Sleeping Hilton Nashville guest says he woke up to manager sucking his toes

A routine work trip turned into a “nightmare” when a hotel guest visiting from Texas awoke to a Hilton manager sucking his feet, he told Tennessee news outlets.

Now, the man accused of committing the assault early one morning at the Hilton Nashville Downtown has been arrested. News outlets didn’t list attorney information for the man, identified as 52-year-old David Neal.

In response to McClatchy News’ request for comment, a Hilton spokesperson in an email said the Nashville Downtown property is independently run.

“The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority,” the Nashville hotel wrote in a statement. “We are working closely with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and, as part of company policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations.”

The case dates to March 30, when a Texas man said he was visiting the hotel for work. At about 5 a.m., he was sleeping in his locked hotel room when Neal entered “without knocking or announcing himself,” the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm said in a lawsuit alleging negligence and invasion of privacy.

The guest said he woke up and discovered Neal sucking on his toes in a sexual manner. The guest later realized Neal had been in his room the previous day to fix a problem with a TV, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department told WZTV.

Police believe Neal made a key card to get into the guest’s room. He reportedly told officers he had gone inside because he smelled smoke, the TV station reported.

“When you close your eyes, you feel like you’re safe and you’re protected and it was a complete violation,” the hotel guest told WKRN. “I was just so, so shocked.”

Officials said Neal was fired from the hotel and arrested on May 5. He was charged with “aggravated burglary and assault,” police told WSMV and other news outlets.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ requests for additional information on May 8.