Over my life I have done quite a bit of travel where I would inevitably stay at a hotel. Every time I left the room I was concerned that someone could come in and rummage through anything I may have left, say a laptop, or my wallet (do you take it with you when you visit the in-hotel gym?).
I would rationalize that as long as I make sure the room door has completely shut, that I have left the television on (to give the impression that someone’s in the room), and that I have placed the “do not disturb” sign on the door, that I should be okay.
Well not any longer:
From this video you can clearly see how simple it is to enter a hotel room virtually undetected. Even using the recommended counter mechanism (a towel) I’m sure there are a number of other ways to get into a hotel room undetected.
So now my thinking is that nothing left in the hotel is safe. Lock it up or take it with you is really the only option.
Oh yes, and also remember that what you put into your car may not stay in your car… I have experienced this lesson first hand when my backpack was stolen out of my car in the middle of a busy parking lot. You may look like an idiot geek carrying your backpack into a restaurant or a movie theater, but at least you get to keep your crap…
UPDATE: It turns out that door chains aren’t much to defeat as well…
Mon, Mar 1, 2010
Security