Lodge & Lodging Affiliation (OHLA) invited representatives from affected metropolis resorts to fulfill to debate the difficulty on January 22 at a member lodge in Columbus. Greater than 60 lodge representatives attended, and 32 of essentially the most impacted properties offered information on incidents, monetary affect, and visitor feedback.
In line with the knowledge offered by the resorts to OHLA, there have been 959 separate automobile break-ins, thefts, and vandalism incidents at 32 Columbus resorts since June 2024.
“Our trade compiled the information, examples, and customer suggestions as a result of we have to illustrate the scope of this drawback,” stated Joe Savarise, president and CEO of OHLA.
“Late in 2024, early in 2025, we have now seen that the frequency and severity have elevated. Occasions are canceling. Teams are taking their enterprise to different locations. Accommodations documented 1,000,000 {dollars} of misplaced income in simply greater than half a yr,” Savarise stated.
Columbus Invests in Safety
In response, resorts report spending $1.25 million on safety and security.
“We’re actively partaking in directed patrols in areas and instances of concern. We’re working intently with the juvenile justice system to handle recidivism with younger offenders and develop long-term options to this drawback,” stated McEntyre.
Columbus resorts that routinely noticed one to 5 break-ins on a given day are experiencing a number of break-ins at one time. As many as 20 or extra at a time, stated Savarise. As well as, resorts within the airport space reported 132 incidents from February to July 2024, with that quantity growing to 325 from August 2024 by means of the start of February this yr.
For perspective, San Antonio reported 20 automobile housebreaking calls at a single lodge over 30 days, and one other close by lodge had 12 calls throughout the identical interval.
Brian Ross, president and CEO of Expertise Columbus, stated that in 2024, Columbus hosted 435 conventions, commerce reveals, and sporting occasions. “Nearly all of these incidents are in suburban areas,” stated Ross. “It hasn’t impacted any enterprise within the core conference district.”
In 2023, Expertise Columbus reported having 51.2 million guests to the area. Eighty p.c of tourists to Columbus come for day journeys, and 20% are in a single day. Expertise Columbus provides that 78% of in a single day vacationers drive to town.
