Is The Safe Safe !?

[bobtodd]

are those safes in hotel rooms enough safe to put our stuff in it ?

[britmaveric]

I'd say yes, but wouldnt keep dosh in them.

[Ulysses G.]

I prefer ones at the front desk that also have a clasp for a private padlock.

[joskydive]

are those safes in hotel rooms enough safe to put our stuff in it ?

They have been known to have been opened in the past!!!!!

[soundman]

I am sure I've told this yarn before, however:

Last year my parents came to visit family. We all checked into a couple of hotel rooms in a resort. The room had one of those small electronic safes on the shelf inside the clothes box. My kids had been playing with it, and when I went to open it, it was locked. Momentarily loosing temper, I thumped the safe, only to notice that it wasn't fixed to anything, just sitting on the shelf.

Really bloody safe. It could have fallen on my foot!

[rucus7]

Some years ago I had occasion to program a similar device, there was a master code for service personnel to override the safe in the event of lock out. I don't completely trust the security. It depends on the number of people that have the override code.

[Asianrider]

Most hotel establishments have a hidden key override, lot of customers look themselves out of safe or can't remember code !!

[dudemeister]

Was staying in a place, think it was up Sukhumwit Soi 10 - anyway one afternoon when i was out of the hotel, a French fukwit and his asian chick (didnt find out if she was Thai) checked in one day and broke into the rooms on second floor (including mine), ripped the safes off the walls, took them into their own room, and proceeded to jemmy them open, stole the valuables then left same afternoon. Police said they had done a few similar jobs over the past couple of weeks.

Be warned.

[badcdn]

Some years ago I had occasion to program a similar device, there was a master code for service personnel to override the safe in the event of lock out. I don't completely trust the security. It depends on the number of people that have the override code.

I have been witness to both.

The batteries were dying on one safe and erased my access code. The manager entered his own code, which might be hardwired into the safe, and opened no problem. In another hotel, the Front Desk clerk came up with a key and opened the safe.

I think now I would prefer a safe that I could use with a padlock I provide.

[syd barrett]

I would never use a hotel safe in Thailand.

Better, if you are a tourist to have travellers cheques and keep your passport in your locked suitcase or in a hollowed-out Charles Dickens tome.

[lekatai]

The normal in room digital safes are not meant to be burglar proof,just bar-girl proof.They are perfectly OK to keep money, passport,camera etc in.Last week one of the safes in my hotel couldn't be opened.The guest had forgotten the code,and the master key wouldn't work for some reason.It took fifteen minutes to hammer the lock off and get it open,and made a huge amount of noise.Perhaps if you were used to doing it ,it could have been done quicker,but the point is it will certainly defeat a casual attempt.,I've stayed in places where the safes are not bolted down,which does seem a bit pointless,ours are bolted to structural concrete pillars

[samuibeachcomber]

I prefer ones at the front desk that also have a clasp for a private padlock.

me too,we've had threads here where its been claimed staff have a way to access room safes.

[simon43]

Don't use the room-safes! (I say this as a hotel owner who knows about these room safes and as a Tourist Police Volunteer who regularly deals with theft reports from hotel room safes).

Last Friday I had an American tourist who reported the loss of $2,000 from his hotel room safe - in the Sheraton!!

Hotel management will often say that only the manager knows the master combination, or only he/she has access to the master key. Well, master keys are easily copied and master codes are easily remembered! It is almost always the hotel staff/room-maid who commits the theft, (sometimes with full knowledge of the hotel manager), but she strangely seems to have returned to Burma when/if the police go to investigate.

Room safes are fine for items that you will not miss so much, such as your special kinky sex toy, or your mother-in-law. For anything else, either put it in the front-desk safe (if they have one), or carry it with you in a hidden (or several hidden) pockets.

Simon

[britmaveric]

^never keep dosh in the hotel room safe or safe deposit box. Def compromised. however I wouldnt think twice about camera, ipod, netbook ect or travelers cheques/passport.

Edited September 20, 2009 by britmaveric

[Mighty Mouse]

In room safes are not safe. Safe deposit boxes behind the reception desk are much better....in reputable hotels.

Some room maids are able to open in-room safes if you forget your combination. My favourite Pattaya hotel had in-room safes. There were so many thefts from them that management decided to discontinue their use and reverted back to safe deposit boxes. The thefts were thought to be an inside job.

With safe deposit boxes, make sure the door to each cubicle is opened with two different keys. You retain one set, the hotel the other set. Each cubicle should contain a slide out metal box with a pad-lockable lid. Take your own padlock. Never let the reception staff see what you are placing inside the box. Always make sure the reception staff have properly locked the cubicle door before you walk away.

Soft sided suitcases kept in your room should not be used to store anything valuable. Hard shelled suitcases are a better option to store some things of worth, particularly if you can chain the suitcase to an immovable object in the room.

Select a hotel that has proper security measures in place. Video monitoring, all-night guard, secure door locks etc. ......and.....don't trust anybody.

[Basil B]

There are many companies that make safes for hotel rooms, I work for one such company and have experience in repairing safes.

Just to make some points:

• From time to time guests will forget their codes or inadvertently enter the wrong code when closing the safe.
  
• Guests will leave safes empty and locked with their own code when checking out.
  
• Many hotels will not bother to change the batteries until the safe will not work (open).
  

Therefore it makes sense that a good hotel safe should have:

• A "Metal" key to mechanically bypass the electronics, there should only be one key.
  
