A hotel detective is a person in plain clothes hired to monitor the security of a hotel and investigate various security, morality, or rule violations therein.[1] They are distinct from uniformed security guards employed by a hotel.
Hotel detectives are often retired and/or ex-police officers with additional training.[citation needed] They have prominence in certain noir fiction, especially in the works of Raymond Chandler, where detectives are occasionally referred to as "dicks."[2]
