Be honest!  Do you place the “Do Not Disturb” door hanger on the door just to keep cleaning staff out of your room and your valuables safe?  Do you hide your jewelry when you know the maid is coming?  Do you carry valuable items with you for fear hotel staff may be particularly nosy?  Do you partake of the in room safe some hotels provide?

I go back and forth on this issue.  I try to trust that people are inherently good and remind myself not to be paranoid.  But, with a law enforcement background, I can’t help but be honest and rational about the realities that are out there. Some people are desperate and bad things happen.  I never want to put myself in the position to be victimized so I tend to “hide” items or limit the amount of cleaning or access to my room unless necessary.  Being the victim of theft would put an instant damper on any vacation especially if one brings along expensive camera equipment, computer equipment, money, travel documents, or other sentimental valuables.

I feel more comfortable in some places versus others.  I have always felt very comfortable in B&Bs, VRBOs, and AirBNBs.  But commercial hotels and small hotels especially in bad areas always gets my “spidey sense” up and I tend to be more conservative.  I try to trust my instincts.  They rarely steer me wrong.

What are your thoughts?  Have you had any bad hotel experiences?  Or have you experienced self-inflicted paranoia, like me, where you are probably overly concerned?

Dirty Little Secrets of a Hotel Maid

Does the Hotel Maid Look Through Your Stuff?