Bolt and latch my door. "Oh no- now I'm dead!" ... what happens now?
 

I've always wondered if there's a(n established) protocol for that, starring with something akin to "figuring out what happened" and "getting into the room".

(... and these years change things even more- I'm in the middle of another long stay and housekeeping doesn't even come thru anymore unless you ask.)

If you mean, how do they get in a locked/bolted room, there are certainly ways.

In Barbados, we had a connecting room 15+ years ago, and the front door was bolted and security “guard” was on. The connecting door got closed. It took the staff about 45 seconds to use the pass key, and then in the small opening, use a rubberband/hook tool to open the “guard”.

Yeah, as I'm sure every hotel has had this issue occur there must be ways- but I'm looking at this kind of latch like the kind in my room and thinking that it would require bolt-cutters perhaps?

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2736d84653.jpg

Hotel staff know... But how's about we NOT post the solution on an open internet forum, for any wannabe criminal to get ideas.

Nope, not at all. That’s the kind they had opened in under a minute. You open the door a little, use a little tool with a rubberband to open it. You hook the guard, and rotate it while just a tiny gap in the door. I’m sure there’s a Youtube video.

You can't honestly believe that's going to hold anyone back, do you?

Whoa- several :D Shoulda thought of looking there first!

(... but to my other point, I guess they just wait for the room to start stinking?)

Some years ago, at a (non-Marriott) hotel, my room had one of these. Next to the door, on the perpendicular wall, was some sort of AC panel, maybe for the intake? Anyway, the panel wasn't properly latched shut, and when I left my room, the door closed hard enough that the vibrations shook the top of the panel loose. The top end swung down and hit the security bar, pushing it closed and locking me out.

The hotel sent up security, who ended up calling maintenance, who had some sort of L-shaped gadget that slipped into the bit of space from opening the door. Even with that, I recall it took him a bit of time and strength to get that bar opened. (And then he had to get the panel pushed back up, since it too was blocking the door).

In hindsight, it was actually fairly comical.

Or just a do not disturb sign...

I remember watching a YouTube video on how to open 3 different kinds of security latches. All 3 were doable in under a minute. :rolleyes:

In the days before electronic locking systems on automobiles, a similar locking mechanism was used in cars. A good car thief could use a "shim" and get a car unlocked in seconds. When I was just entering college, my brother-in-law helped a fellow dormmate get into a car that he had locked himself out of by doing almost exactly this but with a coat hanger. My sister had been married to my BIL for about five years at that point and I knew him as an upstanding guy, but I must admit that, in those pre-YouTube days, I began to wonder about how he knew how to do what he did and what his life was like before he met my sister!

That type of catch, or the similar chain type, really aren't meant as a full layer of security for an unattended door -- they're there to allow you to crack open the door to talk to somebody without them being able to push their way in. As noted, there are devices that can reach in and unhook them, but those take a bit of time and require the door to be just barely cracked, which is going to be hard for the person outside to do if you're at the door actively pulling (to lock it against being released) or pushing (to fully close the door and lock it).

Now how they know when to do that, especially if no daily housekeeping...

Please, you think FT is the only place where this is publicized? Someone who wants to know about this for criminal purposes has a million other sources to learn about it including hundreds of thousands of hotel workers.

To answer the OP's question even if you discard the shortcut it's easily possible to open the door by force in case of a real emergency, including with an electric saw that cuts through steel.

For me at 16 years old (talking ancient history here), it was being at a job site (building houses in rural Arkansas with my father) in the middle of nowhere and locking the key in the truck. Fortunately, my father had worked as an auto mechanic and knew how the lock was structured inside the door. With him explaining what to feel for and me doing the fishing, took about 15 minutes to get it open. Next time went a lot faster, but that time it wasn't MY fault the keys got locked in the car.

Also figured out how to pick house locks and dead bolts because when you show up to finish the cabinets at a house 30 miles from the nearest human and the plumber locked the door before leaving, taking the key with him, it's a lot easier to learn how to pick the lock than it is to spend half a day of uncompensated hours finding the key.

Haven't had much calling for those talents in a long time and probably couldn't replicate the actions required.

For electronic key locking levers and dnd buttons, usually higher level management have all access card that will override those latches

As for the thing on the picture(door latch), they will have the tools to open them from outside.
Its not readily available in any hardware store, however I believe its not hard to get if someone look hard enough :D

Once the required card and tools there the locked and latched door can be opened in under 1 minute