Camflyer

That's what I do. Good luck to anyone who wants to dig through my smelly underwear.

I must have had close on 1000 nights in hotels over the last 10 years. I'm not aware of ever have anything stolen from a room.

Omyai

A couple of weeks ago did a SFO-BKK-CAN-BKK-SFO trip. Discovered upon checking out of the hotel on the first BKK portion (3 days) that mu iPhone was missing. The phone was shut off upon take-off in SFO (as I always do) and put in an inner pocket of my briefcase. Usually I put the iPhone in the room safe, but frankly forgot this time. Tried the "Find my iPhone" feature before leaving BKK without luck because the phone was not on. 2 days later in Guangzhou an alert shows on my computer that it has located my phone - location shows as the hotel. Whoever lifted it from my briefcase waited a couple of days thinking it was safe. I had set the ring function on the initial search, so I guess that freaked the culprit. The phone was shut off with dispatch, never to appear again.

Alerted hotel who did nothing.

Story is don't get complacent. This is a hotel I have stayed in many times each year for the past 10 years.

pinworm

Theives look for the obvious..cases, bags, coat pockets. Then the determined ones look under the bed and on the armoir. Few look up, and even fewer would consider the moving fan. Anything is possible I suppose, but I think the odds are better.

FriendlySkies

I like your idea of a hiding place. I may try that on my next extended international trip. I always hate carrying extra CCs around with me.. Thanks!

KathrynInCanada

Someone asked how safe room safes were.

I had an experience in London. The room safe, with my combination, ceased to open. I was in a panic because my passport, cash, etc. was in it. Called the front desk.

Turns out the battery in the safe had died. He had a key to open the safe, put in a new battery and all was well.

I was kind of taken aback by how unsafe the safe was.

My normal operating procedure is I use the safe if there is one. If not, I hide things in unlikely places. We usually stay in apartment hotels so extra cash and cards go into a pot with a lid. We lock down our computers with Kensington cables whenever they are in the room with us (and in conference rooms, etc.) This won't deter a determined thief but stops those looking for a quick grab and run.

My jewelry (90% of which is precious to me but not valuable) is kept in an eye glasses case next to the bed. Only my wedding ring has any value and even that is worth less than $1K. But it stays on my hand. So does my watch but it is only a $40 Timex so if it went missing it is no big deal.

Other stuff, like my phone, I don't care about. It is pay as you go and 4 years old.

On the streets, I have hidden pockets and carry a small wallet on a string so even that can be worn under a coat.

I've only been picked once that something of value was taken. They got my coin purse with about 15 euros. The rest of my money, etc. was well under my jacket the coin purse was in the outside coat pocket in case I wanted to pick up a snack or something.

Everytime I got on the subway in Rome, my tourist map in my outside pocket went missing so I was obviously being picked there but don't really count that as being robbed!

HomerJ

...leave TV on and DND sign on door.
....return later in day ask for room to be cleaned.
....if this is not possible...then I take passport and wallet...all else I leave as i just cannot be bothered to lug.

LikeToJourney

I think it's better to leave things in the room if possible.
When there is no safe and the motel is ''iffy'' I sometimes hide valuables. For example, slip your laptop under the pillows if the bed is already made-up.

deneru

I always left everyting in the hotel room, never had a problem in any country I visited. Usuallt I use the safe for the documents, but never with my passport outside.

heffa

D) I leave everything in my room with the DND sign on the door. If it's a short trip of 3-4 days, then there's no reason for them to enter (and clean) my room. Good hotels hang a bag of fresh towels etc on the door after every couple of days, and/if I need anything, then I'll call.

scubadiver

Depends on where. Scuba diving on day boats, I don't want to take anything that'll die when wet. A few bucks, one CC and my Virginia driver's licence for ID. Can't carry passport. Many good tips in this thread for the "no safe" problem.

Islands with good scuba often have a room theivery problem. Often staff making an opportunistic grab. Lock in the bag with a cable tie is one I use. Also a fake wallet with dead cards, a few ones, and no ID in an obvious place, and the real wallet in an inside pocket.

More remote islands don't have thievery problems because the thief can't get away. On Saba they were insulted when I asked for a room key. "But this is SABA!"

Fake wallet in my hip pocket in sketchy locations - crowded cities. Real wallet, and/or money clip in front pocket. Anyplace where I don't plan to get wet passport, CCs and cash go in an under-shirt pouch.

Wife and I carry different CCs. If one gets clipped, we can cancel just his/her cards, and still have working CCs.

pacer142

I have left my passport hidden in my luggage in a room before - but only in hotels I've stayed in often and already trust.

RDY3238

TV on, DND sign, use a safe at all times, and leave a decoy wallet somewhere containing a few bucks.

I did check out and left my Trader Joe's cocoa mix at an Embassy Suites last week....

tsastor

I leave everything I don't need in the room including passport and foreign currency. I don't leave local currency or credit cards. Not that I don't trust the maid, but because I usually need them with me.

Ancien Maestro

Haven't thought much about it as I stay at Fairmonts.. but started thinking about it when we were renting a condo.. and now staying at different hotels, maybe should definitely be conscious of some of these practices.^

acunningham

I do, including cash, passports, and laptop. I've stayed many hundreds of nights in hotels in perhaps 40 countries. The only thing I've ever had stolen was a couple of 1 Euro coins I left on the desk in a hotel in Munich. I suspect the maid honestly (but mistakenly) thought they were a tip.

I think the world is a much more honest place than some give it credit for.