This last week has been incredibly busy! I don’t think I’ve stopped working yet to start a new week, but “I’m loving” it. Saturday I taught an Intro to Defensive Pistol class (to everyone there, you guys rock!), Sunday during the day I played bass in the church band, and here I am writing this in a hotel room 400 miles from home so that I can be in New Mexico early tomorrow morning and back home by the time you are reading this.
In my craziness (this was an unscheduled trip) I didn’t pack everything I normally take. I got to the hotel late at night, so I didn’t get to drive around and look at the area like I would have like to (but I did stay here once last month, so that does help). I am also tired, so that makes it harder. I really just wanted to share a couple little tips about hotel rooms.
First, I like the second story (tonight I’m stuck on the first because it’s the only thing they have available). This is an outside hotel, which I don’t really mind. I prefer the second story because it’s harder to do a smash and grab, and it’s just easier for bad guys to victimize people on the first floor. Most bad guys are lazy, so that would put me out of harms way for (my guess) about 50% of the dirt bags out there. I don’t mind the second story because if worst comes to worst I can always spider drop/jump form the second story to get down. Anything higher and I may not make it without breaking something.
This is a little something I improvised in the room to help me if someone does try to come through the door while I’m sleeping. A cheap ironing board is about the noisiest thing on the planet. If the door opens it will fall and give me some warning. The table isn’t much of a doorstop. Normally I carry actual doorstops that I shove under the door. If nothing else, the table will ma
ke a good thing to trip over. None of this, including the dead bolt on the door, is going to stop someone from coming in. It’s there just to slow people down so I can wake up and address the problem. I also put the office chair in front of the window for the same reason.
I didn’t leave anything of value in my truck, it’s all in the room with me. If someone breaks into my truck while I’m away from home it sucks more then normal. I will have my clothing set up to go for the morning before I go to bed. My keys and all my important stuff are ready to go. If someone breaks in I won’t have time to put on jeans and boots, but if the fire alarm goes off, or there is a real fire, I can grab my stuff and go.
Stay Safe,Next time you are in a hotel look around and think about how you would handle someone trying to break into your room and what you would do if there was a fire and you had leave in a hurry.
Ben
PS I think I’m going to add a doorstop to my normal carry bag, just so I don’t forget.
Having read this I thought it was really enlightening.
I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this short article together.
I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting.
But so what, it was still worth it!
When I do things like you did, my friends laugh at me. Laughing does not stop me.
Unless you are staying at an old out of date hotel or motel, all you have to do is turn the dead bolt latch on your hotel room door. If you do this there are normally only two keys on the property that can be used to open the door and they are kept secured for emergency use at the will of the fire department or the general manager. Room attendants, maintenance engineers will have key that open the latch but not the deadbolt. I have conducted thousand of audit on hotels from the best to the worse, this rule is rarely violated.
I’m glad to here that the keys are kept like they are suppose to, but where there is a will there is a way. Ask some of the other staff. Most of the maids know how to get into the rooms without a key. I also know someone that sells the door locks and he says there is a way around it.
I was at one of the newer hotels with the dead bolts, but I always take responsibility for my safety… and it took me all of 10 seconds to set up my boob traps. There really is no reason not to add such a simple defensive measure.
Thanks for the insight about the keys. Since you work around hotels are there any other insights that you could share to help everyone?
Those are great tips. I always repack my bag daily. I can just grab it and go. I have a friend that likes motels better when traveling with a lot of guns. Less people can see you take your stuff in. It makes since to me. I had never thought about it until he said that. Also if you have guns use a discrete case. He used a folding chair bag for a folding stocked AK-47. I use a rolling gun case with camera stickers on it and carry a camera bag.
I have a couple duffle bags that are big enough to put rifles in. If I’m traveling with those to a class or competition I’ll put them in the bag first. It still looks kind of funny, but most people don’t think I have guns.
What kind of chair bag do you use? I need to see if my AK will fit also. That’s a great idea, I’ve heard for other things but I never thought my AK would fit.