Imagine abruptly waking up in the middle of the night and opening your eyes to a hotel manager sucking on your toes.
Peter Brennan, a Texas man visiting Nashville on a business trip, was sleeping in his room at the Hilton Downtown Nashville Hotel. A restful night became a nightmare when an employee started seducing him by licking his feet with no warning or consent.
“I was in Nashville for a work conference,” Brennan said. “I awoke to a gentleman, an employee of the Hilton, assaulting me.”
Brennan was shocked the hotel employee invaded his privacy by abusing his work privileges to gain access to the room. The employee began engaging in sexual advances and Brennan was demanding answers from the man who was audacious enough to perform the actions.
“Instantly jumped up and was screaming. Went into sort of fact-finding mode. Who are you? Why are you in my room? What are you doing here?” Brennan said. “I could see he was wearing a uniform, he had his name tag on. He was talking to me but not giving me any substantive answers.”
Brennan sought assistance from the hotel security guard but he wasn’t much help so Brennan called Metro Police, who conducted an investigation. During the police investigation, it was revealed that the employee was a night manager working at the Hilton and police have identified him as David Neal.
The cops have initiated a warrant for his arrest and this case isn’t his first offence. Neal has a prior conviction where he was taken into custody on an aggravated burglary warrant.
“We found multiple crimes — felonies, prison time, court decisions,” said Michael Fisher, Brennan’s attorney with the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm. “They have to be very careful with who you give access to that has the ability to create guest key cards for any room in the hotel.
Brennan is filing a lawsuit against Neal and Hilton Hotels as a way to push them to adjust their company policies. He’s hoping that a legal punishment will spare another guest from having to deal with PTSD after a night’s stay.
It wasn’t easy for Brennan waking up to wet feet and a stranger’s face. It’s not a nightmare that he can simply forget, shake off, and move on. “I’m having problems sleeping frankly, I’m going through some PTSD, talking to a therapist,” said Brennan. “I still don’t really feel safe in my own home.”
Michelle Myers, a spokesperson for Hilton, said: “Hilton Nashville Downtown is independently owned and operated by a third party and no Hilton entity employs staff at this property. The safety and security of our guests is our top priority and Hilton takes matters such as these very seriously.”
While Hilton shifts the blame, this man will be dealing with his jitters when he books his future stays.