Safety at Hotels- What to consider

Safety at Hotels- What to Consider

Usually the four and five star rated hotels are considered to be safe with its security and hidden cameras, frequent cleaning, etc. But travellers still need to take care of their health and valuable belongings. Some simple precautions follow:

Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas, restaurants… – Thieves can walk away with your briefcase, purse, or luggage in a flash, even if it is only a feet or two away from you, such as when checking in. Security cameras won’t help you recover your stolen items ever or soon enough.

Fire escape routes – a floor plan is posted in back of your room door pretty much anywhere in the world. Good idea to look at it and associate it with the hall way and stairs layout.

Bed Bugs – This has been a big topic among frequent travelers for months in 2010. USA Today’s July poll on Hotel Check-In, 47% of 4,200 respondents said that they live out of their suitcases – with many readers saying they do so to avoid bringing home bedbugs. American Hotel and Lodging Association – asked its hotel members "Are guests increasingly asking about your bedbug precautions?": Yes, we have seen a significant increase in guest concern about bedbugs 50.86% and No, bedbugs have not been an issue among our guests 49.14%. The chance of bringing the bugs home has influenced how travellers unpack in their hotel room. Some helpful links on detecting and actions to avoid bed bugs are at MSNBC and CBS Money Watch.

Best way to use the electronic safe of the hotel – You can keep your valuables in the hotel room safe, if it fits, including your laptop computer. It is known with industrial espionage, business people have had their hard disk copies while away from their room (beware when travelling in China).

Apply a simple precaution every time you use the safe. Wipe the touch keys of the in-room electronic safe with a wet cloth and dry it before you enter the secret code. This is important as in some cases, hotel staffs find out ways of knowing the secret number keyed in and steal money from the lockers. They usually use powder or light oil residue that becomes prominent under certain light. The hotel staffs could steal from your locker while you are at peace of mind enjoying the vacation. Or, every time and after locking the safe’s door, press other numbers that does not form the code. The act might trigger an alarm from within the safe but the alarm stops quickly without attracting anybody’s attention.

Never leave valuables in soft/material bags – Also, tourists should take care that they do not leave any valuables in material or soft bags as it can be easily stolen with the help of a knife by splitting a seam. It also applies to the luggage that is checked into the aircraft.

By TravelMole Staff Writer for Travel Secrets