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This story happened a few years ago, but I think that it is still a good reminder of what to do (and what NOT to do) in a hotel room. Perhaps it should go without saying that just because you’re on a business or other trip, away from your “regular” surroundings, that the laws of nature, society and life still apply. I think that it goes without saying that you want to be extra careful when say, you’re walking around naked.

What happens in Denver…

United Airlines captain Andrew Collins was in the Westin hotel in Denver in September 2018 (I’m assuming the Westin Denver International Airport), talking on the phone, walking around naked with his curtains open, for 20 minutes. He apparently thought that nobody could see him because the windows were somewhat opaque.

How this story SHOULD have ended (had someone that saw him naked even cared enough to mention it): the hotel should have contacted him and said “Hey people can see you naked; put some clothes on” = the end

How it ACTUALLY ended – the police were called, they came in with guns drawn, and he was arrested for indecent exposure and put in an airport jail. Here’s the body cam footage from the Denver Post

UPDATE – Lawsuit settled

While I do think it’s prudent to be careful about walking around naked, clearly this response was over the top. A judge agreed, and dismissed the case back in March 2019. Collins sued the city and recently settled for $300,000. He also sued the Westin for letting the police in, and wants to donate some / all of his winnings to The Innocence Project, though he later dismissed that suit – if there was a settlement in that case, I wasn’t able to find details.

The Bottom Line

Just because you are “on vacation” or in somewhere other than your regular surroundings doesn’t mean that all laws and rules of society go out the window. So I do think that it’s probably a good idea to be careful about where and how you walk around naked. But clearly this was a response that was a bit over the top and unsubstantiated. Not to mention that this was back in 2018 even before the recent controversies regarding the appropriate role of police in the community.

What do you think should have happened in this situation? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.


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