storing laptop?
 

ok - since everyone here flies more in a week than i have in my whole life -- what do you all do with your laptops in the hotel..

say you want to go out for a day of seeing the town or city (ny city in this case) -- do you leave your laptop in your room? if so, do you lock it up?

thank you and i have no idea which forum to put this msg in

thanks,
allen

I hide mine under my clothes in a drawer. Never had a problem.

If I leave my laptop unlocked then I remove all it's parts (cd/dvd drive, battery etc...). Most thieves are smart enough to know that these replacement parts cost more than the machine is worth to them.

I usually lock it to something in the room if I can, but you have to be careful where you put it, if you put it under the mattress and the maid sits on the bed, or under the bed and they vaccum.....

My usual choice is something in the closet they would have to take apart to take the laptop.

so basically kengington lockit to a wall? i have a lock with number pad and one of those that makes crazy sound...

i just got the laptop so im quite nervous

I always use a Kensington lock. Just be sure you put the cable around something secure, where it can't be slipped off. Often this is the desk, sometimes the handle on the nightstand.

ok not to be wacko but you lock it and then you put it right in open sight?

My 2-pound laptop is small enough to fit in the individual safety deposit boxes offered by some hotels. Otherwise, hotel staff will let me use a safe, vault, or other storage area under the control of the manager. Disclose what you're storing and what it's worth, verify the applicable liability limit, and get a claim tag. (Hint: liability limits are usually too low to be useful for a laptop; see my comment about insurance, below.)

When I traveled with a larger laptop, I used a cable to secure it. The standard laptop security cables that you see everywhere are no good. I went to a hardware store and had them crimp a length of fairly thick aircraft cable (stranded aluminum cable) into a figure-8 shape. I would wrap the loops around two opposite corners of the laptop and join them with a lock.

There is a company that makes this product to order, based on the dimensions of your laptop. If you do it yourself, get heat-shrink tubing or cover the aircraft cable in electrician's tape to avoid scratching the laptop. It is very important to get the dimensions right.

Another company makes a ridig metal cradle, which is also very effective.

Before traveling with any expensive electronic device, check your homeowner's insurance policy to make sure that your device is properly covered. Many policies have special dollar value limits for electronics. As a rule, homeowner's insurance policies do not cover property used in a person's trade or business. If the laptop belongs to you but is used for business, you may need a business rider. If the laptop belongs to your employer, find out what the employer's expectations are.

Be sure to back up your system and to remove any sensitive data. While traveling, carry sensitive data with you on CDs (3-inch mini-CDs are ideal) or flash memory cards (Memory Stick, Compact Flash, Smart Media, etc.). Network file transfers (which can be as simple as e-mailing enclosures to a Hotmail account) are also useful in this regard.

Paul Marcelin-Sampson
Santa Cruz, California, USA

thanks for the responses - the laptop i purchased is a 12.1" widescreen - fits in a standard letter size file folder.

i paid extra for loads of tech coverage on my policy - i will verify with them about the travel.

i wonder if my amex covers anything

in the past i have left the laptop in the car but now i will be in the city with no car

thanks again

The Kensington cables could probably be cut, but at least at the point where they connect to the computer they are secure. Removing them by force will render the laptop worthless. Nearly every laptop manufacturer includes a Kensington slot on the computer that allows you to attach one of their locks directly to the main chassis.

Kensington offers one model of lock that has a replacement guarantee. (up to $1500 value)

I would probably go with this option if concerned about determined thieves.

I usually put mine in my laptop bag (not a regular looking laptop bag, more of a tweed carry-on) and stick that in an unused drawer or closet, or I stash it in a drawer, usually covered by my security blanket (think Linus, not Kensington). BTW, I usually travel with a 17", and something a 17" and a 12", rendering most normal security facilities (like an in-room safe) useless.

In many laptops, the Kensington-type security slot is in a corner. With that layout, snapping off the little device that plugs into the slot would cause cosmetic damage, but wouldn't compromise the machine.

$1500 isn't much for a full-featured laptop. Just for fun I pulled the terms of the guarantee. It's valid for one year and you can pay to renew it for one additional year. These arbitrary limitations don't inspire much confidence.

I've lost the link to the company that markets the figure-8 cable that I described, but I did confirm that Kryptonite produces the "cradle" assembly. Do a Goole.com image search for "kryptovault".

