Hotel Safety: Staying Secure in a Hotel, Motel or Inn

If you travel for business or pleasure, you’ve probably spent more than a few nights in a hotel. And though a seedy roadside motel is likely to make you feel more nervous about your safety than a high-class five-star resort, the simple truth is that any hotel – no matter the quality – could be dangerous.

There have been police reports of crimes committed in hotel rooms. In some cases, an attacker hides in the room and waits for the victim. In other cases the intruder breaks into the room after the victim is asleep at night.

Fortunately, there are some ways to protect yourself – and your loved ones – when you stay in hotels. Try some of these tips to decrease your risk and increase your security:

Get a door alarm. Door alarms are designed in various styles. One of the best versions serves as a doorstop, too. The alarm is designed like a wedge that you place in the space between the bottom of the door and the floor. If someone tries to open the door in the middle of the night, the wedge acts as a doorstop, preventing the door from opening. Moreover, it sounds a piercing alarm that will awaken you from your slumber and alert neighbors and hotel security.

Get some window alarms. If your hotel room has a balcony, ground floor window or a door to an adjoining room, you can use window alarms to protect these entrances. The least intrusive kind is designed to trigger by motion or movement. The alarm is a small, black box that hangs from a loop of rope. Hook the loop over the handle of a door or a window latch. If the alarm is jiggled or jostled – such as when someone is trying to enter through the window – the alarm sounds to alert you to intruders.

Get some protection. One of the best, basic weapons for personal security is pepper spray. Make sure you check the laws in any states or cities you’re visiting, since pepper spray and mace is not always permitted. Keep a canister by your bedside so you’re prepared in the event of an intruder.

So where do you purchase these alarms and weapons? Any online security store should have these basic items. However, if you want a lower cost, low-tech version, consider buying some inexpensive windchimes. You can hang them from doorknobs or window latches so they tinkle if anyone tries to enter the room. Unless you’re a light sleeper, the windchimes’ noise should be enough to wake you.