Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer

securitymagazine.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 236 posts

Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer

#31

Post by hackish »

jraby3 wrote: post #19
esperent wrote: post #3

Kind of cool to read but these are not any tips that a normal (non-paranoid) person will need to follow unless they are traveling to some seriously dangerous locations. Except maybe the tip not to use the hotel safe or leave money under the mattress, those are good. But do normal people really need to write their name down on pieces of paper and pass them across the desk with a wink to avoid their name being said out…

He doesn’t mention where you should keep your valuables. It’s easy to say where not to, but then offer a suggestion for a safe place to store stuff like a passport or cash.

Standard hotel rooms don’t have many hiding places that won’t be eventually apparent to an intruder with time or a knowledgeable hotel employee. Considering this, I think ideal locations would be within objects that can’t simply be flipped over or moved to discover your secrets.

For example, you might hide your cash or documents in between a framed print and its backboard. You might open the room safe and reset it to the default state with your passport in a black envelope taped snug against the back ceiling of the enclosure.

A committed intruder might find hiding places like these eventually, but it could take an unacceptable amount of time for them to consider it.

Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer

#33

Post by lordgrenville »

graderjs wrote: post #23
WelcomeShorty wrote: post #18

It is about the same routine I follow. Specifically the "walk the emergency routes" since muscle memory can help you a lot when under stress. Missing one point: take a couple of business cards from the hotel with you. Whenever you need to get back, it most often makes it easier for people (cab drivers) to get you there without too much discussion and misunderstandings. Other points: - To be sure you have some clean w…

Why do not order room service, what's the risk there in your opinion? I like the stuff about personal photo next to the bed as well as using the in-house services and tipping. That's smart man!

Poisoning I guess. I recently heard an interview with Eliot Higgins from Bellingcat and he said he doesn't order room service for this reason.

Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer

#34

Post by rickette »

tomcam wrote: post #6
graderjs wrote: post #2

Also https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-04-19/9-travel-safet...

> Acquire or make a copy of the fire escape plan on the back of your door. Most of these just slide out I use this novel device called a "smartphone" to snap a picture

Need to get me one of those :)

Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer

#35

Post by TacticalCoder »

Shank wrote: post #7

Rather than a doorstop, I usually prefer a super grip lock [0] -- an extremely corny as-seen-on-TV product that you can lash around a door knob that uses simple physics to make the door impossible to open with the key on the other side. Naomi Wu mentioned this and Deviant Ollam has too. The basic premise is that it's less destructive than most "security door stops" and hotels tend to get angry if you destroy their ca…

Seeing the picture of that lock reminded me how uniform were the door locks and light switches in the US. In Europe there are countless different types of door locks and light switches but basically everywhere I went to in the US it was the same door locks and light switches. I take it if you travel internationally a doorstop would work everywhere.

Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer

#36

Post by chrisseaton »

Shank wrote: post #7

Rather than a doorstop, I usually prefer a super grip lock [0] -- an extremely corny as-seen-on-TV product that you can lash around a door knob that uses simple physics to make the door impossible to open with the key on the other side. Naomi Wu mentioned this and Deviant Ollam has too. The basic premise is that it's less destructive than most "security door stops" and hotels tend to get angry if you destroy their ca…

Seems like it requires an extremely particular design of door handles that I’ve never actually seen in a hotel.

Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer

#37

Post by andreareina »

lbj wrote: post #32

I would have liked to see the good options when not using the hotel safe.

Your own bag, locked with a good lock. The threat model is convert entry; someone who's willing to carry your bag away can probably open the safe anyway so you're not losing in real security.

Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer

#38

Post by kqr »

WelcomeShorty wrote: post #18

It is about the same routine I follow. Specifically the "walk the emergency routes" since muscle memory can help you a lot when under stress. Missing one point: take a couple of business cards from the hotel with you. Whenever you need to get back, it most often makes it easier for people (cab drivers) to get you there without too much discussion and misunderstandings. Other points: - To be sure you have some clean w…

In my experience, the emergency routes are not always open for regular walking. Specifically, the doors involved are unlocked, but also trigger an alarm when opened, so they are not misused. How do you deal with that?

Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer

#40

Post by SwiftyBug »

hackish wrote: post #31
jraby3 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He doesn’t mention where you should keep your valuables. It’s easy to say where not to, but then offer a suggestion for a safe place to store stuff like a passport or cash.

Standard hotel rooms don’t have many hiding places that won’t be eventually apparent to an intruder with time or a knowledgeable hotel employee. Considering this, I think ideal locations would be within objects that can’t simply be flipped over or moved to discover your secrets. For example, you might hide your cash or documents in between a framed print and its backboard. You might open the room safe and reset it to…

I thought you shouldn't leave your passport in the hotel room. Shouldn't we be carrying our passports at all times while traveling abroad, as it is the only valid identification on us? I never worried about where to leave the passport because it's always with me in a money belt inside my pants.
Post reply on HN