How to Check Your Hotel Room Before Your Stay

How many of us take a few minutes to check our hotel rooms before we enter, close and latch the door for the night? If you do not, you should. A predator could be in your room, hiding in various places, waiting for the chance to attack or rob you. Once you are locked inside you have very little defense against such an occurrence.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Enter the room. As you approach your door, look around to see if any strangers are lurking nearby or watching you. If so, do not go into your room. Go to the front desk. Report the person, giving a description, and ask for a different room on a different floor. You can also ask for an escort if you desire.
   
   An attacker could be hiding in the hallway, waiting to push you into your room and attack, or waiting inside the room. If you do not see anyone in the hallway, open your door and leave your suitcase to prop the door open so that you can run out if you need to. Many hotel rooms have soundproof walls and no one may hear you scream if you are locked inside your room. You have a better chance of getting attention if you are outside of the room, in the hallway.
2. Turn on the lights. Usually, there is a light switch right beside the door. Turn on the lights by the door, without leaving your post a the entrance, and give the room a once over before you enter. You will only be able to see so far into the room, but it's OK, as you will not enter completely yet.
3. Do these next steps as quickly as possible, because you are leaving your suitcase propped against the door, holding it open. The very first place to check is the closet, which is right next to the room entrance in most hotel rooms. Cautiously slide the door or curtain open and peak inside. Remember to leave space between your suitcase and the door so that you can get out if you need to.
4. You've checked the closet and no one was waiting there. Peek out into the hallway again to make sure nothing has changed and no one is lurking. Then go into the bathroom and immediately turn on the light.
   Quickly look under the sink, behind the door and behind the shower curtain, which most hotels leave closed. You want to do this cautiously and quickly because you are actually inside a confined space and have not checked the rest of the room yet.
   
   Chances are if someone is waiting deeper in the room, they are waiting to hear the main door close. Yours is propped open, so they will probably stay put for the time being.
5. If your room has a door that connects to another room, cautiously try it to see if it is open. If it is locked, good. If not, lock it.
6. In most hotel rooms, not family suites, there is a wall separating the bathroom and the beds. There may or may not be a lamp along the way. If there is, turn it on so you can see. Do not go into the room to go out of your way to get to the next light. The light is on at the foyer, the light is on in the bathroom, and there is sufficient light coming through the doorway to allow you to see if there is a figure hiding behind the wall.
   
   Once you do not see anyone, take a few steps deeper into the room and turn on the lamp on the nightstand by the bed. Place yourself at the foot of the bed, close to the hotel room door and peer under the bed. Make sure no one is hiding there. Many hotels have installed floor boards so that no one and nothing can be under the bed. You can try softly kicking the area beneath the bed before you get down on the floor to look under it. If there is a floorboard in place, simply try kicking it on all sides to make sure the boards have not been tampered with.
7. So far your room check has been a success and you have found nothing disturbing. (The room is even clean.) Still, remain cautious. Look under any table that is in the room. Open the drawers on dressers.
8. In most cases, attackers tend to hide behind curtains. Most rooms boast beautiful, heavy, floor-length curtains that they leave closed for ambiance. The curtains ripple to the floor and do not stand straight. If you are looking at them, it would be very difficult to tell if someone is hiding behind them.
   
   Cautiously push the curtain toward the glass that you are assuming is behind them. Do not open them yet. Work your way down the length of the curtain from the wall to the open area so that you can get away if necessary. If you feel someone, get out of the room. If you do not, go ahead and open the curtain.
9. Once satisfied that your room is free of unwelcome visitors, go ahead and close and lock your door. Enjoy your stay!

Tips & Warnings

• If you are traveling with someone, have them stand guard at the door while you do the search. It will go faster and you can rest easy that someone has your back.
• If you are not comfortable doing your first search, ask at the front desk when you check in if someone from the staff can accompany you to your room and wait a few minutes while you check. Most hotels will accommodate you because they know that attacks can happen.
• If you are traveling with a group, try to get rooms on the same floor or in the same vicinity.
• Be careful when leaving your suitcase propped in the open door. Keep checking to make sure the hallway is clear.