View Full Version : The hotel Sandra Orellana stayed in?


Tap Dancer
05-05-2014, 08:42 PM
I've been searching for the Industry Hills Sheraton in CA, but I can't find anything. I'm not sure if the hotel changed its name or if it's gone. I tried without luck to find an address for the old Industry Hills Sheraton using Trip Advisor and Sheraton's websites. "We’re sorry; there are no hotels that match your criteria" is the message I get. Does anyone know if the hotel still exists?



http://mjdarlington.com/2011/07/11/forensics-101-industry-hills-sheraton-1996/


Forensics 101: Industry Hills Sheraton 1996

The second presentation at the Cal State LA Crime Lab was Professor Donald Johnson’s crime scene reconstruction of the 1996 Industry Hills Sheraton incident. The case involved a woman who either fell or was thrown to her death from a hotel balcony.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lo6womy6kd1qhcs6f.jpg

In November 1996, Sandra Orellana and her married boss Robert Salazar traveled from Houston on a business trip to Los Angeles, staying the night in the Industry Hills Sheraton Hotel. They were seen behaving affectionately towards each other in the hotel bar, drinking and dancing together.

In the morning, Orellana’s badly battered corpse was discovered on the ground beneath her room’s balcony. Although Salazar initially denied knowing she was dead, physical evidence indicated that he had undressed hastily in her room the night before. Salazar then changed his story, admitting he had sex with Orellana, but claiming it was consensual, and that she had accidentally fallen from the balcony and he had panicked.

After hearing all the evidence, I’m still suspicious. Prof. Johnson says he thinks it was an accident, but there was one piece of physical evidence that was missing from the balcony railing, in my opinion, considering the victims heights and what she would have had to do to get over the railing. I think it’s possible a killer walked in this case, but that is, of course, my opinion. The guy’s been exonerated by the courts.

Tap Dancer
05-06-2014, 05:55 AM
I don't know for sure, but I've worked in the hotel industry most of my adult life and it's very common for hotels to change names, so that's probably a good guess.

As have I, actually. I live in a small town, though, so it's rare that the hotel names change here. Sheraton is a large chain, so I guess they either sold that property or it was taken down. I just wanted to know which.

Charlie99909
05-06-2014, 04:31 PM
In my experience, I've worked for a few hotels in Reno and it's not uncommon for the chains to sell from time to time and rename.

Tap Dancer
05-06-2014, 05:49 PM
I guess I'll assume the hotel was torn down until I hear otherwise.

McBevis
05-07-2014, 07:18 PM
I guess I'll assume the hotel was torn down until I hear otherwise.

It's still there. It's called Pacific Palms Resort now.

Tap Dancer
05-08-2014, 05:23 AM
It's still there. It's called Pacific Palms Resort now.

Thank you, McBevis. :)