Motels are a great way to spend a night during a road trip or when you do not need all the amenities of a Hotel. But we all know, there are some good ones, shady ones and those in between. Sometimes we might not have the option to choose between motels, which could make it difficult. Learn more about how to stay safe in a motel.
This article should help you feel safer in a motel, and the initial check at a motel shouldn’t take longer than 10 minutes.
Now let me say this upfront, it is always good to pay attention, use common sense and even listen to your gut from time to time. If you don’t feel safe in that area, move on and find a different location. But if you really have to spend a night in that Motel, let’s take a look at what you can do to feel a bit more comfortable and hopefully safer.
5 TIPS ON HOW TO STAY SAFE IN A MOTEL
Check the exterior and surroundings
It is always important to check the surroundings of any location we intend to spend a night. It is the easiest and fastest way to get an impression and sense of what’s going on. If you already know that you are in a bad part of town, it probably won’t get better on the Motel’s parking lot. Pay attention to the outside lights as well. Is it well lit, or do you have too many dark corners? Is it crowded outside, and how well is it maintained? Sure we don’t expect a 5-star resort, but still, the overall impression on how well it is maintained on the outside can tell you a lot.
Location
As with Real Estate, location matters, and that goes for your room for the night as well. Keep reading the next two paragraphs to help you develop your new room preferences for future stays.
Room Location
If you are on the ground floor, try to avoid a room facing the street, as this puts your entrance in a prime spot. If you have any chance to get a room inwards, try to make it happen. However, this does not apply if you are above the ground floor. Also, make sure the area is well lit, so any activity at your door is clearly visible. If you are pre-checking the rooms or plan for a room move, check for cameras in that area. Any room that is covered by the camera’s field of view is a good choice. While that means you are being recorded, it also documents anything that is happening outside. In case something happened, the Authorities will be able to pull the footage.
Floor Location
Now, this is a point some might have a different thought than I have. Some people want to stay on the ground floor, so it is easier and quicker to leave in case of a fire or other emergency. However, I prefer to stay at least on the 2nd floor. In my mind, you’ll have break-ins happening more often on the 1st floor than the 2nd floor because it is easier for the bad guys to get quickly in and out as well. We don’t want to make it easy for them.
In case you are concerned about fire events, don’t go any higher than the 6th floor. As I remember, the 6th floor is the highest a fire truck can reach.
If you do not mention your room preference during check-in, you usually get a room assigned to you. However, if your room is in a spot you absolutely don’t like, go back to the Front Desk and ask for a room move to a location of your likes; they might be able to accommodate that.
Check interior
The minute you step into the room, check what is inside before closing the door and locking yourself in. Check any additional rooms, check behind doors, behind curtains, and any corner where one could hide. Only once you made sure that nobody is in there, close and lock the door behind you. Yes, lock the door – you are not at home and expecting someone to come over within the next couple of minutes.
Now let’s take a look at some critical entry points of your room.
Door
The door is, as always, one of the most important things to check. Most bad guys are going through the door. So what should you pay attention to?
- Overall Condition
Does the door look like it’s falling already out of the hinges? Does it look beaten up or damaged in any way?
- Door lock
It is pretty obvious but make sure your door lock does indeed lock from the inside and see if it closes completely. If you have a door with a traditional key, stick your key into the lock from the inside and turn it a bit. In that way, someone from the outside might not be able to stick their key in and push yours out in order to open it.
- Deadbolt or Chain
Does the door have a deadbolt or a chain? If it has a chain, take a look at the attachment and make sure there are no loose screws. Always take use of any Deadbolt or Chain. However, please note: Chains are most of the time useless! So make sure you got some additional security devices to keep you safe.
- Peephole
Make sure you can look through the peephole and are able to see someone on the outside. Also, you want to cover it since someone might be able to look through or guess when someone is inside or behind the door looking out. Simple solution, cover it with a band-aid or sticky note.
Tools to enhance the door security
Door Wedge
This little door wedge will make a loud noise as soon as someone is opening the door. Just make sure the battery is good and the wedge is not sticking out the door and giving someone on the outside the chance to push it away. You might be able to leave it a bit behind the door so whenever it gets pushed open, it will still sound the alarm. Make sure to test it!
Door Jammer
The Door Jammer is another small little helper and easy to use. Just place it under the door, turn the screw as tight as possible, and you should be all set. Pull the door pretty hard for a test, so you know it is working for you.
There are two versions available for this Door Jammer. I’ve linked to the commercial version since I always like to beef it up if possible.
Door Security Bar
Now we are stepping up the game a bit. While I understand that this tool might be a bit too much, it really comes down to your preference. It is not heavy, and if not in use during your travel, you are able to use it at home as well.
Window
Do you have a window that faces the entrance? Then you want to pay extra attention to them. Those sliding windows to the left or right side of your door are probably not brand new and possibly faulty or hard to operate. Here are a couple of things you should ask yourself:
- Is it easy to slide open?
- Does it still have a gap when it is considered to be closed?
- Are you able to slide it open from the outside?
Ask these questions and check it!
Now, what can you do if you said YES to any of those questions? The easiest thing would be to block the window from being opened. It’s not too difficult, and you can fix that quite easily with one or more of the tools below.
Window Blocker
This little gadget is lightweight, cheap, and easy to carry. Make sure it fits in the track.
Window Track Blocker
Love them or hate them; for some, they work for some they don’t. However, they are cheap, and you can always carry them with you. If one might be too weak, put in two.
Curtains
Close your curtains when you leave the room or when it is getting dark. Don’t give anyone the chance to see what is going on in your room. If your lights are on during the night and the curtains are not closed, you could as well open the door and let anyone take a peek. You might be fine with having them open during the day since it is bright outside and harder to look inside.
Don’t open the door for people you don’t know
This should go without saying, but if you don’t know the person on the other side of the door, don’t open it, especially when you don’t expect any visit or deliveries, etc. Take a peek through the peephole if you have to know or see who is there.
Remember, you can always call the Front Desk if someone says they are an employee, and the same goes with a Police Officer. If you are unsure, contact the police station and have them verify it.
Leaving the room
When you have to leave the room and don’t want anyone to enter the space, take the DND hanger and leave it on the outside of the door. While that means you won’t get the room cleaned, it might also deter anyone from thinking the room is not occupied.
Conclusion
You can do a couple of things while staying in a motel to feel a bit safer. It will never be a perfect solution since we are limited in what we can do, but why not do what we can, right?
I hope this article helps you a bit with your sleep while staying at a cheap motel. If you have any additional ideas and comments, please let me know.
– Stay safe