Travel Tips

What You Should Know About Personal Safety in Hotels

Your personal safety in hotels is your responsibility—and it all starts at the front desk.

If the front desk clerk verbally announces your room number when handing you your key, ask for another room. No one should know that room number other than you.

Also, cover the peephole in your door with duct tape.

Why? Some criminals like looking in. If you want housekeeping to clean your room, don’t put the sign on the door. That announces you’re not in the room to everyone else. Instead, call housekeeping and ask.

Don’t use the hotel in-room safe. They’re not that safe, and the hotel isn’t liable if you lose anything from them. Instead, put your valuables in the hotel safe deposit boxes in the lobby.

Finally, protect your hotel room when you’re not in it. It all comes down to the do not disturb sign, and the TV in the room.

Here’s what you do: Put the do not disturb sign on the outside of the door, turn the TV on a little bit louder than normal, and then leave the room.

People who want to break into the room then have to ask themselves a question: Am I feeling lucky today?

They’ll have to count on the fact that you’re not in the room, and the TV being on in the room actually protects you.

For more information about travel safety, check out:

By Peter Greenberg for PeterGreenberg.com