Paul Marcelin-Sampson
Santa Cruz, California, USA

Mine is a 17", as well, so yes, not many places to stash it. :)

I usually lock it to something secure, but I will often put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign if I go out in the evening or for a short time, such as for breakfast. Yes, I might miss the turndown and mint pillows, but the safety of computer, PDA, etc. is worth it.

Obviously no guarantees, but my thought is that a thief with a hall full of rooms to choose from might be less inclined to choose one with a DND sign, since most people only use it when they are in the room, and if she or he knocks on a door with a DND sign and there is someone in it, the likelihood of a call to the front desk significantly increases.

I bury mine under the clothes and laundry in my suitcase. So far, so good.

I never lock it. If I go somewhere for a day and it doesn't come with me, it's likely to stay right on the desk, all set up and waiting for me to return. <knocks wood> I've had no problems to date. What kind of hotels are you guys staying in??? In fact, in all my travels, the only time I ever had anything taken from my room was once in Cozumel, the maid took all of the loose peso coins (a whole bunch, not 2 or 3) on my night stand.

Maybe she thought it was tip? :eek:

I've had hotels give me a room key for a room that's already occupied. Now I always put out the DND sign (and deadbolt the door when I'm in). I figure getting a room key to a room with a DND sign makes it less likely someone will go right in.

MY laptop won't fit in the safe, but I can usually lock the cable to the safe somehow.

I like the suggestion to remove batteries and drives and lock them up somewhere else. I'll do that.

I never do anything special
 

If I am leaving the PC usually I just leave it on the desk already connected. This is what I have always done and will continue to do since I never have had any issues.

No precautions
 

Until I read the last few posts, I was starting to think I was the only one who does nothing.

Most of my travel is in Asia and I usually stay and pretty good hotels. I tend to leave the laptop connected on the desk. Never had a problem so far.

I'm so used to doing this, I do the same when traveling in the US at Hampton Inn, Courtyards, etc.

To all of you who are more security conscious, have you ever had problems?

thanks everyone

I travel to the Former Soviet Union (FSU) monthly. I to never lock it up. I leave it on the desk when I leave the room at night and never had a problem. Again what hotels do you people stay at. I never have a problem with theft. I lock up all small items in the room safe. Just to be on the safe side.

To be honest, when staying at up-scale hotels I always kind of left laptop and gadgets on the desk, and would get out feeling completely safe.

From reading this post with advices and IPOD stolen from Westin I start to realize I might have been lucky all this time.

Apparently there are thieves everywhere, and worse, being in an up-scale hotel doesn't necessary mean that problems will be taken care in a professional way.

Thanks for the heads-up ^

I put mine with the dirty laundy

Nobody gets close to that, short of wearing a haz mat suit ;)

Most of the time I will turn mine off, that's about it.

In ten years, never had a problem with this or personally know anyone who has had a problem.

LOL! :D

Im fairly liberal with what I do with mine, just leave it on the desk if Im going to use it when I come back. But I have taken out a very comprehensive insurance policy for the laptop itself, which will cover it unattended in a locked room. So I guess its a matter of convenience...?

In the car???
 

:confused: I think the other posters have given you very good advice, particularly if you stay in a *** or better hotel. Overseas, I have found the inroom safes a little bigger and my laptop has always fit. In the US I have used the Kensington cable my company provides with the basic laptop kit.

Your Amex will probably not cover your laptop. Your homeowner's insurance might, but only if you tell them that the laptop is not used for business purposes.

Last month at a H***ton near NASA in Houston, we came out and found an entire row of rental cars had been broken into. Thieves used a puller to remove the driver's door lock and then used the interior trunk release to open about 8 cars one right after the other. Glad your laptop wasn't in that parking lot!

I don't generally lock my laptop up in nicer hotels. I am more worried about the data than the actual machine. I always back up my data since I have been rather careless with my laptop in the past. My laptop is company property so from what I know our laptop insurance is pretty good. One time my laptop was completely wiped out (think crash on the floor). using my backup data they were able to give me a new machine with all my data in less than a day. If the computer won't fit in the safe and you have particularly sensitive data on your machine I suggest popping out the hard drive and sticking that in the safe. My hardrive comes up with undoing exactluy one screw. My work provides us with kensington cables and I will sometimes bolt my computer to the desk if I remember.

Excellent Input
 

I am glad to find this thread.

I will be buying a laptop during the next several months primarily to use while traveling. I have been very concerned about safety and securing both the laptop and the information it will contain.

It seems like everyone has his or her individual opinion and level of tolerance when it comes to laptop security. I guess I will do something to secure and/or hide a laptop when in a hotel. However, I am not going to be paranoid or get crazy if I forget to secure or hide it.

