What Do We Girls Want in Hotel Security?
#16
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It's hard to quantify since separate hotel crime statistics aren't kept by police departments, but I think it is naive to presume that men aren't also frequently targetted by criminals. It seems to me the underlying needs for a safe and secure property are the same for all travelers.
#17
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In addition to what others have mentioned I'd like key card access in the elevators for non-public floors - i.e. the only way you can get onto the 9th floor is if you're staying on the 9th floor. Maybe not essential everywhere but I think the practice should be more widespread than it is.
#18
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In addition to what others have mentioned I'd like key card access in the elevators for non-public floors - i.e. the only way you can get onto the 9th floor is if you're staying on the 9th floor. Maybe not essential everywhere but I think the practice should be more widespread than it is.
Here's just one example. I often find myself on the floor with the out-of-order ice machine and/or no vending machines. Under your proposal I wouldn't be able to just pop up (or down) a level to get what I need.
#19
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The primary crime at hotels is theft, which seems pretty indiscriminate in terms of gender. But another crime that happens at hotels is sexual assault up to and including rape. Outside of prison, that crime would have women as the victims more frequently than men.
#20
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Why even use the word "men" when women are referred to as "girls"?
Women are typically targetted more than men are so I don't think that one's feminism should be called into question when one wants to know what our preferences are.
The avoidance of the ground floor is also upon which I request and always get. I would think that males would want that too if not for security than for the fact that the ground floor is often louder than upper floors.
Women are typically targetted more than men are so I don't think that one's feminism should be called into question when one wants to know what our preferences are.
The avoidance of the ground floor is also upon which I request and always get. I would think that males would want that too if not for security than for the fact that the ground floor is often louder than upper floors.
allenfane
#21
Join Date: Sep 2006
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(yes, the thread title irked me and drew me in)
And I prefer not to have a ground floor room, but I know many men who feel the same way. Often those rooms are noisier due to passing foot traffic, proximity to public areas, and/or have car lights shining into them.
#22
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I think it would be like saying 'boys' for men.
Word choice aside, I do appreciate a phone call when I have a package being delivered so I know someone will be coming up who is part of the hotel staff. I also like to stay on keyed-floors. I often select smaller hotels where I know the staff will come to know/recognize patrons after a day and ask to see room keys from those they don't recognize.
Cameras in the hall I see as a positive, not a negative. And whether I can see them or not, I assume they are always there.
Word choice aside, I do appreciate a phone call when I have a package being delivered so I know someone will be coming up who is part of the hotel staff. I also like to stay on keyed-floors. I often select smaller hotels where I know the staff will come to know/recognize patrons after a day and ask to see room keys from those they don't recognize.
Cameras in the hall I see as a positive, not a negative. And whether I can see them or not, I assume they are always there.
#23
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OK, I thought of one more thing. I'm not fond of hotels with super long corridors and turns in them. I feel more secure when I can see the entire corridor and if anything was untoward, simply return to the elevator.
Having said that, I've spent most of my adult career traveling for business and pleasure, averaging perhaps two weeks a month on the road over those years. The quality of property I stay in has risen substantially over the years. I can still remember a wretched property I stayed at in Dayton, Ohio, while on business, with room doors opening to the parking lot and the motel filled with rough and tumble truckers. That kind of property still exists, but without me as a customer.
Today, I really don't think much about personal security because it is obvious thru hotel design that hotel management IS thinking about that. My experience at the Canberra Hyatt last year and the dismissive attitude by the GM of my safety concerns is fortunately an anomoly.
Having said that, I've spent most of my adult career traveling for business and pleasure, averaging perhaps two weeks a month on the road over those years. The quality of property I stay in has risen substantially over the years. I can still remember a wretched property I stayed at in Dayton, Ohio, while on business, with room doors opening to the parking lot and the motel filled with rough and tumble truckers. That kind of property still exists, but without me as a customer.
Today, I really don't think much about personal security because it is obvious thru hotel design that hotel management IS thinking about that. My experience at the Canberra Hyatt last year and the dismissive attitude by the GM of my safety concerns is fortunately an anomoly.
#24
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#25
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What I look for (not saying the room # is generic and should be basic policy, not gender specific)
- Room doors on the inside
- Not a ground floor room when there is access from the outside, e.g. if the ground drops outside the window, that's fine but if its a walk out - no good
- Well lit parking lot, hallways, etc
- Responsiveness on the part of hotel security/staff should something get reported (suspicious people hanging out in the hallways; unlocked doors to the outside that should be locked, etc)
- Deadbolt on the door
- Locks and the bar for a sliding glass door if I have one.
- No connecting rooms
Oh and nice fluffy towels and decent shampoo
- Room doors on the inside
- Not a ground floor room when there is access from the outside, e.g. if the ground drops outside the window, that's fine but if its a walk out - no good
- Well lit parking lot, hallways, etc
- Responsiveness on the part of hotel security/staff should something get reported (suspicious people hanging out in the hallways; unlocked doors to the outside that should be locked, etc)
- Deadbolt on the door
- Locks and the bar for a sliding glass door if I have one.
- No connecting rooms
Oh and nice fluffy towels and decent shampoo
Last edited by GoingAway; Jan 10, 2010 at 8:38 am Reason: b/c MichaelCharlie reminded me that I hate connecting rooms
#26
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: somewhere under the rainbow
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My security-related preferences:
- Do not give me a room on a ground floor that can be accessed through an easily-broken window
- Do not put me in a room that connects with another room (such as the companion room next to the handicap room)
- Don't tell me my room number
- Don't ask me if there is 'just one?' especially if there isn't a charge based on number of people in the room
- Provide me with an in-room safe that is big enough to hold something, and let me set the security code for it
#27
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#28
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Ditto on disliking the adjoining rooms.
Yes, I think in most parts "guys" has come to be inclusive of both genders ... like saying, "Hi guys" to a mixed crowd.
Yes, I think in most parts "guys" has come to be inclusive of both genders ... like saying, "Hi guys" to a mixed crowd.
Last edited by l etoile; Jan 10, 2010 at 12:05 pm
#29
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I dislike adjoining rooms, but more for noise than security. The two are related though, because I know I feel far more self conscious raising noise issues when I'm travelling on my own.
I would pay extra for a hotel with a "quiet floor", where there were penalties (financial, like the smoking in non-smoking room penalties) for noise. I seem to always get put beside the convention/corporate function groups (or once, in a high end hotel, a juvenile hockey team ).
I would pay extra for a hotel with a "quiet floor", where there were penalties (financial, like the smoking in non-smoking room penalties) for noise. I seem to always get put beside the convention/corporate function groups (or once, in a high end hotel, a juvenile hockey team ).
#30
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Originally Posted by allenfane
Interesting. I usually prefer the ground floor and I'm a 'girl'.
I consider the risk of fire at a hotel to be as great or greater than other security problems, and a ground floor room would allow you to go out the window without breaking a leg (or worse).
I don't live on the ground floor of my building nor would I stay in a hotel's ground floor for the exact same reason. Your concern about fire is as important to you as mine is about privacy in being high up.
Originally Posted by OffToOz
Along these lines, whenever I'm asked "How many keys?" I always ask for two.