Travelling comes with its own risks even if you’re staying at a five-star hotel. Here are several hotel security tips you should keep in mind the next time you go out of town.
Surveillance Concerns
Don’t rely solely on the security system of the hotel. Who knows if the management is in cahoots with potential intruders of your room? Set up your own surveillance system in your room.
Start by performing a bug sweep. This may seem paranoid, but if you believe that there is great interest in what you have stored in your hotel room then there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain with this action. There are also other detectors that can be used to determine presence and location of hidden cameras.
If you are completely assured that your hotel room is secured, the next thing to do is putting it under surveillance. Install wireless, battery-operated hidden cameras in strategic locations. Toss in a dummy camera or two to mislead potential intruders.
Ensure your cameras are web-ready to allow remote and online access your surveillance system. Do not set up your DVR system in your hotel room as this will obviously give you away. Set it up somewhere else and make sure that you will never run out of disk space.
Install alarms and other security devices to prevent unauthorized access and break-ins to your room. Besides doors and windows, vents in your ceiling may also be another way to get into your room so be sure to fortify these as well.
Hotel Security Tips against Employees with Bad Intent
Again, you need to be always on your guard against even the individuals in the hotel’s employ. Hotel-issued keys are not enough. Use manual locks and practice common sense. Consider the tips below.
Do not allow housekeeping or any other hotel employee inside your room if you are not present. Inform hotel management about this to ensure that your room remains safe and secure.
Never leave your room unattended nor unlocked. It only takes a few seconds to create a huge amount of trouble if you know what you’re doing.
If someone requests entry to your room and identifies himself as an employee of the hotel, make sure to double check their identity with hotel management. If you have not made any request for their services, chances are hotels won’t take the initiative to send an employee to your quarters as they are entirely too busy for such fuss. Last but not the least, remember that a uniform does not an official employee make.