gj83

I think of thinks in frequency of events. A hotel fire is a rare event. Someone having the ability to look into my room and see my stuff until I return to close the shades is a daily occurrence on the ground floor of a hotel and any floor of a motel. I do like the convenience of not having to mess with elevators as much (I take the stairs when it's just me, but I don't like hauling my bags upstairs) so a ground floor room can be nice in that respect.



I don't like getting ground floor rooms, but I usually forget to not be on the ground floor because I think of the convenience of carrying my stuff (i guess i blissfully forget that means it's easier for someone else to walk out with my stuff). I'd hate to be in a fire, but I would never rearrange my life to avoid one.

techgirl

Here are mine:

* Never say my room number or floor out loud. (if you do, I will make a point of asking for a manager AND asking for a new room)
* Rooms close to the elevator (and preferably not down the bend in a hallway or near an alcove (like an ice inlet, staircase, or unlocked housekeeping cubby)
* Two keys given
* No ground floor rooms (these give me the creeps)
* Room service that calls up before entering my room. (and I will always stand IN the doorway while they place the tray and will never stop to sign until they are back out my door again - I get weirded out by room service people being in my room)
* Calls from the hotel for any other services (turndown, etc.) - and never entering my room if the DND sign is out (I just had this happen at a Westin a couple of weeks ago and it scared me)
* Valet parking (I often arrive at hotels late at night and depart before dawn)
* Key card access for guest floors

I'd never really thought about adjoining rooms but now I will think about that more carefully.

And I don't mind the girl moniker, as evidenced by my handle.

oklAAhoma

Posting the question in this forum (motto:No we don't travel the same as you guys) implies that women's security needs are substantially different than men's. If you find that conclusion bizarre, well... I can live with that.

tfar

I don't think you need statistics to see that women are more often the targets of violent crime and that they are less able to defend themselves (or even run as fast) in most cases.

While this might not have an influence on the individually felt need for extra protection, it clearly bears on the society's moral imperative for protecting women. This can be seen in many security related rituals like women and children first on life boats or men accompanying women to the door (yes, this is safety related and not just kiss related ) or even back to their table after asking for a dance. You can also see it in special parking spots for women close to the exit doors and with better lighting, cameras and alarm buttons.

However, I am not sure what is practical to implement in hotels except perhaps a lower peep hole in the door. The rest should be and is pretty much standard. A sensor that indicates whether someone is in the room from the outside when the key card is provided would be great. Who knows who's waiting in your room? If there is no valet service a good hotel would certainly send the bell boy along if you had to go to your car alone at night. You'd just have to ask. Even a request for an escort to your room (make sure you ask this the right way ) should be met with nothing but "At your service, ma'am!"

As far as fire hazards are concerned, ladders are usually not more than eight floors high. I think the biggest telescoping arms reach around 50m. That is perhaps the 12th floor. However, it is not certain that the local FD has such an arm. If you are higher than that, rescue would have to come from the top. Helicopter rescue is hardly possible. Jumping from the 25th floor, burn or suffocate? Not a decision I hope to make EVER! That's around 250ft high. You could die from the impact even if jumping into one of those inflatable cushions, which would have to be positioned just so for you not to miss it. Scared yet? Get something around the third floor. You might even be able to jump without a broken bone if you are lucky.

Till

oklAAhoma

We are talking about hotel crime, aren't we?

Analise

If the question were asked anywhere else, I'd answer it and my response wouldn't have any kind of implication whatsoever.

So you carry the tray (or wheel in the table) yourself? I really never thought of it. In particular, if I get a room in which, say, the TV is not working, the hotel usually sends in the repair guy immediately. Maybe I should rethink that.

What hotels have these sensors? Or this is something you'd love for them to have?

oklAAhoma

Thank you. That's my point.

Analise

Then I guess you always did understand. Cool.

tfar

Of course, we are. But what difference does it make if you are molested (let alone anything worse) in a hotel or on the street? If you only consider the possibility of getting something stolen, which is indeed the highest probability of hotel crime things that could happen, yes, there is no need to protect women especially. If we are looking at how easy the hotel environment makes a physical attack on a woman, possibly easier even than in normal circumstances, then it makes perfect sense to wonder what can be done to at least decrease the chances of an attack and make the ladies feel really safe.

I know not of a single hotel that has such a sensor. Would be a good idea, though and not hard to implement. I had the idea based on the Volvo C30. Volvo came out with a heartbeat sensor for that. Say you are approaching your car at night. Someone is hiding in the car to attack you as soon as you enter the car. The heartbeat sensor picks up his heartbeat and shows you on your key remote that someone is actually in your car. You can then hit the alarm button on the remote. Better yet, call the police, have them come, then press the alarm button and have the person arrested right away.

One could make that even simpler but not quite as effective with a simple counter that indicates whether the door has been opened since you closed it when leaving the room.

Till

Sebastian_R

Quite an interesting read I think. Running the danger of going off-topic and into the general travel security topic, I think that many of the things mentioned are more or less the standard security measures that should be in place anywhere for any traveler.

As a matter of fact, much of what has been said (don't announce the room number, confirm / announce any kind of room service, deadbolts, door spies etc.) are what we are instructed to ask for/ensure when we travel (men and women alike).

We're also instructed to insist on rooms between the 3rd and the 7th floor: Not lower to avoid burglars not higher to ensure that we can leave the facility in case of a fire (or power outage - ever tried to walk up/down for 30 floors?)

Jenbel

Interestingly, I was staying repeatedly at a budget chain in the UK - Premier Inn. It's got a pretty good standard for a budget chain, and I got to know some of the front desk staff. They are trained in several things to ensure that women guests feel safer, many of which are the things we are asking for - not telling us the room key number unless reception is empty, putting us above the ground floor - and the peep hole was at a reasonable height. It's the first time I've come across a chain in the UK which actually has proactively made these changes, and staff are trained in them. I expressed my appreciation that these things were considered (one of the staff members was new, which is why it came up - I thought a little reinforcement wouldn't hurt ).

I think SanDiego1k mentioned my other bugbear - unlit parking areas.

oklAAhoma

My point was (and still is) that this topic is not of unique importance to women. Posting it in this forum implies that women need something different than men do.

Why is rape the only violent crime being mentioned? Assaults and room invasions linked to robberies (committed against both sexes) are more likely to occur at hotels than rapes, and hotel murders, while relatively rare, are certainly not limited to women.

My point is that the hotel environment can make the possibility of a physical attack on anyone a possibility. This topic is not gender specific; all guests benefit when hotels take appropriate security measures.

^^ Exactly. Unfortuantely, anyone can be the victim of hotel crime.

Analise

Perhaps to you, it does. To me, women and men are not the same. Their needs aren't the same either. Heck, women are not the same. Not all women require the same things regarding security. Hence that is why we were asked. ^

Wow. Of all the Volvo ads I've seen, I've never seen this feature advertised. It is terrific!!!

oklAAhoma

Agreed. We're all as unique as individual snowflakes. That said, though, the safety requirements listed in this thread are standard precautions that should be done to ensure everyone's safety. Nothing mentioned so far uniquely protects women.

Fwiw I agree that, generally speaking, women are more likely to be targetted for crime than men, but no more so than the elderly, the disabled, the distracted, the timid, and those who flaunt their valuables, regardless of gender.

Analise

I agree. I would also add those who are petite to that list.