Top 10 Security Hacks Straight from Hotel Experts

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Hotel security isn’t guaranteed, and you can’t be too careful. It is always better to take a minute and do things correctly. Use insider tips from hotel experts to learn the hacks savvy travelers swear by to stay safe.

Want to level up your travel game and regain control of your security? Examine these vital tricks to put you ahead of threats without compromising your peace of mind.

Use Digital Locks and Safe Boxes in Hotels

Top Security Hacks Straight from Hotel Experts — Image Credit: Susanne Plank/Pexels

Many modern hotels have digital safes for secure storage. However, experts also advise testing the safe before using it.

Put a low-value item in the safe, lock it, and then open it again to make sure it is still operating properly. For protection, you can add a portable door lock, such as the Addalock, to your room’s main entrance.

Keep Travel Documents Secure While Staying in Hotels

Your passport, ID, and travel itinerary can be a treasure trove of information for identity thieves. Keep your travel documents locked in the room safe. Security pouches or RFID-blocking wallets are great options if you don’t have a safe to put your stuff in.

Hotel safety trainers warn against leaving such documents on desks, beds, or anywhere cleaning staff could see them.

Choose Accommodations with Security in Mind

If you are choosing a hotel, choose one with strong security features. Reviews that cite 24/7 staffed lobbies, surveillance cameras, keycard-only access to certain floors, and well-lit hallways should catch your eye.

According to Safety Zone Security, 75% of hotel guests feel safer with visible security measures like camera systems and restricted-access elevators. Booking accommodations with these features is a crucial step to your safety.

Understand the Role of Hotel Staff in Ensuring Guest Safety

Hotel employees ensure your security. Remember to check in with a proper ID. Also, let the front desk know of special safety requests, e.g., room placement.

Experts recommend choosing rooms on mid-level floors since they are more secure than ground rooms, less easily entered by break-in people, and convenient to the fire ladders in an emergency.

Wi-Fi Security: Best Practices for Hotel Networks

Free Wi-Fi is excellent, but it comes with the hassle of getting hacked. A survey by ExpressVPN found that around 7% of travelers have experienced cybercrime while traveling abroad. The survey polled 8,000 travelers from the US, UK, Germany, and France.

If you want better internet security, encrypt your online activity with a VPN. Avoid sensitive apps (bank apps, email) over public Wi-Fi. Use your mobile phone as your Wiki hotspot if you require a safe web.

Strategies for Protecting Personal Information in Hotel Rooms

Sometimes, hotel rooms aren’t very private. To protect your personal information, shred or securely throw away your documents before you leave your room. Further, make sure you secure passwords for laptops and tablets as well, making them as secure as possible and updating them as often as possible.

Laptops and other valuables should also be placed in inconspicuous places if possible. If a thief does get into your room, they are less likely to look in a drawer of toiletries, which is a less predictable place for devices.

Be Vigilant in Shared Spaces

Lobbies, hotel restaurants, and other communal areas are security risks. Keep your belongings near you, and don’t leave bags unattended. Travelers who appear to be the least aware of their surroundings are the most likely to get robbed.

Hotel safety trainers say that simple habits, like wearing bags cross-body style or keeping wallets in the front pockets, will reduce one’s chance of being targeted in public areas.

Invest in Security Gadgets for Travelers

The pros agree that a few good security gadgets can go a long way to protection. Here are some items to consider bringing along:

Portable Door Alarms warn you if the door to your room has been tampered with. RFID sleeves keep your credit cards and passport safe from electronic pickpockets and Bluetooth Trackers. Things like Tiles and AirTags help you find lost luggage. None of these needs to cost a lot, but they can significantly improve the safety and stress-freeness of a trip.

Trust Your Instincts

Vigilance is the word hotel experts almost always cite as key. And if something raises a red flag—for example, if you feel staff behavior, unrequested room service, or suspicious knocking on the door—is off, then be vigilant.

Remember to memorize or have the hotel’s front desk number on your phone for emergencies. It’s better to report concerns, even if they are nothing, than to lose your stuff.

Be Cautious with Room Number Disclosure

Ask hotel staff not to call out your room number at check-in. If they do, ask the front desk for a different room or have the number jotted down so they don’t know where you are for privacy’s sake.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.