What are your tips on hotel room safety?
Mar 1, 2015, 9:09 am
#91
Join Date: May 2004
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I will say, a number of these posts come off as extremely paranoid... But I guess back in college most of us wouldn't lock our back doors except during breaks and we never had a single issue. Well, ok, we did. A drunk Freshman friend of ours came in and stole some cereal...
On a serious note though, In the number of hotels I've stayed in, the only time I've locked a secondary lock is when my GF and I were sharing the room with another couple and we wanted a little alone time.
I've stayed in youth hostels in the following places without issue: Amsterdam, Brussels, Brugge, Boston, Dublin, Istanbul, Madrid, Minneapolis, Paris, and Sevilla. Never once had a single problem.
I'm not stupid and leave money laying around, but at the same time, I never go out of my way either. If someone really wanted to steal my tablet or whatever, they easily could. I guess I have some faith in humanity?
That being said, I don't usually travel with stuff that I can't replace either.
On a serious note though, In the number of hotels I've stayed in, the only time I've locked a secondary lock is when my GF and I were sharing the room with another couple and we wanted a little alone time.
I've stayed in youth hostels in the following places without issue: Amsterdam, Brussels, Brugge, Boston, Dublin, Istanbul, Madrid, Minneapolis, Paris, and Sevilla. Never once had a single problem.
I'm not stupid and leave money laying around, but at the same time, I never go out of my way either. If someone really wanted to steal my tablet or whatever, they easily could. I guess I have some faith in humanity?
That being said, I don't usually travel with stuff that I can't replace either.
Mar 2, 2015, 10:26 am
#92
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
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Seeing that you seem to be so knowledgeable about how people react when they are woken up at 3.00 am by a fire alarm, when they are in an unfamiliar environment, perhaps you will enlighten us as to which hotel you were in to gain such a wonderful insight, when the fire took hold
If, however, you have not experienced such a situation, may I respectfully suggest that it is your comments that are less than helpful
If, however, you have not experienced such a situation, may I respectfully suggest that it is your comments that are less than helpful
Mar 2, 2015, 10:45 am
#93
Join Date: Mar 2007
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The fact remains that however familiar you are with the fire exits, if you are in a panic, like most people would be in a fire situation, you could lose vital seconds fiddling around with dead bolts at the like. It really is a judgement call, but on balance, so far as I am concerned, if it is a complicated locking mechanism, I will not use it
Mar 2, 2015, 12:12 pm
#94
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I'm not as worried about the complexity of a lock in a fire situation. Those times when the fire alarm has gone off in hotels where I've been staying there wasn't an immediate order to evacuate. That usually gives enough time to get dressed and unlock the door.
Also the best course of action in a high-rise fire isn't always to evacuate. Sometimes you are better off staying put as opposed to chancing a stairwell that may be filled with smoke.
Also the best course of action in a high-rise fire isn't always to evacuate. Sometimes you are better off staying put as opposed to chancing a stairwell that may be filled with smoke.
Mar 2, 2015, 3:09 pm
#95
Join Date: Jun 2012
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I rip off the address labels on magazines so that my home address is not displayed to whomever enters my room. I keep my non-valuable work items locked in my backpack when I am out of the room. Anything remotely valuable goes in the safe. I also check to make sure the windows lock before I get settled in the room. I tip housekeeping generously and often 
Mar 2, 2015, 3:21 pm
#96
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I rip off the address labels on magazines so that my home address is not displayed to whomever enters my room. I keep my non-valuable work items locked in my backpack when I am out of the room. Anything remotely valuable goes in the safe. I also check to make sure the windows lock before I get settled in the room. I tip housekeeping generously and often
I've stayed in hotels, most recently in Spain, that had security chains on doors requiring pushing two buttons simultaneously while removing the chain fastener from a cylinder with a slit. It was a delicate operation requiring two hands, at least for me.
Mar 4, 2015, 2:35 am
#97
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Related to this, I don't leave plane tickets, itineraries, hotel confirmations, or boarding passes (which have ticket numbers and PNRs as well as the passenger's name so that someone could use the information to find details about future flights) out in the open in hotel rooms, on my desk, in plane seat pockets, etc.
Mar 4, 2015, 7:04 am
#98
Join Date: Jun 2012
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So how do you deal with the fact that the airline has your home address on file and know exactly when and for how long you'll be away from home. Surely the call-centre employees on minimum-wage jobs need to supplement their income by selling this valuable data to criminal gangs?
However, especially if I am staying somewhere near my home it just doesn't make sense to make my address easily accessible. In the same way that it doesn't make sense to not use the privacy latch. It's extremely unlikely that someone will try and force themselves into the room, but it takes a couple of seconds to secure, so why take the chance?
Mar 4, 2015, 7:25 am
#99
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There are things I can control, and things that I cannot control. It's not like I have spent hours of my life on this. Obviously the airlines know where I am and the credit card company does as well.
However, especially if I am staying somewhere near my home it just doesn't make sense to make my address easily accessible. In the same way that it doesn't make sense to not use the privacy latch. It's extremely unlikely that someone will try and force themselves into the room, but it takes a couple of seconds to secure, so why take the chance?
However, especially if I am staying somewhere near my home it just doesn't make sense to make my address easily accessible. In the same way that it doesn't make sense to not use the privacy latch. It's extremely unlikely that someone will try and force themselves into the room, but it takes a couple of seconds to secure, so why take the chance?
at the end!