If Lance Cpl. Leilani Sese had it to do all over again, she would have taken her iPod touch with her to work or secured it in her own lock box.

Instead, she left the electronic device on the nightstand in her room at the Holiday Inn Express in Johnstown. She had left it there every day since Aug. 2 when she arrived for two weeks of training as an aviation ground supply specialist with the Marine Corps Reserves.

When she returned to her room late Sunday afternoon, the iPod touch, its charger, case and head phones were gone. The device is a hand-held, touch-screen media player with Wi-Fi -- wireless fidelity -- Internet and a personal digital assistant. She said it all cost about $400.

"I had a lot of personal information on it, including the numbers of my checking and savings accounts and personal e-mail," said Ms. Sese, 20, of Ocean City, N.J. "Whoever took it made sure they got everything connected to it.

"I thought it would be safe in my room," she added. "I didn't want to take it to the base because I didn't want to risk having it damaged or broken."

She said she shared her story to warn other hotel guests, wherever they might stay, to safeguard their valuables.

The theft of the iPod touch appeared to be one of those grab-and-go crimes of opportunity. For some reason, the thief didn't take about $80 in cash, a government-issued credit card and three diamond rings valued at more than $1,000 that also were in plain sight.

Ms. Sese reported the theft to Jennifer Hewitt, the hotel's general manager; the local police; her base command office "so it stops sending people to the hotel" and the local Chamber of Commerce.

She said she believed that the device was taken by a hotel employee, "probably by one of the housekeepers." She said she questioned the young woman who has been taking care of her room, "but she denied it."

Ms. Hewitt, the general manger, said she had contacted the police department and the hotel's insurance company about the theft. She said the insurance company will contact Ms. Sese. She said the hotel, which has 84 rooms and 11 suites, maintains safe deposit boxes in a secure location for its guests.

Ms. Sese said she thought it was a hotel employee because "they are the only ones who have access to the rooms."

Maybe not.

Another hotel guest or someone else walking through the hotel could have ducked into her room while it was open for housecleaning but the housekeeper was elsewhere.

"I didn't think of that," she said. "But the room shouldn't have been left open if one of the housekeepers wasn't going to be in there. Once they open that door, they are responsible for the security of everything in it."

I told Ms. Sese that thieves working in pairs have been known to take advantage of housekeepers by diverting their attention. One thief tells a housekeeper she is needed in a room at the far end of the hall and accompanies her there while his partner ransacks rooms she has opened.

Ms. Hewitt said housekeepers were trained to make up one room at a time and to lock it if they are called away.

The hotel, independently owned and operated by Crown American Hotels, said on its Web site that it strives "to exceed the expectations of our guests in a home away from home environment."

Under the "100 percent satisfaction guarantee" policy stated on the Web site, it tells guests that if any part of their stay doesn't meet with their expectations, the hotel will try to correct it. "If you're not satisfied, you don't pay for that part of your stay," it added.

Ms. Sese said she wanted the hotel to reimburse her for the cost of the iPod touch, the charger, case and head phones or buy her a new one.

I'll keep you posted.

About those accounts

If your bank has sent you "important information" about your checking and savings accounts, take the time to read them.

Among other things, the bank may be "amending" the agreement for those accounts, increasing "service" charges and fees, and setting daily limits for your bank card(s).

Be aware; read with care.