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What are your tips on hotel room safety?

What are your tips on hotel room safety?

Old Feb 20, 2015, 8:53 am
  #16  
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+1 to the paranoia. Unless I take on a career as a CIA spy, I probably won't worry all that much about evil-doers trying to get into my hotel room.

Theft of stuff? Yes, I take basic precautions to prevent the housekeeper from boosting my laptop or Kindle, either not leaving the stuff there or putting it in a safe. Crazy-expensive jewelry? I don't travel with it in the first place. The deadbolt/latch? Yes, I use it when I'm in the room to prevent a hotel employee or double-booked guest from walking in without me knowing about it.

Fake friends to fool enemy espionage agents? Uhhh, no, haven't deployed that one.

Other bad practices I have: I often walk through the hotel with headphones on...if I'm on my way out for a run. I prop the door open to get ice, leaving a solid 60-90 seconds for a cat burglar to determine that I don't travel with expensive jewelry and my laptop is a 3-year-old piece of crap, a big heavy brick hardly worth the effort to haul it off. I don't exactly advertise my travels online, but I don't actively take steps to conceal it. If I meet up with friends to catch a game or whatever while I'm traveling, a tagged photo might end up online. I don't care. I've booked tours through a hotel, leaving open the possibility that hotel employees know my room will be empty all day.

I guess I'm just rollin' the dice, right?... I get that there are parts of the world where very location-specific security measures should be followed (although those tend to be deployed more at the perimeter of the hotel property and outside the grounds than in the room itself). But I find a lot of the tips to be a bit overkill when we're talking about the Tulsa Marriott or whatever.
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 8:57 am
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Originally Posted by pinniped

Fake friends to fool enemy espionage agents? Uhhh, no, haven't deployed that one.
Please do report back after you've tried it.
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 9:08 am
  #18  
 
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Whenever I leave my room, I leave the DND sign hanging and the TV on just below nuisance level.

I assume any employee-thief worth his salt will also have access to the in-room safe (as well as a pretty quick in-and-out fast routine).
So my laptop and other electronics that I can't take with me go into the bath tub with the shower curtain pulled closed. Seriously, who would look in the tub for valuables?
(I suppose any thief that reads FT, now).
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 10:00 am
  #19  
 
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If I'm not familiar with city or location I simply call the local PD and ask. They're very helpful
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 11:03 am
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Originally Posted by coachrowsey
If I'm not familiar with city or location I simply call the local PD and ask. They're very helpful
You call the police ahead of time to ask how safe their city is and for tips?
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 11:07 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by jspira
Not completely. A chain would have prevented the incident SanDiego1K reported in the OP (people walking into her room whilst she was in bed) and anyone breaking the chain would make a much louder entry into the room than a thief would really want.
Exactly. I don't expect the chain to keep someone out. I expect it to wake me up if I'm asleep.

Three easy rules have kept me safe:

1) be aware of your surroundings when entering your room.

2) chain the door

3) take valuables with you or put in safe, but know they are only marginally safe

I'd also add to know where the emergency exits are.
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 11:32 am
  #22  
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These are my rules as well.

I am still shocked that ANYONE would not lock their door and use the chain/deadbolt these days... but I have many friends that do not.

If they are not doing that simple action, not sure any other safety suggestions will be taken to heart.

As an aside, I am also one that will leave my DND on the door assuming the room has been cleaned. Figure, if someone was thinking of breaking in, they might think twice if they believe someone might be in the room.

It seems to have worked so far....

Originally Posted by tkey75
Exactly. I don't expect the chain to keep someone out. I expect it to wake me up if I'm asleep.

Three easy rules have kept me safe:

1) be aware of your surroundings when entering your room.

2) chain the door

3) take valuables with you or put in safe, but know they are only marginally safe

I'd also add to know where the emergency exits are.
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 11:36 am
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Originally Posted by wharvey

I am still shocked that ANYONE would not lock their door and use the chain/deadbolt these days... but I have many friends that do not.
This is why I assigned someone at FBT the article to write, with the hope that people will think about these issues and follow these practices.

Originally Posted by wharvey

As an aside, I am also one that will leave my DND on the door assuming the room has been cleaned.
Do you also leave the TV on (not tuned to the hotel's information station of course)?
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 11:52 am
  #24  
 
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Something else to think about is the extra key they give you. I'm usually traveling alone and only ask for one key. However, they frequently make two keys.

Don't ever just leave that second key lying around on the desk when you leave the room. Either take it with you or lock it up in the safe. Otherwise, someone can swipe it and get into your room when you're not there and it won't show as anyone entering other than yourself.
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 12:13 pm
  #25  
 
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Originally Posted by pinniped
+1 to the paranoia. Unless I take on a career as a CIA spy, I probably won't worry all that much about evil-doers trying to get into my hotel room.
There's very little a normal person can do to keep truly motivated thieves and attackers away. For example, you can lock your door, but hotel staff have keys and tools to unlock it-- even if you put the safety latch across it from the inside. (I've seen them bring these tools out when the locks malfunction.) And someone who's not an employee could still smash it in. Virtually every reasonable precaution we can take is simply a matter of keeping mostly-honest people honest and avoiding crimes of opportunity by making ourselves not the easiest target in the area.
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 2:19 pm
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by ironmanjt
You call the police ahead of time to ask how safe their city is and for tips?
Yep works every time. Not that I'm a former police officer would it make any difference
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 2:50 pm
  #27  
 
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Originally Posted by Scots_Al
I'm afraid that I would give fairly short shrift to anyone tried to tell me that I wasn't allowed to get in 'their' elevator/lift, or worse, that I wasn't allowed to walk along the corridor to my room at the same time as them!
What you do is not enter the elevator yourself if you don't feel comfortable with the others who are waiting or already on. If you don't like who is in the hall turn around and head back to the elevator saying "OMG I forgot..."
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 3:13 pm
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by wharvey
...As an aside, I am also one that will leave my DND on the door assuming the room has been cleaned. Figure, if someone was thinking of breaking in, they might think twice if they believe someone might be in the room.

It seems to have worked so far....
I've never done that, and never been robbed - seems to have worked for me so far.
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Old Feb 20, 2015, 3:19 pm
  #29  
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Cool

Originally Posted by airmotive
Whenever I leave my room, I leave the DND sign hanging and the TV on just below nuisance level.

I assume any employee-thief worth his salt will also have access to the in-room safe (as well as a pretty quick in-and-out fast routine).
So my laptop and other electronics that I can't take with me go into the bath tub with the shower curtain pulled closed. Seriously, who would look in the tub for valuables?
(I suppose any thief that reads FT, now).
Here's hoping there are never any leaky faucets/shower heads.

Sorry, I think your chances of having water damage are far higher than the chances of a random employee getting into the safe. It usually requires hotel security and some reasonable period of time to get into those. And how long would it take for a sneak thief to quickly pull back the shower curtain? LOL
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Old Feb 21, 2015, 3:37 am
  #30  
 
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Everybody knows that if you want your laptop replaced with a clean one you leave it on the bathroom floor.
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