Earlier quoted context omitted.
I make them eat it infront of me then and there - that way they are either dead or know not to try to poison me.
This is why I no longer work in room service delivery.
Obviously you survived the poisioning.
Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer
191–200 of 236 posts
Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer
#192Earlier quoted context omitted.
Highly suspect motels are significantly more dangerous than hotels. No security / no guard and they are often a hotbed of criminal activity.
> No security / no guard Almost every motel I've stayed at had a live-in manager, their quarters were located behind the front office/checkin desk. Maybe a couple of times, I've had the misfortune to spend the night in a room adjacent/above to one where, as mentioned elsewhere, there are noisy people in the middle of the night (arguing couples, smokers going in and out), but never experienced for example police prese…
Always plenty of pimps around making sure the girls are safe, they tend to pay off the police to stay away.
Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer
#193Earlier quoted context omitted.
You do you, but I found most of the advice highly useful, and actually enhancing convenience. Don't use hotel safe or under the mattress - yup, good advice, seen that before, and definitely need to think about valuables & passport storage at all times anyway. Book in advance and hand them copies of addresses, docs, passport over the counter - yup, great advice, also means you have a 2nd copy on you, which can be a li…
The probabilities of bad things happening are vastly different for an undercover operator than for ordinary people, that's why it doesn't make sense to blindly apply the model of a 'knowledgeable expert' for everyone. I didn't say "don't read maps beforehand", I was saying "don't be afraid to check a map when you're on the street". This 'minimize risk at all cost' mindset is very similar to the helicopter parenting l…
>>The probabilities of bad things happening are vastly different for an undercover operator than for ordinary people
Perhaps, but the article is focused on potential disasters irrelevant to operatives and just that randomly occur to any traveler - fire/natural disaster, theft, ordinary random mugging, terrorist activity often focused on hotels used by foreigners, etc. I saw nothing that was not generally applicable.
>>This 'minimize risk at all cost' mindset is very similar to the helicopter parenting lifestyle
I'm as much against 'helicopter parenting' as anyone, yet this is just the opposite — it gives everyone a starting set of simple steps to take that increases their ability to operate independently, i.e., not being dependent on parents, etc. for your security, but taking care of oneself.
>>I was saying "don't be afraid to check a map when you're on the street". Umm, depends on the situation, and on how befuddled you are going to look. Midtown Manhattan, London, etc., on a weekday noontime? Ya, just don't do it in the middle of the sidewalk and obstruct traffic. Any other city or tourist destination? I'd certainly step off the street first. Might as well put a sticker on my back in the local language saying "rob me".
>> critical comments ended with ad hominem attacks. IDK about other comments, but I was not speaking ad hominem, simply trying to suss out why it is so important for someone to actively spend time to denigrate good security measures (which also help one enjoy the surroundings more, e.g., learning the terrain up front). Why is it important to you that other people don't do things like learn the terrain in advance? Why not just read the article and say "meh?" and move on?
Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer
#194Earlier quoted context omitted.
I honestly can't think of many times where I actually told my name to the front desk anyway. Usually I have a printout of the reservation or hand them my passport since they need it anyway. It is easier for the front desk to type what they see than try to type what you say or spell out loud, especially in foreign countries that don't necessarily have experience with your name.
I normally just verbally ask staff, "can you just write my room number down and not say the floor out loud." I don't want random people who happen to be around the front desk counter at the same time knowing what room I'm in... come on.
It's been a long time since I've been at a hotel that spoke my room number aloud. I haven't had to ask.
Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer
#195Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is my worry at long security lines at airports: just a large volume of people without the tools to protect themselves in any way. Much insecurity.
The bombings at Brussel Airport in 2016 happend at the check-in lines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Brussels_bombings#Brussel...
Probably because that was the airport’s rate limiting step and not the security lines
Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer
#196Hailing from a country which was squarely third world just 25 years ago, this struck me as odd: > I open my laptop bag as if I am searching for something Don't make anyone think you have anything of value on you! Also don't carry a light, easy to steal bag. The laptop goes into your suitcase. As part of my routine when arriving at a hotel I study the fire exit map, maybe use the local vending machine, paying with coi…
From third world as well:
> high-value banknote in my back pocket [... to] have some money on me
Nah, pickpockets usually attack the back pockets first, they are mostly unprotected. Best place to hide some cab money is inside your shoes/socks. Have a reasonable amount of money in a wallet and carry it in your front pocket.
Pickpockets would have a harder time and if robbed the mugger would be happy with the amount inside the wallet and won't check you further.
Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer
#197Earlier quoted context omitted.
The hotel employees can open the safes, though.
I doubt the cleaning staff can which probably limits a lot of thefts.
They may not be authorized to, but if they care to learn how, they can certainly gain access with minimal effort. A quick YouTube search would be sufficient, or they may pick it up the necessary knowledge as they work.
Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer
#198Earlier quoted context omitted.
The probabilities of bad things happening are vastly different for an undercover operator than for ordinary people, that's why it doesn't make sense to blindly apply the model of a 'knowledgeable expert' for everyone. I didn't say "don't read maps beforehand", I was saying "don't be afraid to check a map when you're on the street". This 'minimize risk at all cost' mindset is very similar to the helicopter parenting l…
>>The probabilities of bad things happening are vastly different for an undercover operator than for ordinary people Perhaps, but the article is focused on potential disasters irrelevant to operatives and just that randomly occur to any traveler - fire/natural disaster, theft, ordinary random mugging, terrorist activity often focused on hotels used by foreigners, etc. I saw nothing that was not generally applicable.…
I can't believe all the grief this story is getting on HN. I read the article and they seemed to be sensible, inexpensive, easy steps you can take to increase your safety while traveling. Why so much objection? Someone else mentioned cost/benefit. The only suggestion that had any cost was the doorstops. People are talking about probabilities. Even if the probability of something bad happening is close to zero, it still makes sense to take safety precautions that are zero cost/zero effort. I don't understand the mentality that insists on lashing out against trivial safety measures.
Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer
#199Kind 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.
Put 'em in a ziplock. Pull out the top drawer of the dresser. Tape baggie to back interior. Replace drawer.
Re: Hotel safety tips from a former intelligence officer
#200Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
This is why I order room service and throw it away in front of them. Really sends the message to back-off: I’m either crazy or multiple steps ahead of them. /s
I always have room service dry clean my dirty gorilla suit. Really sends the message to back-off: I'm crazy.