Any building held out to the public to be an inn, hotel or public lodging house or place where sleeping accommodations, whether with or without meals, or the facilities for preparing the same, are furnished for hire to transient guests, in which three or more rooms are used for the accommodation of such guests, shall for the purposes of this chapter and chapter 60.64 RCW, or any amendment thereof, only, be defined to be a hotel, and whenever the word hotel shall occur in this chapter and chapter 60.64 RCW, or any amendment thereof, it shall be construed to mean a hotel as herein described.

Guest defined: RCW 60.64.010.

Every hotel and trailer camp shall keep a record of the arrival and departure of its guests in such a manner that the record will be a permanent one for at least one year from the date of departure: PROVIDED, That this requirement shall not apply with respect to guests of tenants in mobile home parks, as defined in RCW 59.20.030.

Severability—1979 ex.s. c 186: See note following RCW 59.20.030.

Whenever the proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager of any hotel, lodging house or inn shall provide a safe or vault for the safekeeping of any money, bank notes, jewelry, precious stones, ornaments, railroad mileage books or tickets, negotiable securities or other valuable papers, bullion, or other valuable property of small compass belonging to the guests, boarders or lodgers of such hotel, lodging house or inn, and shall notify the guests, boarders or lodgers thereof by posting a notice in three or more public and conspicuous places in the office, elevators, public rooms, elevator lobbies, public corridors, halls or entrances, or in the public parlors of such hotel, lodging house or inn, stating the fact that such safe or vault is provided in which such property may be deposited; and if such guests, boarders or lodgers shall neglect to deliver such property to the person in charge of such office, for deposit in the safe or vault, the proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee or manager, whether individual, partnership or corporation, of such hotel, lodging house or inn shall not be liable for any loss or destruction of any such property, or any damage thereto, sustained by such guests, boarders or lodgers, by negligence of such proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee or manager, or his, her, their or its employees, or by fire, theft, burglary, or any other cause whatsoever; but no proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee or manager of any hotel, lodging house or inn, shall be obliged to receive property on deposit for safekeeping exceeding one thousand dollars in value; and if such guests, boarders or lodgers shall deliver such property to the person in charge of said office for deposit in such safe or vault, said proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager, shall not be liable for the loss or destruction thereof, or damage thereto, sustained by such guests, boarders or lodgers in any such hotel, lodging house, or inn, exceeding the sum of one thousand dollars, notwithstanding said property may be of greater value, unless by special arrangement in writing with such proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee or manager: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That in case of such deposit of such property, the proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee or manager of such hotel, lodging house, or inn, shall in no event be liable for loss or destruction thereof, or damage thereto, unless caused by the theft or gross negligence of such proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager, of his, her, their, or its agents, servants or employees.

