Staying in Hotels

[Fast Eddie]

I travel for work almost weekly, Staying at hotels presents a lot of security issues for me since I am a deep sleeper. I keep my 9 on the nightstand where it can't be seen, but iI can easily be accessed. But it does me no good if I am asleep if someone enters the room.

I always check the windows and lock the doors, and never stay in a room with a common door to another room.

The place I am staying at doesn't have any devices you can secure the door from the inside. The staff and people staying here look like they have all done hard time. I'm as leery of the staff as I am of the guests.

I'm going to go to the store and get a door wedge to put in front of the door, but am thinking there must be something more effective that you all could suggest.

What precautions or devices would you bring to a hotel room to secure the room/door?

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[Howard1955]

Interesting thought. I might get some of these things myself. Several kinds came up on Google.

 

[Argonaut]

We always travel with my Scottish Terrier...........

 

[DuneHopper]

Interesting thought. I might get some of these things myself. Several kinds came up on Google.

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As @Howard1955 points out there are many items to detect movement before they enter.
We have several in play here.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Clint Eastwood was in a documentary, a western, where he used some thorns around his neck to keep him awake. forget the name of it though

 

[DirectDrive]

Piece of 1x4 (or 2x4) cut to the correct length so you can jam it under the door knob and bury the other end into the carpet.

Done right it is a good impediment to someone trying to get in.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Too bad Eastwood wasn't more resourceful with his Birks.

 

[P7M13]

That's a conundrum! I had one co-worker who slept through a fire alarm. It took several shakes go wake him up.
The locks and security devices at almost all hotels are a joke.
I will stuff tissue into the peep hole, and roll up a hand towel tightly and wedge it under the door, which then only opens ~1/2 inch.
When I encounter rooms where it has a door to an adjoining room, I note I'm in a really old hotel and rarely go back to it again.
A piece of wood shaped to fit snugly under the knob works great, and kicked into place wedging it with the carpet.
I also always get the highest floor I can.
The only time I worry much about security is when I bring my guns, and how can I lock them, as most every site I travel to has a strict NO FIREARM policy.
I guess I'm lucky that my company uses generally good hotel chains. Granted, anywhere you go, there are sketchy places....

 

[FriendOfEvanWilliams]

Either hang some tin cans in front of the door, or get a mean looking rescue dog like Doug:



Not mine, a friend's, and he just looks mean; he's a big sweetie. But at 75 pounds with the clipped ears he looks like a formidable guard dog.

 

[Fast Eddie]

I'm free to stay where I want to, but I'm always trying to be careful with my expenses.

I agree the top floor is always preferable.
I tend to avoid hotels with exterior doors to the rooms as well.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Piece of 1x4 (or 2x4) cut to the correct length so you can jam it under the door knob and bury the other end into the carpet.

Done right it is a good impediment to someone trying to get in.

A hank a duck tape over the lock might save your forehead from getting dented too..

 

[Caveman Jim]

I traveled for work for over 15 years from Florida to the west coast then Wa.
I would ask to see the rooms in advance to make sure there were no ajoining room doors, bath room windows & checking the security locks. I used a homemade barricade made from a piece of 2x4 oak.
I stayed in some really bad cities but never had a problem except once in East Wenatchee where some inexperienced Ahole tried to steal my truck (got it stuck in a flower bed).

 

[AMProducts]

I too am a heavy sleeper when I'm not an insomniac. There are tons of alarms that can be used for this, some detect movement, some will be triggered by the door, this is very much a "solved science" problem. I suppose even if it doesn't wake you up immediately, it will probably wake someone else up, and scare off the bad guy.

 

[parallax]

I travel a lot. If. I am in a questionable place. I will balance a chair. Against the door. So if someone opens it the chair will come tumbling over and wake me up. Or balance a bottle on the door knob.

 

[nwslopoke]

Ever try the, Do not Disturb sign?

 

[Camelfilter]

Depends if you fly a lot.

But a door security bar may be handy for you.

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-Security-Adjustable-265DCCSEN/dp/B0002YUX8I

Would likely need to be in checked bag, I would imagine.

Can be bought locally, probably at Home Depot, Walmart, Lowe's etc as well.

 

[The Heretic]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N95IVS...colid=VYXDBEXUJEIG&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it



I always use these when they are installed:



They make a pretty good racket if you try to open the door with them locked - I have tried to exit a few times when I have forgotten that I had locked it. That said, there may be a trick to unlocking them from the outside, I don't know.

 

[P7M13]

Ever try the, Do not Disturb sign?

Like GUN FREE ZONE and NO FIREARMS, they generally serve their intended purpose.

I always use these when they are installed:

That said, there may be a trick to unlocking them from the outside, I don't know.

A guy showed me how easy and silently they are to undo from the outside using a bent hanger. I tried and couldn't do it, but he made it look so easy.

 

[The Heretic]

Like GUN FREE ZONE and NO FIREARMS, they generally serve their intended purpose.


A guy showed me how easy and silently they are to undo from the outside using a bent hanger. I tried and couldn't do it, but he made it look so easy.

It probably takes a bit of practice, but that is not surprising and why I mentioned it.

 

[Argonaut]

I have stayed in motels 300 days some years. I typically travel with my 629 and Scotch Terrier. At my ranch and on the boats I have frequently lived on, we seldom lock doors.......I find the common cross bolt door locks in motels next to a safe in strength. I like my Scotty to be there to wake me up but think most security issues in a motel are while people are not in the room. Burglers don't want to confront anyone. Some person out to kill you would choose a better easier location, I think we are wringing our hands over little threat here. You are more likely to die in a car crash on the way to the room than having a serious issue while in it. I never leave important or valueable things unattended in a room but other than that a fire extinguisher and a rope to slide down from an upper floor (like old western hotels had) in case of a fire would be more valueable that some devise to barricade yourself inside. I avoid staying in places that look like a Hitchcock set and prefer an outside door but other than that, feel pretty safe most places.