cbn42

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.

BadgerBoi

Pretty much sums it up, imho. Appearing to be paranoid and over-cautious is more likely to set you up as a victim than anything else.

Long Train Runnin

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.

darthbimmer

I've stayed at a few hotels like that in smaller cities in South Korea. At first it struck me as very insecure to turn over the (metal) key to the manager every time I left. But then I reasoned that it's not materially less secure than keeping a key in my pocket. Because my key is just a key, it's not the key. The front desk either has a copy (metal key) or can trivially program a copy (electronic key) to enter my room while I'm out.

MSPeconomist

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.

Tizzette

It is in the case of #2 that you would not get on the elevator or go down the hallway.

Badenoch

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.

jspira

Both mentioned (more or less) in the Hotel Room Safety Tips article the OP originally linked to as follows:

and

CKA1

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.

darthbimmer

IME that's only a problem if your roommate is irresponsible. Nowadays when I agree to share a room with someone it's only because I have a reasonable feel for their level of responsibility and their concern for the needs of other people (e.g., me). I trust that if my roomie comes in 2 hours after I've gone to bed, he'll a) not invite others in, b) close and lock the door right away, and c) be as quiet as possible going about the things he needs to do before getting to sleep himself. If I can't trust in those things, I refuse to share.

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.

Tchiowa

I'm in the oil business. While I'm not a rig crew I can assure you that they are just as honest and just as safe as accountants or programmers or engineers. In fact, they are less likely to pose a threat because most make so much money that they don't need to do anything dishonest.

Check your steretypes.

FatnLoud

How do you manage that?

LondonElite

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!

WHBM

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.

EuropeanPete

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