What are your tips on hotel room safety?
#31
Moderator: Manufactured Spending
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,578
Many of these tips strike me as rather paranoid. I really doubt that avoiding getting into an elevator with a stranger makes you any safer, but if it makes you feel better, then feel free to do it.
I have stayed in plenty of youth hostels, including some dodgy ones without lockers or even locks on the door. Never had any problems. When traveling, security at the hotel is the least of my worries. I'd be much more concerned about pickpockets at tourist sites and unscrupulous taxi drivers than I would about hotel robbers.
With that said, I think there are three rules to follow, which will keep you safe almost all the time.
1. Don't flaunt valuables. For example, don't don't dig through a wad of cash looking for your ID when checking in.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. If someone or something seems unusual, leave the area.
3. Lock your door.
I have stayed in plenty of youth hostels, including some dodgy ones without lockers or even locks on the door. Never had any problems. When traveling, security at the hotel is the least of my worries. I'd be much more concerned about pickpockets at tourist sites and unscrupulous taxi drivers than I would about hotel robbers.
With that said, I think there are three rules to follow, which will keep you safe almost all the time.
1. Don't flaunt valuables. For example, don't don't dig through a wad of cash looking for your ID when checking in.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. If someone or something seems unusual, leave the area.
3. Lock your door.
#32
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: QFF Gold, Flying Blue, Enrich
Posts: 5,366
Many of these tips strike me as rather paranoid. I really doubt that avoiding getting into an elevator with a stranger makes you any safer, but if it makes you feel better, then feel free to do it.
I have stayed in plenty of youth hostels, including some dodgy ones without lockers or even locks on the door. Never had any problems. When traveling, security at the hotel is the least of my worries. I'd be much more concerned about pickpockets at tourist sites and unscrupulous taxi drivers than I would about hotel robbers.
With that said, I think there are three rules to follow, which will keep you safe almost all the time.
1. Don't flaunt valuables. For example, don't don't dig through a wad of cash looking for your ID when checking in.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. If someone or something seems unusual, leave the area.
3. Lock your door.
I have stayed in plenty of youth hostels, including some dodgy ones without lockers or even locks on the door. Never had any problems. When traveling, security at the hotel is the least of my worries. I'd be much more concerned about pickpockets at tourist sites and unscrupulous taxi drivers than I would about hotel robbers.
With that said, I think there are three rules to follow, which will keep you safe almost all the time.
1. Don't flaunt valuables. For example, don't don't dig through a wad of cash looking for your ID when checking in.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. If someone or something seems unusual, leave the area.
3. Lock your door.
#33
Moderator, Amtrak & Spirit Airlines
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: EWR :rolleyes:
Programs: AC 50K, AS MVP, AA Plat Pro, DL Plat, UA Silver, IHG Spire, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 9,608
Wow I guess that some of you would really cringe to stay in non chain hotels in certain parts of the world where you turn your key back to the front desk when you leave the hotel. I have stayed in a few places like this in Southeast Asia and never had any issue with theft. My last stay in Italy my door didn't even lock I stayed there for 2 nights, and would just latch the door before I went to bed. Hopefully my luck doesn't run out.
#34
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: WN A+ CP, UA 1MM/*A Gold, Mar LT Tit, IHG Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 6,284
Wow I guess that some of you would really cringe to stay in non chain hotels in certain parts of the world where you turn your key back to the front desk when you leave the hotel. I have stayed in a few places like this in Southeast Asia and never had any issue with theft.
#35
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,368
Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is checking that patio doors and other large ground level windows are properly locked. In most places, I request a room on a high floor to make if more difficult for someone to break in from outside. Depending on the location, it can also be better to avoid rooms with windows along back alleys, etc.
#36
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,042
Many of these tips strike me as rather paranoid. I really doubt that avoiding getting into an elevator with a stranger makes you any safer, but if it makes you feel better, then feel free to do it.
I have stayed in plenty of youth hostels, including some dodgy ones without lockers or even locks on the door. Never had any problems. When traveling, security at the hotel is the least of my worries. I'd be much more concerned about pickpockets at tourist sites and unscrupulous taxi drivers than I would about hotel robbers.
With that said, I think there are three rules to follow, which will keep you safe almost all the time.
1. Don't flaunt valuables. For example, don't don't dig through a wad of cash looking for your ID when checking in.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. If someone or something seems unusual, leave the area.
