Hampton Inn Intercom Incident Disrupts Portsmouth Guests

Around 4 a.m. Saturday, a male individual entered an unlocked hallway at the Hampton Inn on Portwalk Place in downtown Portsmouth, a corridor reserved for police and fire responders. The person forced open a locked emergency intercom panel that serves both the hotel and an attached apartment building and broadcast a vulgar, homophobic, threatening message that echoed throughout the facilities. Guests were awakened, attempted to contact the hotel, and reported phone outages. Portsmouth police arrived shortly thereafter, secured the area, and began an investigation. No arrests have been made and officials say there is no ongoing public threat.

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One guest recalled, “When I first heard it, I thought it was my cell phone going off, or Facebook, something like that.” Ralph Basiliere described the voice as “very homophobic and threatening.” Several guests, including the birthday celebrant, expressed uncertainty about staying the night and considered refunds for the “hundreds of dollars” spent.

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Hotel management affirmed that neither the hotel nor the adjoining apartment building experienced a breach of physical security, noting that access to both structures requires a key. They also announced that increased safety patrols will remain in the area for the foreseeable future. Portsmouth police indicated that the investigation is ongoing, no arrests have been made, and there is no current threat to the public.

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Several guests demanded more than an apology, with one stating, “DANGER. SOME GUESTS ARE DEMANDING MORE THAN JUST AN APOLOGY. I HOPE THEY FIND WHO DID IT AND THAT THEY’RE PROSECUTED VIGOROUSLY.” Others, including the birthday guest, said they expect a full refund for the “hundreds of dollars” spent on their stay, describing the incident as “uncalled for.” The calls for accountability reflect dissatisfaction with the hotel’s handling of the emergency.

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Police have not identified the suspect, and no arrests have been made, leaving the perpetrator’s identity unknown. Authorities suspect the individual was under the influence, but this has not been confirmed. The hotel’s claim that security was never compromised contrasts with guests’ reports of intercom panel tampering, highlighting a gap in publicly available forensic details.

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• “When I first heard it, I thought it was my cell phone going off, or Facebook, something like that,” — Anonymous birthday guest

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• “It was a male voice with very homophobic and threatening language,” — Ralph Basiliere, guest

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• “WE’RE DEBATING WHETHER TO STAY TONIGHT OR NOT, BUT THEY CAN REFUND ME THE WHOLE THING.” — Anonymous guest

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• “I HOPE THEY FIND WHO DID IT AND THAT THEY’RE PROSECUTED VIGOROUSLY.” — Anonymous guest

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