‘Very, very scary’: Mother and daughter say they found a camera hidden in their hotel bathroom

CULLMAN, Ala. (WBRC/Gray News) – A Tennessee mother and daughter said they were stunned to find a camera in the bathroom vent of their Alabama hotel room.

Shaylee Smith said she wants to share their story as a warning to others while cautioning them to stay vigilant.

“I was shaking really bad, and I was mad and angry that someone would do that... really disgusted,” she said.

Smith, who is from Knoxville, said she is still in shock after making the discovery while her family was staying at a Days Inn hotel.

“I faced the toilet as I was getting changed and as I was sliding off my hoodie, I happened to look up, and it was like a screw that did not belong there,” Smith said.

Smith said the discovery caused her to have a strong reaction.

“It just made me really mad, like, ‘There’s no way, that can’t be what I think it is,’” she said. “And I grabbed it, and it definitely was what I thought it was: a hidden camera.”

Smith and her mother, Ashley Hatton, said the situation was jarring. They were staying at the hotel while Shaylee’s 17-year-old sister was competing in a volleyball tournament.

“We’d already stayed there one night, and my sister had taken a shower and everything so it really made me mad,” Smith said.

Hatton said the family often stays in hotels around the country, sometimes spending two or three weekends a month in hotels.

“As a child, what that does to you, because we’re in hotels all the time,” Hatton said.

Hatton and Smith said they immediately called Cullman police, and an investigation was opened. They then checked into a different hotel.

“Whenever we switched to the other hotel, I could not sleep. I had the worst time getting comfortable, even though I double and triple checked everything. It was just very, very scary,” Smith said.

Hatton said she is also frustrated with the way the companies involved with her hotel stay responded.

“I called Wyndham because it’s a Wyndham property and I said, ‘Hey, here’s what’s going on, can you help us get out of this hotel get me a refund help me book something,’ and they were like, ‘No, we’ll open an investigation but it will be like seven to 10 business days before we can do anything, we can’t do anything now.’ Expedia pretty much did the same thing,” Hatton said.

Hatton said the general manager of the hotel told her that she would be receiving a refund for their stay.

As the family waits for answers, Hatton is urging people to be extra diligent in searching the hotel rooms they stay in.

“You see this stuff, but you don’t think it’s ever going to be you or your children, and as a mom, that’s my only job is to protect my child, and then when something like this happens, you have no control over it,” Hatton said. “Just be vigilant and do research, and sweep your rooms.”

WBRC reached out to Wyndham Hotels, which owns the Days Inn location, and to the general manager of the Days Inn in Cullman for comment.

Days Inn replied, “Days Inn Cullman is aware of the situation and actively cooperating with local authorities and we are not able to comment further as this is an ongoing investigation.”