Hotel Room Security Tips

Traveling can be a breathtaking experience, allowing you to see sights and cultures that you had only dreamt of before. However, it also means that you are not in an area that you know, and you are staying in a hotel, at the whims of other security measures. Luckily, there are hotel room security tips you can use to help secure your room and allow you to feel safer while on this journey.

We've pulled together hotel room security tips for men and women to utilize while traveling.

• Book a hotel in a safe area. Even if you've never been there before, you can get an idea of the area by what's around the hotel. If you see a lot of bail bonds places or seedy little gas stations, this is probably not the safest part of town.
• Stay on middle floors. You don't want to be too far up in case of natural disaster or fire, however, a ground floor room is too easy for intruders to get into. Instead, go for the third floor and above.
• Inspect the room when you check in. Look for broken locks, any strange objects or cameras, and check the windows for any cracks or broken pieces.
• Keep your door locked at all times with the deadbolt or security chain. Even if you are awake and just moving around the room, you'll want to keep your door locked from people who are testing doors to see which ones are left open.
• Store valuables in your in-room safe. These are there for a reason, so make sure that you utilize them and store any jewelry, cash, electronics, etc. in the safe, that way no one can steal them. Every hotel has a note that they are not held responsible for theft from their rooms, even if it's from one of their employees. Be prepared, and don't tempt anyone in your room with anything.
• Give an illusion that someone is in your room at all times. Leave the tv on, as well as at least one light, that way you can also quickly see if someone else is in your room.
• Know your escape routes. Check out where the stairs are and know where to go in case of emergency. Not all of the exits will be clear, know where the stairwells are and which one is closest to your room, as well as if the doors are able to be opened.
• Take note of your landmarks. Find the nearest police station and hospital, so you know which way to go in case of an emergency.
• Take your passport with you at all times. This is essential because if you are traveling out of the country and lose it, you are in trouble. Make sure it is on you at all times, preferably in a shirt pocket or physically on your body, not in a bag or purse, as those can be stolen.
• Walk out of your hotel with a purpose. Thieves cannot determine if you are from here or not just by you staying at a hotel, but they can tell if you clearly do not know where you are going and stick out with your confusion. Get a layout of the area, keep your phone in your hand discreetly, and look up directions ahead of time, that way you can confidently walk towards your destination without drawing extra attention to yourself.

Hotel room security tips can help make the difference between a fun vacation, and one where you fall victim to an attacker.