Again, thank you very much. I enjoyed reading all the comments.

Lock and Go! Just make sure it is locked to something secure and walk away. I leave mine in plain sight to everyone that walks by the door while they are cleaning. If someone really wants it, let they try. I do alot of work in hotels and ALWAYS lock it up to a table and will leave for lunch and come back and nothing touched.

~icorproadie

Being paranoid I tend to lock my laptop etc in a Pacsafe if I'm staying in a not-so-classy place. Worked fine (touch wood) in places like India, Nepal and Thailand.

I leave mine in the place I last used it. It can be sat on the desk open working away with the screen locked or in my bag if I haven't taken it out.

I haven't had a problem yet,

Maybe something like PGPdisk might help secure your data in the event your laptop is stolen.

http://www.pgpi.org/products/pgpdisk/

I like the fact that I'm not individually encrypting/decrypting files, but just "mount the disk" with my password and everything is accessible.

Also available for Mac. Though, if using a recent version of OS X, look into FileVault in the Users system preferences control panel.

Wow! I can't believe the number of people who replied to this thread with something along the lines of "Secure my laptop? What do I need to do that for? I've always left it sitting on my desk in the open and always will."

With that kind of cavalier attitude, I can just about guarantee you will be the victim of laptop theft one day, and no one will compensate you... you'll be out both the money and the data.

Let me explain... I am the General Manager of an upscale, full-service hotel in a major American city. In my nearly 20-year career, I've worked for Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and Holiday Inn affiliated hotels. And in that time, I've learned a couple of things: 1) when staying in hotels, people tend to forget that they're in a public place and consistently fail to use common sense, and 2) most members of the general public tend to believe that hotels are responsible and legally liable for things that they actually aren’t.

Do you think staying in a "nice" or "upscale" hotel will protect you? Where do you think professional laptop thieves go to ply their trade, Motel 6? Are there a lot of laptop-toting business travelers at your local Super 8 or Econo-lodge? No... these professional thieves shave, cut their hair conservatively, and put on a suit, then walk into a Hyatt or Four Seasons, look for an unattended laptop in the lobby or restaurant or a meeting room, which they will invariably find, and pick it up and walk right out the front door. They'll also stroll the hallways looking for rooms with open doors (as they're being cleaned), or patio doors that guests have not secured properly. Some of them will even have, under their suit jacket, a "feeler" shim-device which can defeat some brands of electronic door locks. Who's going to question them? They look like business travelers; they look like they belong there.

Do you think your hotel is legally responsible if your laptop gets stolen, either from your room, your car, your meeting room, or some other place where you've stupidly left it? Guess again. In all 50 states and the District of Columbia, a version of the "Innkeeper's Limited Liability Law" exists. You will find a copy of it on the back of every hotel room door in the country. Although the actual language differs slightly from state to state, what it essentially says is that hotels are not responsible for loss or damage to any of your belongings, except those which you have turned over to the hotel manager for placement in a safety deposit box or hotel safe, provided such provisions are available at the front desk, and a copy of the law is posted conspicuously. Some states allow trivial damages, like $50-$100, but most eliminate liability entirely.

There's a very good reason these laws exist. I could, in theory, go check into a hotel somewhere then a few hours later call the manager and tell him I had $20,000 worth of gold bricks in the room and they're missing. Of course, the "gold bricks" never existed in the first place, and I'm just a grafter trying to defraud the hotel. A modern version of this might be someone claiming they had a laptop worth $5,000, when in fact no laptop ever existed. If hotels were held legally liable for these items, thieves would stop stealing laptops altogether... they'd just all go check into hotels and make false claims. The fact is, whenever you're dealing with the general public, there's no reliable way to tell the honest from the dishonest, so the legislatures in all 50 states decided to eliminate the problem altogether.

So now you're thinking, well.... I'm a Platinum/Gold/Whatever member, and my hotel company will make it right. Guess what? In nearly all cases, no they won't. There are several reasons for this. First of all, it’s not a good idea for a hotel to pay for something it has no legal liability for. The law says it's not the hotel's responsibility. If the hotel ownership chooses to make it their responsibility, they will be setting a dangerous precedent, and if word gets out that they will pay for these things, they could be setting themselves up to be ongoing victims of exactly the kind of fraud the laws were enacted to prevent. Secondly, there's the issue of larger liability. Even though hotels do not initially have legal liability, if they choose to pay $2000 or whatever for customer service reasons, they have at that point accepted liability. If it later turns out there were trade secrets on your stolen laptop that make their way to a competitor and cost you millions of dollars, the hotel would be basically screwed in a later lawsuit.

