The first thing to do when entering a hotel room: you will avoid unpleasant surprises
By settling into a hotel room, you make sure it is clean and comfortable. You look at every corner to see if the hygiene is impeccable, especially in the bathroom and bedding. You claim certain items if you lose them. But, usually, no one thinks to check the correct operation of the lock. However, this detail is far from trivial. Many tourists highlight the importance of this aspect that many travelers neglect.
“Don’t settle into a hotel room until you’ve checked the door!” This is the warning to all those who have experienced unfortunate misadventures during their journey. Compilation of testimonies.
Hotel door – Source: spm
Why should you check your hotel room door?
To open room doors, most hotels assign electronic cards to guests. Very often, the rooms also have locks on the inside so that tourists can make sure that the door is securely closed, despite the use of the magnetic card. Except most don’t really pay attention to it.
This is why a user of the Reddit platform (American community discussion website) opened the debate on the topic and the importance of checking hotel doors before unpacking your belongings. Relevant information that was even broadcast in the British newspaper The Sun.
“ Before moving into a hotel room, make sure the door has a working lock that you can use from the inside. If it is broken or the lock is defective, you must immediately request another room. The cost of a hotel room should include this basic level of security ,” he said. After its publication, a wave of comments broke out.
Several people have reported their experiences with these locks in poor condition or even with the bolt missing, which caused them a lot of inconvenience. Although we know several tricks to secure hotel rooms , it is equally important to check the lock from the inside.
Hotel reception – Source: spm
Traveler testimonials
“ I once stayed in a hotel where there were no magnetic cards, just normal keys. One morning a woman opened my door, she walked in and the moment she saw me she ran away screaming. It was a very strange and unpleasant situation. While investigating, I discovered that those keys opened all the doors of the hotel and that evidently the woman had made a mistake ,” says this man. In fact, there are reasons to panic. In addition to experiencing uncomfortable moments like this, it is not at all reassuring. Because anyone can come into the room and steal your things!
Another person also had a touching story. A misadventure that would never have occurred if his hotel room had been equipped with an interior lock. My aunt and her friends met a man in a bar who followed them to the hotel where they were staying without them knowing . Around midnight, this man convinced the receptionist that he knew these women: she gave him the key to her room. As my aunt is a fairly light sleeper, she woke up unexpectedly and was horrified to discover the man snoring on the bedroom floor. She started screaming and he woke up immediately…” says this other user of the Reddit platform.
A young man also wrote: “ My mother and father were assigned to a room. When they opened the door with the key, another tourist was already there, he was taking a shower calmly thinking that his door was locked .”
All these stories should challenge you and motivate you to stop blindly trusting establishments, whatever they may be. The only way to feel safe is to properly lock the hotel room. And above all, always check that the lock works correctly. It’s even the first thing you should do before you feel comfortable: check it two or three times if necessary. Make sure the bolt is fully engaged and press the latch hard enough. And if you travel with your children, and notice the presence of connecting doors in the rooms, also check if they are perfectly secure.