Checking into a hotel? Have a safe
stay
Reprinted from an article that appeared on msnbc
11/16/06
Have you ever stashed your cash in your hotel dresser drawer? Propped open the door while you went in search of ice? Cozied up to a friendly stranger in the hotel bar? In fact, people do these things all the time. Those of us in the hospitality industry just shake our heads in amazement. It seems when some people travel, they leave their common sense behind.
The fact is, travelers are easy marks and hotels can attract criminals’ attention. So smarten up. Here are eight simple rules to keep you — and your property — safe at your hotel.
Choose your hotel well
Hotel security advisors suggest picking hotels with solid metal doors and lobby layouts that allow employees to watch elevators. But let’s get real: This isn’t the type of information you can easily ascertain about a property you’ve never visited. What you can do is carefully examine pictures of the property. Do the rooms open to the outside? If so, it’s less secure than a property whose rooms open to the interior (think motels versus hotels). Are there any nighttime shots of the hotel? If so, does the property look well lit?
Also pay attention to the amenities offered. Doormen and bellmen keep watch over the door, making for a safer entrance. Valet parking means you never have to cross a dark parking lot alone. Also look at online reviews of properties. While these reviews aren’t always accurate or objective, a pattern of complaints about safety or comments about the “bad” neighborhood should be taken as a warning sign.
Protect your valuables
It’s best to leave valuables at home, but if you can’t, please don’t stash them in the dresser drawers. That’s the first place a thief or dishonest housekeeper will look — no matter how many books or pairs of dirty underwear you throw on top. Better hiding place: the in-room safe. These are pretty secure, but they can easily malfunction, so read the instructions well (and call the maintenance department if you get locked out!).
Best hiding place: the safe-deposit boxes at the front desk or the manager’s safe. These safes are protected from the public and often have cameras watching them. When I worked in casino hotels, most high-rollers kept their wads of cash in the safe-deposit boxes, and those guys definitely knew what they were doing.
Keep your room keys safe
If you lose a key, be sure to tell the front desk agent that you need a new key, not a duplicate. Duplicates are simply copies of existing room keys. They’re convenient if you left your key on the nightstand and your family is locked out of the room. But if you’ve truly lost your key, you must insist that the hotel make a new one. Inserting the new key reprograms the lock, making it impossible for anyone to use the lost key to gain entrance to your room.
Close your door!
When I had free time as a manager, I would often walk the floors checking for doors that had not been pulled shut or that had been deliberately propped open. I always found dozens! Would you leave the front door to your house standing open? No? Then don’t do it at a hotel! And when you’re in the room, make it a habit to use all the locks: the deadbolt, the chain — the whole lot. This habit not only promotes safety, it also prevents that embarrassing encounter when the housekeeper pops in just as you step out of the shower.
Make friends with security
If you see something funny going on, or see people roaming the halls who don’t seem to belong, call the operator or the security department. They will gladly investigate. And don’t be shy about asking for an escort to your room or car if you feel uncomfortable for any reason.
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