Art of Surveillance

Remember the good old days when a no-tell motel meant the front desk asked no questions and the parking lot asked even fewer?

Those days are officially over at the Hilton Garden Inn Prescott Downtown.

Right outside the entrance, on the southwest corner of Montezuma and Sheldon, a Prescott Police Department Flock Safety ALPR camera sits on the traffic signal mast over the southbound lane, facing south and quietly collecting license plates.

Here’s the slightly awkward detail for arriving guests: If you take the northbound left-turn lane into the hotel parking lot (especially if you stop at the light), there’s a real chance the camera will still get a look at your plate. Its exact alignment isn’t public, so that left-turn lane lives in the “maybe” zone.

Practical advice: Want to keep your arrival a little more low-profile? Skip the left turn. Circle the block and come in from another direction. Arrive like it’s still 1997.

The photo shows the camera, the intersection, and the left-turn approach to the hotel.

Welcome to the modern no-tell motel… where the motel still won’t tell, but the Flock camera might.