10 hotel safety tips to live by…especially important for my solo female travelers! Stick to these tips to ensure you have a safe trip.
Solo travel is such an eye opening and memorable experience. Taking a trip on your own where you are fully and 100% responsible for everything will teach you more than you think about yourself.
The perks of solo travel are many, but you also have to be double and triple aware of your surroundings and safety in general. Especially for my solo female travelers out there.
Here are 10 travel safety tips I take in regard to hotels. Some may seem obvious and some may seem a bit paranoid…but as I’m the daughter of a flight-attendant the importance of taking every precaution has been drilled into my head from day one.
1. Prepare your hotel check-in responses
When the front desk asks how many keys you need, always say two so they (and anyone who may be listening) assumes someone else is staying with you. If the hotel staff asks how many people are staying in the room or if you are staying alone, always have a response ready explaining that you are not alone.
2. Check your hotel room
Being the daughter of a flight-attendant, I’ve learned all the rules of hotel room safety. I complete a quick sweep of my room to make sure nothing is amiss. Check under the bed, behind curtains, bathroom, closet, etc.
Chances are slim to none that someone would ever be in your room, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I also assume airlines would not teach flight-attendants these rules for no reason. This is a must for solo female travelers.
3. Be extra mindful when going to your room
An obvious and overall travel safety tip for solo female travelers is to always be aware and alert. This is especially true when going to and from your hotel room. Stay alert whenever going to your hotel room to make sure no one is following you.
If you ever have the feeling someone is watching you, get off at a different floor and never go to your room so they know which room is yours. Pretend you forgot your key if you need an excuse to turn around.
4. Never say your room number or floor out loud
Most people have the common sense to not say their room number, but surprisingly I have had several occasions where the hotel staff said my room number out loud. If they do this and you feel that others heard, ask them for another room and to please write the number down instead of saying it aloud.
Never feel bad for asking for a different room for safety reasons. The same goes if you feel someone has followed you and now knows where your room is or what floor you are on. Ask to be moved to another room.
5. Never stay on the ground floor or by an emergency exit/stairwell
I request to stay on the third floor or higher. Never stay by an emergency exit or stairwell as it’s an easy place for someone to hide. This is another big travel safety tip for solo female travelers!
6. Parking Garages
If you have a car, use valet so you aren’t walking in a dimly lit garage by yourself. If you must use the garage and need to go to your car at night or you feel uncomfortable in the garage, ask the hotel for an employee or security guard to walk you to your car.
7. Do your research on location
If you spend time researching only one thing, the location of your hotel should be at the top of your list. Every city has sketchy areas. Make sure you stay in a safe and lively (i.e. not deserted) area.
The last thing you want is to arrive at your hotel and realize it’s in a dark and empty part of town. Read through TripAdvisor and Yelp reviews to get a feel for the location of the hotel you’re looking at or google “where to stay in X city” or “safe areas to stay in X”.
A good rule of thumb is to focus on locations that are centrally located and close to popular attractions and transportation.
8. Research the safety measures of the hotel
Does the hotel have a 24/7 maned front desk? Do the front doors lock at night so only guests with keys can enter? Is there a security guard on the property? Is the check-in desk or concierge desk located by the front door so staff easily see who comes and goes?
9. Never open the door unless you are absolutely sure who it is
Another important one for solo female travelers. Even if the person at the door says they are housekeeping or room-service, don’t open the door unless you asked for these services.
If you are unsure, call the front desk and ask if they sent someone to your room. Say “no thanks” from behind your closed door if you are still uncertain.
Requesting that your housekeeping or room-service delivery is done by a female would be an extra safety precaution for solo female travelers.
10. Don’t leave room service cards on your door
My last hotel travel safety tip is good for not only solo female travelers but all travelers including those in groups. This last tip will help keep your belongings safe when you aren’t in your room.
Many hotels now leave the option for you to fill out your room service or breakfast request on a card and leave it on your door knob. This is an easy way for any wrong doer to see that only one person is staying in the room by how you filled out the card.
Order any room service by phone instead. Also don’t leave the housekeeping card on the door. This advertises that no one is in the room and therefore the perfect time for theft or worse. Call for housekeeping instead.
In Summary
I hope these 10 hotel safety tips gives you some ideas on how to stay safe while traveling. While many of these aren’t necessary when traveling with others, I do think they are worthwhile for sole female travelers. I would always rather be safe than sorry.
