Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Travel&Dining > Special Interest Travel > Women Travelers
Reload this Page >

When you're traveling alone, do you list 1 or 2 people in the room?

When you're traveling alone, do you list 1 or 2 people in the room?

Old Jan 21, 2011, 5:47 am
  #16  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 55,189
Originally Posted by l'etoile
For sure.

And thanks for all the others details ...and if, when looking up the room number to make the new key he saw two guests registered it might have given him pause.
Does an off-duty bartender have access to the hotel room data saying that she was just one person in a room?

My response is that I would never pay extra money to show that 2 people are staying in a room when it is just I. Even on business, I'd never do it because I wouldn't want to show that my room were more expensive than a male colleague's simply because he reserved a room for 1 but I reserved it for 2. I don't want my T & E report to stand out as being more expensive because I am female. I don't want to give any firm "cause" to discriminate against female employees. I can and certainly do use the deadbolt.


Also, I found it ironic at a hotel a couple of weeks ago that they were so careful not to say my room out loud but every time I went for breakfast or to the club the host practically asked rather loudly from across the way for my room number.
Hadn't thought of that!

Last edited by Analise; Jan 21, 2011 at 11:32 am Reason: no edits - an oops - meant to reply
Analise is offline  
Old Jan 21, 2011, 9:51 am
  #17  
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Fulltime travel/mostly Europe
Programs: UA 1.7 MM;; Accor & Marriott Pt; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 17,821
Originally Posted by Analise
Does an off-duty bartender have access to the hotel room data saying that she was just one person in a room?
Apparently he got a hotel staffer to make the key for him. I suspect the staffer also could tell him if there were one or two people in the room.
http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/20...el_in_New_York


I was just looking up that story more and came across this, which shows that latch across the door can be defeated in a couple of seconds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUz_Y...layer_embedded

Last edited by l etoile; Jan 21, 2011 at 9:58 am
l etoile is offline  
Old Jan 21, 2011, 9:58 am
  #18  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: west of DFW airport
Programs: AA LT Gold 1.9 MM flying my way to LT PLAT
Posts: 11,074
absolutely YES!

Originally Posted by Analise

My response is that I would never pay extra money to show that 2 people are staying in a room when it is just I. Even on business, I'd never do it because I wouldn't want to show that my room was more expensive than a male colleague's simply because he reserved a room for 1 but I reserved it for 2. I don't want my T & E report to stand out as being more expensive because I am female. I don't want to give any firm "cause" to discriminate against female employees. I can and certainly do use the deadbolt.


Hadn't thought of that!
I also avoid complaining even when those around me are doing so.
oldpenny16 is offline  
Old Jan 21, 2011, 10:12 am
  #19  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: MSY
Programs: BA GfL
Posts: 5,921
Originally Posted by l'etoile
Apparently he got a hotel staffer to make the key for him.
Actually, the blog post on HotelChatter says
Originally Posted by HotelChatter
The suspect allegedly managed to get a key card to her room, which was generated by a hotel staffer. It was not clear if the card had been made for the suspect.
In any case, the fact that the victim almost certainly made it clear to the perpetrator that she was alone would have trumped anything she might have told the front desk.

I am still of the opinion that there are certain precautions that make sense, and others that are just over-the-top, needless fearmongering. In that vein, the whole issue of your room number being audibly relayed during breakfast...really, do you think rapists are sitting around the breakfast buffet furtively writing down single womens' room numbers so they can attack them 16 hours later?

Live your life, I say. If I listened to half of the "oh, but isn't that DANGEROUS?" comments that people make about my travels, I'd never have gone anywhere.
travelmad478 is offline  
Old Jan 21, 2011, 10:33 am
  #20  
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Fulltime travel/mostly Europe
Programs: UA 1.7 MM;; Accor & Marriott Pt; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 17,821
That's why I wrote "apparently". It's murky ...the key was made by a staffer ...The questions are at whose request, why and how did the bartender get it. Sounds rather unlikely it would just be lying there, be clear it was for her room and he would happen to come by and grab it.

Originally Posted by travelmad478
In any case, the fact that the victim almost certainly made it clear to the perpetrator that she was alone would have trumped anything she might have told the front desk.
I did not see anything stating it's a fact she made it clear or almost certainly clear she was alone though. Hypothetically though, I agree that if you say you're staying alone it defeats the purpose of claiming on the registry that you're not.

In any event ...attacks sometimes happen at hotels (here's another from the Clift in San Francisco http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../BATGVCE6H.DTL), and you're probably most vulnerable at a hotel as many are likely to let in strangers moreso than any where else. I don't let strangers in my home, yet do it all the time at hotels (maids, maintenance, room service, package/amenity/luggage delivery). The only time I've been victim of any type of a personal attack was from employees of a hotel where I was staying (an upscale brand of a major chain).
And the video I posted above shows that latch doesn't do a bit of good and other videos show many key cards will work on any room - the light just won't turn green.

Is it going to make me anything differently than I do now? No.

I only started the thread for discussion purposes when I discovered my habit of putting 2 in the room was probably costing me a fair amount of money. I wondered if others did this since it is an oft-repeated safety tip, yes, right along with making sure the check-in agent doesn't state your room number aloud, which I have always found a little silly since someone could easily find my room number by watching my entry/exit if they were so inclined.