But what if you could somehow (and I don't see how) get around these larger issues, what about customer service? In the long run, it will come down to dollars and cents. It always does in any business. Here's something that complicates this: nearly every "chain" hotel in America is not owned by the company whose name is on the door. In nearly all cases, each hotel is independently owned and operated. Guess how many hotels Marriott International owns? Zero. Guess how many hotels Intercontinental Hotels (Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza) owns? Zero. This is true of every major chain.

Because of this, decisions about the value of your potential future business relative to the amount of compensation you are asking for are calculated not on the basis of the business you give to a chain, but solely on the basis of the individual hotel involved. If you’ve never stayed at my hotel before, and I have no reason to believe that I’m guaranteed enough future business from you to make back, in relatively short order, the $2000 I would have to pay you to retain your business, why would I pay you? The fact that you’ll never stay at another Hilton again doesn’t effect me or the REIT that owns my hotel and employs me one bit. In fact, given that we also own several Marriott’s, a Hyatt, and a couple of Holiday Inns in other cities, you being mad at “Hilton” could actually help us. How’s that for irony?

Incidentally, I would never say any of this out loud to either a guest or to one of my employees. But this is, in fact, the reality of the situation at ANY hotel you chose to patronize. You just don’t hear about it much, because these situations don’t occur all that often, but I’m telling you here in 100% candor, that this is the situation across the board in the hotel industry.

Here’s what will typically happen when your laptop is stolen in a hotel: the employee who you report it to and the manager on duty will show a great deal of concern, like any good customer-service person should. They will summon the police for you, fill out a report, begin an investigation, and apologize profusely. They will also help you in any way they can, allowing you to use the hotel’s computers to check your email, download and print items you need, etc. The hotel investigation will take about a day, and will most likely yield nothing. Unless you’re in some hick town somewhere, there won’t be a police investigation at all. They will take a report and that’s it. You will leave the hotel with apologies and a promise that you will be contacted by the hotel’s insurance company within a few days, but with no compensation.

A day or two later, you’ll receive a call from the insurance company’s adjuster who will explain to you that the hotel has no liability and who will deny the claim. You’ll call the hotel back looking for satisfaction, and will be politely told they’re really sorry, but once the matter is turned over to insurance, the hotel is no longer able to do anything for you. Then you’ll call the chain’s 1-800 number for guest relations, only to be told that the hotel is independently owned, and as a result the chain can’t get involved in legal matters. You might consider phone calls or letters to the Better Business Bureau or AAA or your travel agency group, but as a frequent business traveler you probably already know how toothless and ineffective those organizations are. Then you’ll contact your lawyer. If he’s at all familiar with hotel liability cases he’ll tell you to drop it and cut your losses. If he’s not, you’ll waste more time and money in filing a lawsuit only to have it dismissed in summary judgment as a matter of law. Then you’ll give up, and begin wishing you hadn’t been so cavalier about leaving your laptop unsecured in the first place.

Please, don’t let this be you…use common sense and keep your laptop safe!

mike5090 -- Excellent Post -- Thanks for taking the time to spell it out for all of us.

BTW -- My corporation REQUIRES us to secure our laptops with a cable any time they are unattended. Part of the document I signed when I received my laptop. Company will cover the loss if stolen with cable attached otherwise they expect me to pay for it -- since I did not attach the cable.

Great post. Gotta love it.

Thanks for the info. Perhaps now I will think twice before leaving my laptop out.

Same here - I've gone all paranoid now -I guess it only has to happen once to learn your lesson........

Indeed a great post, but also one that shows a hotel might be a little slow to take any kind of action, I've heard of hotels reading the log of the electronic entry system to your room and finding keys being used that were not meant to be, or securuty checking footage of staff that had entered the room. Just because the hotel is ignorant and says they have nothing to do with theft doesn't mean there isn't anything you can do.

If hotels are this arrogant in theft, I'm sure they won't mind me taking the TV and CD player next time I stay there, surely that too won't be covered? The game shold work both ways, and it does't...

The cable locks will keep the quick grab from occuring, but no cable will stop a determined thief. The in room safe is your best bet - you would be surprised what will fit even in the small ones.

My problem is that I don't like setting up and tearing down all the stuff so I leave mine out - cable lock is best it's getting unless I feel like I'm in a shady place.

TJ