Yes, most likely what occurred is someone who accepted the package actually took the package and tried to cover it up. The hotel management won't tell you but here is the issue: whether the hotel owes you a duty as either an innkeeper (high level of safety) or as a reasonable person or even as a possible bailor.  If the innkeeper acts as a willing bailor (pre-arranged agreement to safeguard your belongings while in its possession), then the hotel owes you replacement monies.  Secondly, if the innkeeper has indicated in its advertising or hotel agreement with you it would undertake to safekeep any of your belongings, then it has a duty.  Here, as in most states, unless you physically have the hotel agree to hold your items and you don't have a hotel room agreement that states your property is your responsibility to keep safe (hence safes in rooms), you may not have a whole lot to go by other than the FedEx delivery receipt. That may be sufficient to show the hotel agreed to at least accept your belongings and implicitly safeguard it until it was passed to you and therefore, sufficient to show a bailor bailee relationship. Consider talking to the hotel again. If it refuses to help you, contact the Office of the California Attorney General and file a complaint; and then file a police report with the city police department in which the hotel is located.