Earlier this week I wrote about a rough experience I had at the Hyatt Regency Mainz. A member of the hotel staff entered the room without knocking at 3:10AM, while my family slept.
In the comments section, many reprimanded me for failing to utilize the hotel’s deadbolt lock. For example:
Curious as to why you don’t use your deadbolt on your door?
You never used hotel deadbolts?! Are you nuts?!
Would you not lock your front door when at home? If not, then WHY would you never use hotel deadbolt in the past? False sense of security to say the least. Or plain stupidity. Sorry but even the deadbolt may not always preventing unwanted intruders, at least it would take much longer to “break in”.
Truly amazing that a person travels so much never used the deadbolt on a hotel room door., against all security measure. The deadbolt is there for good reasons. Use your head!
Fatherhood Pre-101 is don’t go to sleep in a hotel (where anyone on staff can program anyone a key) withoit the deadbolt on.
I don’t mean to be a dead horse, but . . . you need to use the deadbolt.
And there were more…
I see the light. From this point on I will always engage my deadbolt. But I am curious…was I the only one who rarely bothered to use it?
When I was in Kabul, Afghanistan I distinctly remember using the deadbolt in my hotel room (and even mentioned it in my trip report). Perhaps it was just a false sense of security that made me think these locks are unnecessary in Germany (0r may other parts of the world). Whatever the case, it simply is worth the extra second to engage the security lock.
Chime in below, especially if you never use your hotel deadbolt. If not, why not?
I will always use the deadbolt, any secondary lock on the door + the do not disturb sign. Nothing like having house cleaning walk in on you in the morning while you’re preparing to get up for the day.
first thing i do after entering the room at night…
I thought it was very odd that someone who travels as much as you appear to do did not use a deadbolt at hotels. A hotel is not more secure than your home; often it is less so. I use every bolt available when I go to bed at a hotel and leave at least one bolt engaged whenever I am in the room. I also leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign out at all times except when I am expecting housekeeping or room service.
Yes, you are the only person.
I always use it, even in “safe” countries. For the exact thing that happened to you. Hotel staff or late check ins given my room in error.
Same goes for my coworkers and family.
Always use the dead bolt. Even when I’m not sleeping.
Not all situations are the same. I have a form of advanced coronary artery disease. Without getting into details of my health, I choose not to place the deadbolt on when traveling alone for business. The percent chance of me needing help in the middle of the night, resulting from an unwanted, unexpected, blockage, is far greater than someone randomly choosing my room over another to commit a crime, in my opinion of course, To me, the deadbolt represents another obstacle if I ever needed help. When traveling with my spouse, as someone mentioned above, the deadbolt is on as soon as we get into the room. So you’re not alone. My life, my rules and preferences despite what others have said previous.
I always use a deadbolt or any other secondary locking mechanism. I figure that the extra second it takes to secure the bolt is a small price to pay for the additional security.
That being said, I did once walk in on a very surprised gentleman in a hotel room in Boston after the front desk mistakenly gave me an already occupied room, so you definitely aren’t the only person who doesn’t use the bolt.
The only time I have not used the deadbolt and other lock (if available) was when there was not one on the door.
I never use the dead bolt. Never felt to the need to use it while I’m in the room. Maybe I will now…
I always use the deadbolt in my house, my vacation property which is in a gated community, and a hotel, which i see as less secure than my residence, is no exception. Why invite trouble.
Call me paranoid but in some seedier motels (North America) I have had to spend a night in I have even barricaded the door with desks and chairs.
I have always used the deadbolt no matter what city or country I am in.
I always use dead bolts and travel with a door stop just in case dead bolt doesn’t function. Cheap five dollar security.
Always – even if I’m awake and moving about the room, it’s locked.
First thing I do once I enter the room. I may be a bit different than most people since I come from a country where safety is a big deal. Let’s say I only drove bullet proof cars before I moved into the US many years ago. Thus, even having a sense of security where I live today I still lock all doors, don’t leave garage door open and turn the alarm system when we leave the house and before we go to sleep. Is all that needed? Maybe not but better safe than sorry. In sum, if there is a tool available to improve my safety I will use it. That is what a deadbolt is.
One of the times I forgot to use the deadbolt I had a housekeeping attendent walk into my room at 10:30 PM at a Hampton Inn in California while I was changing clothes. I’ve made it a habit since then to always use it.
You are the only person I’ve ever heard of that doesn’t automatically use the deadbolt. Odd.
Looks like I’m going to be the only one falls in your camp. I didn’t used to routinely use the deadbolts. Call it lack of habit; I grew up in a small town where it wasn’t unusual to leave car or even house doors unlocked (let’s just say, if any troublemaker did pop by, a 180-pound St. Bernard made for an effective deterrent). I’ve changed that habit, though, since we started taking Ashok to hotels. Guess you could say the overprotective father gene kicked in.
I always use the deadbolt and think everyone should. That said, I was in a room at a hotel in Mexico that had a balcony. For some reason (I guess security), when you closed the balcony door, you can’t open it again from the outside (which it didn’t say on the door). I also had a manual deadbolt on my door, which I had flipped over, so I was in a bind. But I called the hotel from my phone and they came up to my room. They easily used some kind of tool to unhook the deadbolt and get in to let me off the balcony. Frankly, I was glad at that time, but I totally lost faith in deadbolts after that. And, it honestly makes sense that the hotel staff can get into the room even with a deadbolt. So, moral of the story, the deadbolt is better than nothing, but it’s doubtful that the hotel staff wouldn’t be able to get in the room anyway.
I have to say that I can’t remember the last time I used a deadbolt and I’ve stayed at least 80 nights in a hotel every year for the last 3 years. I’m certainly not opposed to it, but I’ve never given it much thought and I’ve bever had an issue. Probably comes from growing up in a community where a locked door is basically unheard of. I will start using it going forward though.. now that your comment section has shown me my unending ignorance.
There’s an industry term you may have heard before “slam clicker” and although it refers to flight crew that do nothing at a destination but enter the room and click the deadbolt, I’ve always thought ‘hey if that’s what the crew does I’m doing that to’ (at least when I’m in the room)
ALWAYS!!!!!!!!
ALWAYS!!! WHENEVER I AM IN THE ROOM REGARDS OF TIME OF DAY!
NO REASON NOT TOO!
HAVEN’T YOU SEEN THE MOVIE TAKEN?
I have never use the deadbolt and ive been in Russia, Poland, Germany, France,Spain etc etc etc. Not one time i felt the need to use the deadbolt. If someone try to open my door i guess we will have some words , if you know what i mean!!!! But if you ever need help, how came anyone enter the room if the deadbolt is engaged?
This has been in the back of mind as well. If something happens, the only way to enter would be to break the door down.
The latch pictured is easily defeated. Opening the quickly then shutting it quickly will knock it out of the way. Don’t kid yourself when you are traveling hotel rooms are stupid easy to get into. And the hotel safes are even easier to get into.
I never used the deadbolt… until hotel staff walked in on me for the 5th time or so without knocking (or knocking and entering so quickly I couldn’t yell to stop them) and now I regularly do so.
My wife and I use secondary locking devices always, in every hotel, all around the world. We call it “locking the fortress.” I can’t even imagine why anyone would not do this. It is so easy, and it probably prevents a lot of potential heartache, maybe not likely heartache, but definitely possible heartache.
If you were a woman traveling by your own, you’d certainly never forget to use deadbolts. Even in fancy hotels in allegedly safe countries. I am more afraid of assault (I insist, even in fancy hotels…) than fainting and nobody is able to help.
And what about deadbolt at home? Who has it?
I don’t use it at home either.