An early-morning robbery at a hotel in Vegreville, Alta., netted four masked men $50,000 in VLT cash early Saturday.

The thieves, wearing bandanas, sunglasses and hoodies, entered the lobby of the Garden Inn on Highway 16A at about 3:45 a.m. and forced a female staff member to the ground, RCMP said in a news release Tuesday.

When she tried looking up, she was hit repeatedly on the head, leaving her with minor injuries.

​Over a one-hour period, the men opened a number of safes, stealing more than $50,000 in cash associated with video lottery terminals, police said.

The men took the last safe with them after failing to open it at the hotel.

They also stole the hard drive of the hotel security system, leaving police without any surveillance video.

The staff member assaulted during the robbery was unable to gather details of the thieves' appearances and clothing.

The thieves fled in two vehicles, one possibly a truck, and the other a car belonging to the staff member.