3. Lock your door.
I have stayed in plenty of youth hostels, including some dodgy ones without lockers or even locks on the door. Never had any problems. When traveling, security at the hotel is the least of my worries. I'd be much more concerned about pickpockets at tourist sites and unscrupulous taxi drivers than I would about hotel robbers.
With that said, I think there are three rules to follow, which will keep you safe almost all the time.
1. Don't flaunt valuables. For example, don't don't dig through a wad of cash looking for your ID when checking in.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. If someone or something seems unusual, leave the area.
3. Lock your door.
#37
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Ontario, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan, IHG, Enterprise, Avios, Nexus
Posts: 8,355
The prospect of being robbed or assaulted is less concerning to me than a hotel fire. This concern is increased if staying in a developing country where fire codes may not be up to par or enforced. So I find out where the exits are, see if the doors work, look for smoke detectors and ask for a room that isn't too high.
I once considered buying my own smoke detector when staying at a very questionable hotel in the former Soviet union but haven't gone that far yet.
I once considered buying my own smoke detector when staying at a very questionable hotel in the former Soviet union but haven't gone that far yet.
#38
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: New York and Vienna
Programs: PA WorldPass Platinum, AA, DL, LH. GHA Black, SPG and HHonors Gold
Posts: 3,870
Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is checking that patio doors and other large ground level windows are properly locked. In most places, I request a room on a high floor to make if more difficult for someone to break in from outside. Depending on the location, it can also be better to avoid rooms with windows along back alleys, etc.
3.) When checking in, avoid a ground floor room if possible. Many experts recommend a room as low as the third floor and as high as the sixth, making break-ins unlikely but your floor will be low enough so that fire department ladders can reach you should an emergency arise.
11.) Make sure any sliding glass doors and windows are locked and fully secured.
#39
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 283
If I stay somewhere where there are rig crews (oil workers) or questionable people (for example you're in town for business and pick a hotel where there is a BSDM confernence) I take a few precautions.
1. Put a chair against the door, even if the deadbolt is on. If somebody gets drunk and decides that my room is actually their room, and they decide to enter by smashing the door down, that chair gives me an extra 3 seconds to respond. 3 seconds is the difference between being asleep in bed to standing up.
2. Ask for a room near a fire escape. i've been in places where the alarm goes off and you're in the halls in your pjs looking for a fire escape. It's better to get out before the halls are full of disoriented and scared people.
3. Get my required bottle of water or Sprite to help me sleep well before I intend to turn in. Some hotels do not have minibars and if they don't, I'd rather pick up a quart at a convenience store several hours prior than stumble down the hall at 10PM looking for a vending machine.
4. Put my room key in the shoes I intend to wear the next day. If I get up in the middle of the night, the key is in my shoes, not in my briefcase or suitcase. In case of a problem, I can pull my pants on, find a shirt and put my shoes on and have my key in hand. It means I'm not risking exiting my room in an emergency and forgetting my key in the panic. It also has the practical benefit of making it hard to lose. It's in my shoe or in my pocket while I'm up.
4. If I'm sharing a room with a friend or rarely, my boss I make sure to go to bed at the same time. I've had roommates who come in at 1AM (hostels) and I actually fear for my safety and my property to keep totally different hours. Unless I'm on a schedule, I'll power up my laptop and sit it out, rather than risk of having property or personal items stolen.
C.
1. Put a chair against the door, even if the deadbolt is on. If somebody gets drunk and decides that my room is actually their room, and they decide to enter by smashing the door down, that chair gives me an extra 3 seconds to respond. 3 seconds is the difference between being asleep in bed to standing up.
2. Ask for a room near a fire escape. i've been in places where the alarm goes off and you're in the halls in your pjs looking for a fire escape. It's better to get out before the halls are full of disoriented and scared people.
3. Get my required bottle of water or Sprite to help me sleep well before I intend to turn in. Some hotels do not have minibars and if they don't, I'd rather pick up a quart at a convenience store several hours prior than stumble down the hall at 10PM looking for a vending machine.
4. Put my room key in the shoes I intend to wear the next day. If I get up in the middle of the night, the key is in my shoes, not in my briefcase or suitcase. In case of a problem, I can pull my pants on, find a shirt and put my shoes on and have my key in hand. It means I'm not risking exiting my room in an emergency and forgetting my key in the panic. It also has the practical benefit of making it hard to lose. It's in my shoe or in my pocket while I'm up.
