Safety First
Below are some guidelines to enhance your safety when you’re choosing a hotel.
Look for lodgings that:
--Use card-key systems instead of standard metal keys.
--Have 24-hour staffing at the main entrance.
--Have adjacent, well-lighted outdoor parking. When making a reservation:
--Request a room whose door opens into a hallway instead of to the outside.
--Settle for nothing less than a self-locking door with a good deadbolt, a peephole and a security chain.
When checking in:
--Ask for a room next to the elevator. Avoid rooms next to stairwells or in remote areas of the hotel.
--Register with your last name and first initial.
--If the front desk announces your room number in front of others, ask for a new room.
During your stay:
--Do not open the door to hotel staff or repair persons before calling the front desk to verify their presence.
--Ask for maid service at the front desk rather than posting a sign on the door.
--If you order food from a takeout restaurant, meet and pay the delivery person in the hotel lobby.
Source: “Tips for Today’s Woman Traveler,†by Virginia Duncan.
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