DateableWhat to check when you arrive at a hotel room
Check the door lock, phone, fire exit, room safe, key name and tell your date the room number. Sort anything wrong at reception straight away.
The first five minutes in a hotel room are the time to check that you can leave safely and that your privacy is yours. If anything is broken or unsafe, tell reception and ask for a different room. This is not difficult or rude: hotels expect it and handle it every day.
Why the first five minutes matter
You are a guest, and guests have the right to a safe room. The staff have seen every kind of maintenance problem and every kind of concern: a door latch that does not work, a safe that is stuck, a phone line that is down. They would rather fix it now than have you call at two in the morning, or discover it yourself in an uncomfortable way.
You are also somewhere new. You do not know where the exits are or what the room looks like in the dark. You do not know which lights work or where the switch is. A few minutes now means you know the layout, know how to leave, know you have locked the door behind you, and know exactly where things are if you need to move quickly.
This checklist takes about four minutes. It takes longer to move to a different room than to check the one you have now.
The door lock and latch
Close the door and lock it. Try to open it from the inside and outside. It should not open. Then check that there is a latch or a chain you can engage from inside the room. Some rooms have both; some have only one. You need at least one that you control from inside.
The lock keeps the room secure when you leave. The latch or chain keeps someone out if they have a key. They are different things, and you need both or neither.
If the lock does not work, or if there is no chain or latch, go back to reception and ask for another room. This is not optional. Do not tell yourself you will call the front desk later if you need help. You need to be able to secure the door from the inside before you do anything else.
The fire exit
Look at the back of the room door or the wall near it: there is a small map showing the fire exits and the assembly point. It usually shows which exit is nearest to your room. Find it now. Is it a door, a window, a stairwell? Walk to it. Is it locked? Can you open it? If you had to leave in the dark, could you find it? Could you do it in five seconds?
If the fire exit is blocked or locked, tell reception. If you cannot find the map, ask reception to show you. They will know you are new and will not mind. This is their job.
The phone
Pick up the phone and dial the front desk. The line should go through straight away. You do not need to talk to them, but know that the phone works. Hang up. This is the fastest way to call for help if something goes wrong in the room, and it is also the fastest way to order a taxi if you need to leave quickly.
The room safe
If you are carrying your passport, your cards or your keys, you need somewhere to put them while you shower or sleep. Safes are usually in the wardrobe or on a shelf. Open it and test the lock. Set a PIN if you can, or confirm the existing one. Close it and open it again to make sure the lock actually works, not just seems to.
Some rooms have broken safes that will not open again once you close them. Test it now. If the safe is broken, ask reception for a safe deposit box downstairs, or keep your valuables with you at all times.
The key card
Check that the key card or room key has your name on it, or the room number only. If it has your name and the room number and the hotel name all together, anyone who picks it up will know who you are and where you are staying.
If the key has all three, go back to reception and ask for a replacement without your name on it. Tell them you would like to keep your privacy. They will replace it without hesitation.
Tell your date the room number
Send your friend or your date a message with the hotel name and your room number. They should know where you are and how to reach you if something feels wrong. You do not need to tell them you will be meeting someone: just send them the information.
If you are meeting someone you have not met before, this is part of staying safe on a first date. If you are meeting someone you have met before but you are in a new place, the same rule applies. Your trusted person should know your location.
What to say if something is broken
Hi, I've just arrived and I've noticed the lock on the door is not working. Can I move to a different room?
That is all you need to say. You do not need to apologise or explain. Reception will move you, and they will do it quickly. If the room does not have a working lock, no one is going to stay there, and the staff know this.
If you find multiple things broken, list them. If you need a room without a problem, say that. If you need to raise concerns about your privacy or about choosing a safe hotel, those are separate conversations that belong after you have a room you feel secure in. First things first.
