Hotel Safes: And Other Tips To Protect Your Valuables When Travelling
Hotel safes are common in most major hotels, both nationally and internationally, as well as many other places where long-term stay is expected, such as cruise ship cabins and hostels, although hostel safes are usually located at the front desk rather than in individual or shared rooms.
If you are staying in a hotel and are concerned about whether the location has a hotel safe, you can always call the front desk and ask the hotel manager.
Hotel Safe Security
Hotel safes can give you peace of mind knowing that your belongings are locked up and stored away, but there are still occasional stories about hotel guests unexpectedly discovering that their belongings have turned up missing, even if they are stored in a safe. It is impossible to be 100% sure that your belongings are entirely safe in your hotel room when you leave, even when locked in a hotel safe, but there are certain safety features to be cognizant of to ensure maximum protection.
Hotel safes are locked and protected in a variety of ways. For instance, a safe may be bolted to the ground so that no one can just pick it up and walk off with it. Some older hotel safes have a back door that can be opened by someone with strong enough determination to pry it open, but the newer model don’t usually have back doors and require a key or special code in order to be unlocked. Most hotels only allow a small number of employees access to the hotel safe keys or master code, usually this type of information is reserved for the hotel managers or security manager. It is not common for hotels give their safe keys and safe codes to those at the front desk or those responsible for cleaning the rooms.
Hotel safes can be locked in a number of ways. Some require the hotel guest to punch in a secret code that they establish before locking it. Other times, a safe may require a card with a magnetic strip, such as a driver's license, to lock and unlock the safe. Guests should be required to lock and unlock their own safes. A hotel manager or any other hotel worker should never tell you what code to use when locking up your hotel safe.
Many larger hotels also have a hotel safe located in their security rooms. If you have something extremely valuable that you are unsure about leaving in your hotel room safe, then you should contact the hotel manager to ask about leaving the item in their safe instead; remember to get a receipt for your item if you are leaving it with security.
Eliminate the Risk of Stolen Property
If you are concerned about your personal property being stolen when staying at a hotel for a long period of time, then you can reduce the risk by not traveling with any items that you could not bear to lose. Many seasoned travelers refuse to travel with their best jewelry simply because you can never keep an eye on all of your belongings. Things can get lost at the airport or luggage could get sent to the wrong destination, there are a number of ways that belongings are lost, so if you can keep your favorite personal items at home, then that will be your best bet against preventing the risk of it getting stolen or lost.
Keep Copies of Important Documents
If you’re going to travel internationally then you should consider making copies of your most important documents, such as passports, drivers licenses, insurance cards, and other documents that would be a hassle to replace. If you find yourself leaving your hotel room frequently, then you should consider keeping all of your original documents on your persons the whole time. Many department stores carry traveling pouches that can be hidden underneath your clothes or secured in a discreet manner so that you can keep your important documents with you at all times.
Final Thoughts
Hotel safes are one of the best ways to secure your belongings when you are away from home, but remember, nothing is full proof. The best way to protect your valuables is by paying close attention to your surroundings and taking all preventative measures possible.