There's a fire alarm in your hotel at 3AM
Nov 12, 2020, 3:12 pm
#16
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,734
What do you grab? This happened to me earlier this month during a business trip. In my sleep haze, once I realized that the noise was not actually my wake up alarm but a fire alarm the first thing I did was...put on a bra. I wasn't even fully awake. I left everything else behind and proceeded down the stairs. Thankfully everything was fine and we could all go back to our rooms. It occurred to me the next morning that I never even thought about passport, phone, etc. Just, "fire alarm...bra...get out". Foundation garment trumps survival instinct.
Also, when I arrive and am heading toward my room, I check where the fire exits are. Trying to find one in the pitch dark of the 8th floor hallway, when I could hear the fire trucks arriving outside, is not an experience I care to repeat.
Nov 27, 2020, 6:08 pm
#17
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Long ago I must have received the hint that it's not a good idea to go commando when sleeping -- not that I ever needed such a hint. 
Last year I had a hotel evacuation in the dark hours of the morning. I was literally among the last ten percent of the guests to get out of the hotel because of a few factors. What didn't delay me was my grabbing of my coat, which is where I had -- as per my routine -- kept my primary passport+secondary phone+bank cards in a pocket along with a room key (since I actually always insist on two room keys out of habit ever since dealing with hotels that require the key to be left in a slot to activate the room lights). It was a cold winter morning (for others) for the 30-40 minutes it took for the firefighters to give us the all clear to re-enter. I guess one upside of preferring to be where the weather has most people wearing a jacket/coat is that I'm better prepared to evacuate in the middle of the night.
Last year I had a hotel evacuation in the dark hours of the morning. I was literally among the last ten percent of the guests to get out of the hotel because of a few factors. What didn't delay me was my grabbing of my coat, which is where I had -- as per my routine -- kept my primary passport+secondary phone+bank cards in a pocket along with a room key (since I actually always insist on two room keys out of habit ever since dealing with hotels that require the key to be left in a slot to activate the room lights). It was a cold winter morning (for others) for the 30-40 minutes it took for the firefighters to give us the all clear to re-enter. I guess one upside of preferring to be where the weather has most people wearing a jacket/coat is that I'm better prepared to evacuate in the middle of the night.
Last edited by GUWonder; Nov 27, 2020 at 6:14 pm
Dec 6, 2020, 1:43 pm
#18
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 1
Perhaps thanks to a tip on FT years ago, I always sleep in hotels with shoes (flats) next to the bed. Into the shoes (atop a handkerchief or tissue) at bedtime go my glasses, wallet with room key, and car keys (if applicable). I wear to sleep and to fly something that I could run or climb in if I had to.
Phone is either with the shoes or immediately above them charging on the nightstand. It's now a habit to roll over and be able to put my hand on shoes and essentials in the dark/smoke/in case of emergency.
I supposed you could set the whole arrangement on top of a tablet or laptop if those were essential to you, but I've never felt the need.
Phone is either with the shoes or immediately above them charging on the nightstand. It's now a habit to roll over and be able to put my hand on shoes and essentials in the dark/smoke/in case of emergency.
I supposed you could set the whole arrangement on top of a tablet or laptop if those were essential to you, but I've never felt the need.