4. If I'm sharing a room with a friend or rarely, my boss I make sure to go to bed at the same time. I've had roommates who come in at 1AM (hostels) and I actually fear for my safety and my property to keep totally different hours. Unless I'm on a schedule, I'll power up my laptop and sit it out, rather than risk of having property or personal items stolen.
C.
#40
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: WN A+ CP, UA 1MM/*A Gold, Mar LT Tit, IHG Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 6,284
4. If I'm sharing a room with a friend or rarely, my boss I make sure to go to bed at the same time. I've had roommates who come in at 1AM (hostels) and I actually fear for my safety and my property to keep totally different hours. Unless I'm on a schedule, I'll power up my laptop and sit it out, rather than risk of having property or personal items stolen.
That's a lesson I've learned from experience, of course. In the distant past there were times when I was instructed to share rooms with people I did not choose and could not trust. I accepted it at the time because I figured, "Hey, I can get along with anybody, right?" Wrong. Several of those situations got ugly. Now I just say no and I don't compromise.
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bangkok or San Francisco
Programs: United 1k, Marriott Lifetime PE, Former DL Gold, Former SQ Solitaire, HH Gold
Posts: 11,886
Check your steretypes.
#42
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Staffordshire UK
Programs: FB LT Plat, BA LTG, LH HON
Posts: 273
Have your keycard in hand long before you approach your hotel room door so that you can enter quickly and lock the door.
Don't let others follow you into hotel elevators or corridors. Be aware of your surroundings. Don't use headphones or stare at your phone screen.
).
Don't let others follow you into hotel elevators or corridors. Be aware of your surroundings. Don't use headphones or stare at your phone screen.
).
#43
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
This thread is so full of Jack Bauer style paranoia it's funny. Kidnapping? Really? Making up a fake name to shout out? Upgrade your hotel choice, though I doubt secret Serbian mercenaries are looking for you!
#44
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: London, England.
Programs: BA
Posts: 8,476
Paranoia here is beyond belief. Really, you are better off staying at home and hiding under the bed. Don't go to Texas, especially. There might be an oil worker staying at the hotel.
Regarding announcing room numbers by the reception staff, this is common, if not standard, in Europe, and indeed in places other than the USA. We really do not all get murdered in our beds as a result. Some hotels do understand that for those travelling from Over The Ocean that if they do announce the number then it leads to all sorts of hysterics, and having to give an alternative room. Handing the key in at the reception desk when you go out is also standard in many smaller places. When you come back you have to ask for it, by number. I suppose that is what those little memo pads and pens are on the reception desk for. Maybe they should use special paper which will self-destruct after 10 seconds.
Likewise for the room door lock, there are those who, on entering, are standing like a Preying Mantis waiting to slam the lock across the second the door is close to closing. Only it seems we're not to do that when we enter with the porter who, despite huffing and puffing up the stairs with those massive bags, still has enough breath left to mount an attack. Meanwhile, here's The Riddler coming up the outside of the hotel using suction cups, making straight for our window. Make sure we're on the top floor to give Commissioner Gordon time to call Batman out.
Hollywood has a LOT to answer for.
Regarding announcing room numbers by the reception staff, this is common, if not standard, in Europe, and indeed in places other than the USA. We really do not all get murdered in our beds as a result. Some hotels do understand that for those travelling from Over The Ocean that if they do announce the number then it leads to all sorts of hysterics, and having to give an alternative room. Handing the key in at the reception desk when you go out is also standard in many smaller places. When you come back you have to ask for it, by number. I suppose that is what those little memo pads and pens are on the reception desk for. Maybe they should use special paper which will self-destruct after 10 seconds.
Likewise for the room door lock, there are those who, on entering, are standing like a Preying Mantis waiting to slam the lock across the second the door is close to closing. Only it seems we're not to do that when we enter with the porter who, despite huffing and puffing up the stairs with those massive bags, still has enough breath left to mount an attack. Meanwhile, here's The Riddler coming up the outside of the hotel using suction cups, making straight for our window. Make sure we're on the top floor to give Commissioner Gordon time to call Batman out.
Hollywood has a LOT to answer for.
#45
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Gold, GHA Tit, BA Gold, Turkish Elite
Posts: 8,712
It strikes me that if a whole load of people into BDSM are brought together the last thing any of them would want to do would be to go hang out/ attack someone not into that kind of thing. Similar thoughts for oil workers really