Crime Wave Hits Business Events in Columbus, Ohio

Over a single weekend in January, thieves broke into 50 vehicles belonging to attendees of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) midwinter conference held at the Columbus Airport Marriott.

With overflow rooms at the Courtyard Columbus Airport, a Courtyard by Marriott property, 35 cars were broken into at the Marriott and 15 at the Courtyard

Although not obligated to do so, the VFW paid $500 toward each deductible for each damaged car, totaling $25,000. 

“This incident totally blew their budget,” said Fran Brown, global account manager of ConferenceDirect, who planned the meeting. 

The VFW was contracted to hold its 2026 conference at the same hotels. It has switched the location to Dublin, a Columbus suburb.

“Marriott let them out of the contract without penalty,” said Brown. “Between the guest rooms and food and beverage, this was a $160,000 piece of business the hotel lost.”

When sourcing for hotels in Columbus, one of the first questions Brown now asks is, “What security measurements do you have in place in your parking lots?” she said. 

Columbus Groups Working Together to Alleviate the Issue

The Columbus division of police leadership and city hospitality groups are working together on the issue of car break-ins, said Glenn McEntyre, assistant director of the City of Columbus Department of Public Safety, which manages the operations for the divisions of fire and police. 

The Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association (OHLA) invited representatives from affected city hotels to meet to discuss the issue on January 22 at a member hotel in Columbus. More than 60 hotel representatives attended, and 32 of the most impacted properties provided data on incidents, financial impact, and guest comments.

According to the information provided by the hotels to OHLA, there have been 959 separate car break-ins, thefts, and vandalism incidents at 32 Columbus hotels since June 2024. 

“Our industry compiled the data, examples, and visitor feedback because we need to illustrate the scope of this problem,” said Joe Savarise, president and CEO of OHLA. 

“Late in 2024, early in 2025, we have seen that the frequency and severity have increased. Events are canceling. Groups are taking their business to other places. Hotels documented a million dollars of lost revenue in just more than half a year,” Savarise said.

Columbus Invests in Security

In response, hotels report spending $1.25 million on security and safety. 

“We are actively engaging in directed patrols in areas and times of concern. We are working closely with the juvenile justice system to address recidivism with young offenders and develop long-term solutions to this problem,” said McEntyre.

Columbus hotels that routinely saw one to five break-ins on a given day are experiencing multiple break-ins at one time. As many as 20 or more at a time, said Savarise. In addition, hotels in the airport area reported 132 incidents from February to July 2024, with that number increasing to 325 from August 2024 through the beginning of February this year.

For perspective, San Antonio reported 20 car burglary calls at a single hotel over 30 days, and another nearby hotel had 12 calls during the same period. 

Brian Ross, president and CEO of Experience Columbus, said that in 2024, Columbus hosted 435 conventions, trade shows, and sporting events. “The majority of these incidents are in suburban areas,” said Ross. “It hasn’t impacted any business in the core convention district.”

In 2023, Experience Columbus reported having 51.2 million visitors to the region. Eighty percent of visitors to Columbus come for day trips, and 20% are overnight. Experience Columbus adds that 78% of overnight travelers drive to the city.