Hotel security expert reveals the big mistake guests make at buffet breakfasts that puts your safety at risk
AN OVERNIGHT stay in a hotel is meant to be a relaxing experience, but some holidaymakers can let their guard down all too easily.
One part of the hotel where guests can be lulled into a false sense of security is the breakfast table.
Hotel safety expert Carolyn Pearson recently revealed the dangerous mistake hotel guests make at the breakfast table.
Carolyn Pearson is the CEO and Founder of Maiden Voyage – a business dedicated to making travel safer.
Maiden Voyage launched 16 years ago, and it aims to educate businesses and industry professionals on safety and security in the travel sector.
As well as providing training to hotel employers and their employees, Carolyn also dishes out advice to tourists.
Carolyn told Sun Online Travel: “I never leave my bag at the breakfast table.”
She explained that hotel guests often leave their bags on a chair in a bid to reserve a table, while they load up their plate at the breakfast buffet.
While this may seem like a good idea to maintain a prime spot in the dining hall, it can actually make guests a target for theft.
By leaving a handbag unattended on a chair or table, Carolyn explained that belongings could get swiped by a guest with bad intentions.
Instead of leaving the bag at the breakfast table, Carolyn recommended taking your handbag with you to the buffet and leaving an item of clothing that won’t be missed at the table instead.
There are other ways to stay safe in your hotel too.
In another article in Sun Online Travel, Carolyn urged holidaymakers to avoid dishing out their room number when they’re at the reception desk.
She said: “Once they’ve read out the room number, reception staff will give guests directions to their room.”
Even though hotel staff have the best of intentions, sharing private information in the hotel foyer can be dangerous.
Instead of waiting for the room number to be spoken out loud, guests should ask for it to be written down.
This technique prevents other guests from finding out where you’re sleeping.
To keep her room safe at night, Carolyn always makes sure to travel with a £1 doorstop too.
She said: “I always travel with a door jammer because there are some hotels that I really like, but they don’t have a second lock.”
Meanwhile, another hotel expert showed guests how they can create a makeshift door lock using a hand towel and a hair tie.
In the video, which was posted on TikTok, hotel cleaner Terence Harris tied a hand towel around the lock at the top of the door.
Then, he secured the hand towel in place with a hair tie.
A former flight attendant explained why guests should use the hotel chain on their door when they’re sleeping, showering, and dressing.
In a post on Mumsnet, she wrote: “It is not uncommon for hotels to accidentally double-book your room.
“I have woken up many times to someone opening my door with an electronic key that was programmed for my room.
“I learned to dress and sleep with the chain on the door at all times.”
Meanwhile, a flight attendant recently shared her top safety hacks for travellers to prevent hotel break-ins.