Last edited by l etoile; Jan 21, 2011 at 11:03 am
l etoile is offline  
Old Jan 25, 2011, 11:53 pm
  #21  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: BOS
Posts: 814
A general safety tip - request a high floor / not ground level. Some hotels require a keycard to access the elevators up, and also it's tougher for a criminal to break into a 12th floor via the window than the ground floor.
xSTRIKEx6864 is offline  
Old Jan 26, 2011, 4:20 pm
  #22  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 70,969
Nope, have never put 2 in a room for safety reasons. Never occurred to me to do so & I've been staying in hotels for a long time.

I have occasionally put 2 if a friend is staying w/ me, but a few times when it pushed up the rate I changed it back to 1 & figured I'd take my chances w/ the friend getting challenged in the exec lounge (which for brekkie or lounge reason is really the only reason I'd put 2).

I always ask for 2 keys when checking in & tell them up front it's due to me losing them. Like travelingsalesgal I usually end up btwn 4-6 by the end of the stay if it's a longer stay. Heck, the front desk at times sees me coming & starts making up the replacement, saying did you forget it in your room again Ms SkiAdcock?

BTW - I think we're getting sidetracked by the Wyndham story. Let's face it - that's not actually the norm, and I doubt the 2 on the ressie would have made a difference.

Cheers.
SkiAdcock is offline  
Old Jan 30, 2011, 3:54 pm
  #23  
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: FNT
Programs: Delta Gold, Marriott Platinum, SPG Gold
Posts: 143
Honestly, this never even occurred to me. I never put 2 on the reservation when I'm traveling by myself.
mb1136 is offline  
Old Jan 30, 2011, 7:03 pm
  #24  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,287
No, I only put 1 down for the room. I do use the locks.

For people that misplace their keys - do they rekey the electric code so the earlier key won't work? I'd be more worried that I was leaving my key all over the place because keys are meant to allow access to things/places you'd like unauthorized people to stay out of... Psychological barrier maybe? Maybe a badge pull and binder clip to attach a key card to the inside of your bag would help.
freecia is offline  
Old Jan 30, 2011, 9:01 pm
  #25  
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,040
What about bringing your own safety device, like the alarm you hang on the door that buzzes if someone tries to open it, or maybe an old fashioned rubber wedge dooorstop? Anybody ever tried this kind of stuff?
Tizzette is offline  
Old Jan 31, 2011, 7:56 pm
  #26  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 70,969
Originally Posted by freecia
For people that misplace their keys - do they rekey the electric code so the earlier key won't work? I'd be more worried that I was leaving my key all over the place because keys are meant to allow access to things/places you'd like unauthorized people to stay out of... Psychological barrier maybe?
Usually the old keys won't work once the new keys are issued. Plus, keys are just those bland plastic things - nothing that says what room they're associated w/. Half the time I forget the key in the room & don't realize until when I get back.

Cheers.
SkiAdcock is offline  
Old Jan 31, 2011, 8:36 pm
  #27  
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Seattle WA, USA
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott LT Plat, AS Lounge
Posts: 3,478
Originally Posted by Tizzette
What about bringing your own safety device, like the alarm you hang on the door that buzzes if someone tries to open it, or maybe an old fashioned rubber wedge dooorstop? Anybody ever tried this kind of stuff?
I have packed a small rubber wedge doorstop when my husband wasn't with me. Trying to open the door with the wedge there made enough noise and took enough effort that I figured it would act as a deterrent.

I started doing this after a hotel manager walked in on me while I was dressing (fortunately I had just put on a T-shirt). He didn't knock because he thought the room was empty. It turned out that the deadbolt was faulty. He got it fixed pronto for me.
Westcoaster is offline  
Old Feb 2, 2011, 4:04 pm
  #28  
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: MSY
Programs: NW Gold and now Delta Gold
Posts: 3,072
Seems like the supposedly "sketchy" hotels would be a better choice than the high end chains when traveling alone. If I'm a bad guy looking to pick up some lonely older woman with more money than sense, would be I hanging out at the Discount Hostel or would I be at the Intercontinental? I have noticed a frequent theme on this site and among some friends of mine as well, to assume that if something is more expensive it is somehow more safe. The opposite is true, if you ask me. Predators tend to go where the prey is.
peachfront is offline  
Old Feb 2, 2011, 6:14 pm
  #29  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: RDU
Programs: DL DM, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 161
Originally Posted by peachfront
Seems like the supposedly "sketchy" hotels would be a better choice than the high end chains when traveling alone. If I'm a bad guy looking to pick up some lonely older woman with more money than sense, would be I hanging out at the Discount Hostel or would I be at the Intercontinental? I have noticed a frequent theme on this site and among some friends of mine as well, to assume that if something is more expensive it is somehow more safe. The opposite is true, if you ask me. Predators tend to go where the prey is.
Seems like quite a leap from hanging out to "try to pick up some lonely older woman" to breaking into someone's room.

As with a few posters above, I always get two keys because it increases the likelihood that there will actually be one there when I want one.

It would never occur to me to put a "2" in numer of guests when i am travelling alone. Honestly, this kind of advice just strikes me as stuff that writers trying to fill space in women's magazines come up with.
carybrevard is offline  
Old Feb 8, 2011, 9:07 am
  #30  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Orlando, FL
Programs: DL Diamond; United 1K; Marriott Plat Prem; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 25
A reason for saying you're traveling alone (vs. imaginary friend)

I discovered that my hotel this week has a 'solo woman traveler' valet parking rate (same rate as self-parking), which would definitely not be available had the front desk seen that I had a reserved the room for a party of 2.

I've never seen this type of rate before, though I hope I see more of it.

More on this:
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/pearls...-parking-rate/
Carol Margolis is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.