Except as provided for in RCW 19.48.030, the proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager, whether individual, partnership, or corporation, of a hotel, lodging house, or inn, shall not be liable for the loss or destruction of, or damage to any personal property brought or sent into such hotel, lodging house, or inn, by or for any of the guests, boarders, or lodgers thereof, unless such loss, destruction, or damage is occasioned by the gross negligence of such proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager, or his, her, their, or its agents, servants, or employees; but in no event shall such liability exceed the sum of two hundred dollars, unless such proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager, shall have contracted in writing with such guest, boarder, or lodger to assume a greater liability: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That in no event shall liability of the proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager, or his, her, their, or its agents, servants or employees, of a hotel, lodging house, or inn exceed the following: For a guest, boarder, or lodger, paying twenty-five cents per day, for lodging, or for any person who is not a guest, boarder, or lodger, the liability for loss, destruction, or damage, shall not exceed the sum of fifty dollars for a trunk and contents, ten dollars for a suitcase or valise and contents, five dollars for a box, bundle, or package, and ten dollars for wearing apparel or miscellaneous effects. For a guest, boarder, or lodger, paying fifty cents a day for lodging, the liability for loss, destruction, or damage shall not exceed seventy-five dollars for a trunk and contents, twenty dollars for a suitcase or valise and contents, ten dollars for a box, bundle, or package and contents, and twenty dollars for wearing apparel and miscellaneous effects. For a guest, boarder, or lodger paying more than fifty cents per day for lodging, the liability for loss, destruction, or damage shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars for a trunk and contents, fifty dollars for a suitcase or valise and contents, ten dollars for a box, bundle, or package and contents, and fifty dollars for wearing apparel and miscellaneous effects, unless in such case such proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager of such hotel, lodging house, or inn, shall have consented in writing to assume a greater liability: AND PROVIDED FURTHER, Whenever any person shall suffer his or her baggage or property to remain in any hotel, lodging house, or inn, after leaving the same as a guest, boarder, or lodger, and after the relation of guest, boarder, or lodger between such person and the proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager of such hotel, lodging house, or inn, has ceased, or shall forward or deliver the same to such hotel, lodging house, or inn, before, or without, becoming a guest, boarder, or lodger thereof, and the same shall be received into such hotel, lodging house, or inn, the liability of such proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager thereof shall in no event exceed the sum of one hundred dollars, and such proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager, may at his, her, their or its option, hold such baggage or property at the risk of such owner thereof; and when any baggage or property has been kept or stored by such hotel, lodging house, or inn, for six months after such relation of guest, boarder, or lodger has ceased, or when such relation does not exist, after six months from the receipt of such baggage or property in such hotel, lodging house, or inn, such proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager, may, if he, she, they or it so desires, sell the same at public auction in the manner now or hereinafter provided by law for the sale of property to satisfy a hotel keeper's lien, and from the proceeds of such sale pay or reimburse himself or herself the expenses incurred for advertisement and sale, as well as any storage that may have accrued, and any other amounts owing by such person to said hotel, lodging house, or inn: PROVIDED, That when any such baggage or property is received, kept, or stored therein after such relation does not exist, such proprietor, keeper, owner, operator, lessee, or manager, may, if he, she, or it, so desires, deliver the same at any time to a storage or warehouse company for storage, and in such event all responsibility or liability of such hotel, lodging house, or inn, for such baggage or property, or for storage charges thereon, shall thereupon cease and terminate.

(1)(a) Any person who willfully obtains food, money, credit, use of ski area facilities, lodging or accommodation at any hotel, inn, restaurant, commercial ski area, boarding house or lodging house, without paying therefor, with intent to defraud the proprietor, owner, operator or keeper thereof; or who obtains food, money, credit, use of ski area facilities, lodging or accommodation at such hotel, inn, restaurant, commercial ski area, boarding house or lodging house, by the use of any false pretense; or who, after obtaining food, money, credit, use of ski area facilities, lodging, or accommodation at such hotel, inn, restaurant, commercial ski area, boarding house, or lodging house, removes or causes to be removed from such hotel, inn, restaurant, commercial ski area, boarding house or lodging house, his or her baggage, without the permission or consent of the proprietor, manager or authorized employee thereof, before paying for such food, money, credit, use of ski area facilities, lodging or accommodation, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor, except as provided in (b) of this subsection.

(b) If the aggregate amount of food, money, use of ski area facilities, lodging or accommodation, or credit so obtained is seventy-five dollars or more such person is guilty of a class B felony punishable according to chapter 9A.20 RCW.

(2) Proof that food, money, credit, use of ski area facilities, lodging or accommodation were obtained by false pretense or by false or fictitious show or pretense of any baggage or other property, or that the person refused or neglected to pay for such food, money, credit, use of ski area facilities, lodging or accommodation on demand, or that he or she gave in payment for such food, money, credit, use of ski area facilities, lodging or accommodation, negotiable paper on which payment was refused, or that he or she absconded, or departed from, or left, the premises without paying for such food, money, credit, use of ski area facilities, lodging or accommodation, or that he or she removed, or attempted to remove, or caused to be removed, or caused to be attempted to be removed his or her property or baggage, shall be prima facie evidence of the fraudulent intent hereinbefore mentioned.

Intent—Effective date—2003 c 53: See notes following RCW 2.48.180.

Legislative findings—1985 c 129: "The legislature finds that commercial ski areas, which contribute significantly to the economic well-being of the state, suffer substantial financial losses from the fraudulent use of their facilities by persons who obtain services without paying for them. It is therefore the intent of the legislature that the law that protects hotels, inns, and restaurants from such fraud be extended to also protect commercial ski areas." [ 1985 c 129 s 1.]

Leaving restaurant or hotel or motel without paying: RCW 4.24.230.