A Denver hotel guest says his summer stay at the Sheraton Denver Downtown turned into a horror story at 22 stories up, and he is now suing over it. The complaint, filed in Denver District Court on June 5, claims a bat bit him while he slept in a 22nd-floor room last August and left him facing a nearly six-figure round of rabies treatment. The suit seeks damages from Marriott and the hotel's operating company over the August 2025 incident.
Court records show the suit was filed June 5 by Shahrouz Shahbazi (Case No. 2026CV032068), who says the attack occurred on Aug. 29, 2025, while he was a paying guest on the hotel's 22nd floor. The filing names Marriott International and Sheraton License Operating Company as defendants and lists Lomena Law as counsel for the plaintiff, according to the court filing.
What the complaint says
The complaint and statements from the plaintiff's attorney say Shahbazi woke in the middle of the night to find bats flying around his room, later spotted one hanging from a curtain rod, and photographed what he says is a bite on his foot. The suit alleges hotel maintenance removed some animals but missed at least one, and that workers did not seal a hole beneath an air conditioner or move the guest to a different room, as reported by CBS Colorado.
Public-health backdrop
The encounter came roughly a month after Denver officials warned that two bats in the city had tested positive for rabies in July 2025, a reminder that bat exposures can require urgent medical care. Local reporting at the time noted Denver Animal Protection's notices and urged residents to avoid contact with wildlife and keep pets up to date on vaccinations, as outlined by the Denver Gazette.
Costs, testing and the hotel's response
Medical bills included in court filings show nearly $100,000 in charges for rabies vaccines and related treatment, which the paperwork indicates was covered by the plaintiff's insurer. The filings and subsequent reporting state that Shahbazi later tested negative for rabies. CBS Colorado reports that Marriott and the Sheraton did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the allegations and the lawsuit.
Case status and next steps
The complaint was filed in Denver District Court as Shahbazi v. Marriott International, Inc. et al and is represented by attorney Edward Lomena of Lomena Law, according to the court filing. The case is still in its earliest stages, and the next phase is expected to include discovery and routine pretrial motions as the parties exchange records and deposition requests.
What the law says
Colorado's Premises Liability Act governs many hotel-injury claims and says the duty a property owner owes depends on the visitor's status, with invitees, like hotel guests, owed a duty to exercise reasonable care to inspect for and fix hazards the owner knows about or should discover. The statute and local legal guides explain that these disputes are fact-heavy: a plaintiff must generally prove the owner had actual or constructive notice of a dangerous condition or unreasonably failed to address it. C.R.S. § 13-21-115 and local legal analysis provide the framework for how courts assess those questions.
For now, the lawsuit is the first detailed public account of the episode and is likely to generate more documents as discovery proceeds. Observers will be watching the docket and any response from Marriott to see how the company addresses the maintenance and public-health concerns raised in the complaint.
