Anyone who has ever stayed in a hotel room has worried about theft. You’re staying in a building along with numerous other people with unknown backgrounds, and hotel staff comes in and out of your room when you’re not around to clean and take care of daily maintenance. A lot of opportunities for theft exist for professional thieves. Thefts aren’t always the result of professionals, however. Many thefts are crimes of opportunity, and items in your room are more likely to go missing if you leave them out in plain sight.


Reduce your risk of hotel theft by limiting the access that people in the hotel have to your possessions.

The Risks

The hotel staff poses one potential risk for hotel theft. They have relatively easy access to the room, and can go in and out at any time without raising suspicion from other people around. A cleaning staff member enters the room at least once a day to reset the room and switch the linens, and food staff deliver room service at many hotels at nearly any hour. As a result, service staff can slip in and out of rooms without anyone questioning them. Other tenants are also potential thieves. If an observant thief sees that you have left, he can possibly bluff or manipulate his way into your room by convincing a member of the hotel staff that he is staying in the room and can’t find his key. It only takes seconds to rob a hotel room, and the thief can be long gone before you even realize that you’ve been robbed.

Limiting Your Risks

Follow the same security habits at a hotel that you would in your own home to prevent unauthorized people from going inside your room without your knowledge or permission.

• Research the hotel you plan on staying in online before making a reservation. Look for any indications of theft issues. If you see theft complaints, stay at another hotel if possible.

 

• Avoid staying on the ground floor when you can. Thieves have much easier access to the rooms on the ground floor through the windows. Rooms higher up are harder to get to, making them more secure.

 

• Use your door locks. Lock your room fully any time you are not inside it. Likewise, use luggage locks on your bags to make them harder to access.

 

• Keep any valuables hidden from plain view when entering a hotel.

 

• Store valuables in out-of-sight locations in your hotel room when you aren’t using them. For example, a laptop often fits under the dresser through the hollow space in the back of it. Thieves typically don’t look there.

 

• Keep a TV or radio on in the room when you’re not there to make it sound like someone is present. Hang the “Do Not Disturb” sign outside of the door to prevent staff from coming in when you’re gone.

 

• Request a new card key instead of a duplicate if you lose the card key to your room. A new key requires the hotel staff to reset your lock, meaning the lost key will no longer open it. A duplicate key allows the original (lost) key to still open the door.

 

• Verify that contents left inside a hotel safe are insured against theft before using the safe. Safes at the front desk are typically insured, while safes inside the rooms are not. Memorize the combination to any safe that you use instead of writing the combination down where someone else can find it.

 

• Hide money and valuables in specialized security canisters called diversion safes. They look like everyday objects like shampoo bottles or shaving cream canisters. They have hidden compartments that allow you to hide your possessions, and these canisters are less likely to be grabbed during a theft.

 

• Research your existing insurance policies regarding what is covered if you suffer a theft away from the home. Consider a travel insurance policy if you’ll be traveling for an extended period of time.

 

• Report any missing items immediately to the hotel manager and to the local police department.

 

If you suspect a thief is in your room, do not risk a confrontation, because the thief could be armed. Retreat to the lobby, report the suspicion to the hotel management and call the police. Let them investigate before going back to your room. It’s always better to be cautious and safety-conscious than to run into a situation and regret it later. Prepare for the security in your hotel room as you would your own home, and you’ll find yourself at much decreased risk of theft as a result.