Hotel Safety – After You’ve Checked-in

1. Ask for an escort. Have someone take you to your room, especially if you are alone and it’s late at night.
2. Get a receipt. For valuables placed in the hotel’s safe. Make certain the receipt lists each and every item and does not simply say “jewelry.”
3. Check that all window and door locks are strong. And actually work. If not, ask for a different room. If the hotel is fully booked, insist that repairs be made in your room immediately. If necessary, speak directly with the general manager. Note: It’s always smart to get the name of the hotel manager so you can ask for him/her personally. The quickest way to learn who it is to call the hotel’s local number when you’ve booked your room.
4. Don’t store golf clubs on your balcony. Nor tennis, ski or diving gear.
5. Beware of connecting doors. If you are in an older hotel, motel or B&B and the room has a door leading to an adjoining room that you’re not using, ask to be moved. The locks on these older doors can be flimsy and inadequate.
6. Study the phone directions. Know how to quickly call the front desk and how to make outside calls. If there’s an emergency you will not have time to read and absorb this information. TIP: If you need glasses to read the instructions and numbers, always keep a pair near the phone.
7. Get the name and write it down. Of anyone who phones and says he/she needs to come to your room. Then, call the front desk to verify. Crooks are clever, convincing and smooth when it comes to posing as repairmen, room service employees or security officers.
8. Take a piece of hotel stationery with you. If you have difficulty with the language in a foreign country, show the hotel’s writing paper or brochure (with its address and phone number) to your taxi driver or a policeman.
9. Ask the concierge to mark your map. Have him/her circle the location of the hotel and places where you are going. And, find out if your destinations are in safe areas and the approximate cost to take a taxi there.
10. Never put your dirty breakfast dishes outside your door. That empty coffee cup announces that you’ve left for the day.
11. Don’t hang the “Maid Please” sign on your hotel door. It advertises that the room is vacant. Instead, call housekeeping and ask them to clean the room and explain that you’re hanging out the “Do Not Disturb” sign and turning on the TV.
12. Photograph problems. If your hotel room is vandalized, record all the facts with a camera; date the pictures.

Check back with us next week for the final installment of our Hotel Safety Hot Topic Series. Nancy Dunnan will focus on maintaining safety in public areas of a hotel, motel or cruise ship. ExpertFlyer blog subscribers are eligible to receive 3 complimentary copies of  The TravelSmart Newsletter by visiting: www.travelsmartnewsletter.com.