• optional manger codes, we have the option for a number of codes such as a Housekeepers, Mangers, Master, all at progressive levels so the manager can change the HK code, the Master code can change all codes, unfortunately most hotels do not bother to change the factory default codes even though they were advised too.
  
• An audit trail system that log's all events Time/Date/Action/Method and can be retrieved to print out.
  

I know of no safe that does not come with fixings to fix it to a wall and/or shelf and if a safe is not fixed down then that the hotels sloppy way of doing things.

If the only method to open a safe was with the clients code or drilling it then there would be many very rich locksmiths, missed flights and annoyed hotel managers.

Also hotel safes generally are not fire rated.

Hotel safes are better than nothing, maids (and other hotel staff) have a lot to loose even if they were only suspected of theft and can get very upset if you leave valuables lying around your room.

Should you have a theft from a safe (or your room) report it to the hotel management immediately and if they do not call the police you should especially if you will be claiming on your insurance.

Finally never think of making a false claim of theft from a room, many hotels have ways to disprove such allegations and you could find yourself in very hot water.

[dre1247]

Don't use the room-safes! (I say this as a hotel owner who knows about these room safes and as a Tourist Police Volunteer who regularly deals with theft reports from hotel room safes).

Last Friday I had an American tourist who reported the loss of $2,000 from his hotel room safe - in the Sheraton!!

Hotel management will often say that only the manager knows the master combination, or only he/she has access to the master key. Well, master keys are easily copied and master codes are easily remembered! It is almost always the hotel staff/room-maid who commits the theft, (sometimes with full knowledge of the hotel manager), but she strangely seems to have returned to Burma when/if the police go to investigate.

Room safes are fine for items that you will not miss so much, such as your special kinky sex toy, or your mother-in-law. For anything else, either put it in the front-desk safe (if they have one), or carry it with you in a hidden (or several hidden) pockets.

Simon

Quite often nothing is really lost but the "victim" likes to claim from the insurance company back home and for that they need a police rapport. In room hotel safes are meant for small stuff, definitely not for large amounts of money. They all have some form of override, besides that there are many ways of getting in there for the smart ones around us. As my company is / was installing in room safes I made it a sport to devise ways to get in, too simple.

Edited September 21, 2009 by dre1247

[SantiSuk]

Don't use the room-safes! (I say this as a hotel owner who knows about these room safes and as a Tourist Police Volunteer who regularly deals with theft reports from hotel room safes).

Last Friday I had an American tourist who reported the loss of $2,000 from his hotel room safe - in the Sheraton!!

Hotel management will often say that only the manager knows the master combination, or only he/she has access to the master key. Well, master keys are easily copied and master codes are easily remembered! It is almost always the hotel staff/room-maid who commits the theft, (sometimes with full knowledge of the hotel manager), but she strangely seems to have returned to Burma when/if the police go to investigate.

Room safes are fine for items that you will not miss so much, such as your special kinky sex toy, or your mother-in-law. For anything else, either put it in the front-desk safe (if they have one), or carry it with you in a hidden (or several hidden) pockets.

Simon

Spot on Simon re access potential!

I stayed in Soi Bukaow one year ago (will name and shame if you all insist). I am an anal bastard so I know what stays in that safe. I noticed about 10,000 baht missing and thought maybe I made a msitake. 2 days later another 20,000 and an i-Pod. Called in the management who called in the BiB.

The English owner insisted I was wrong - "staff cannot get our management key and any Thai person would take the lot and run, not steal it in pieces". His Thai wife muttered darkly about something wrong with the management key. I left it at that and got about 60% of the money back and the i-Pod from insurance, having been interviewed by police who seemed to take it all resaonably seriously BTW.

Came back 2 months later and was passing by and called in on the hotel to say hello to the proprietor's wife (I obviously wamted to stay elsewhere). She told me the police had arrested the maid who had also stolen from another regular guest - about $500 I believe, which she said the hotel's insurer had paid out on.

So - I'm afraid you cannot trust a safe if the management do not control their key properly.

Having said that, it is the 1st time in 50 years of hard travel (had to be crime city Thailand that took the biscuit didn't it?), I was impressed by the way the owner's wife handled it all (but not the reaction of her Angkrit husband!!), was impressed by the handling given to it by the much maligned Pattaya BiB and would continue to put money in hotel safes and take the small risk. Life's too short to be mega protective. Get yourself insured if you are risk averse (I wouldn't bother but HSBC gives me it free for parking all my short term money in their vaults). If it's in a safe you are much more likely to be able to claim it back from yours or he hotel's insurer. Sorry Simon I certainly do not agree with the carry it about your person approach

[britmaveric]

^think someone suggested on a previous occasion taping an envelope with your dosh to the roof of the safe. Not worth the risk to me, but some might take the chance.

Edited September 21, 2009 by britmaveric

[syd barrett]

You can buy special shoes with secret compartments, enough space for about 20,000 US$ in 500 EURO notes.

[LennyW]

You can buy special shoes with secret compartments, enough space for about 20,000 US$ in 500 EURO notes.

Ex Bay City Rollers, Slade, Mud, Rubetts, Sweet, eh???

[LazyWeekend]

Don't use the room-safes! (I say this as a hotel owner who knows about these room safes and as a Tourist Police Volunteer who regularly deals with theft reports from hotel room safes).

Last Friday I had an American tourist who reported the loss of $2,000 from his hotel room safe - in the Sheraton!!

Hotel management will often say that only the manager knows the master combination, or only he/she has access to the master key. Well, master keys are easily copied and master codes are easily remembered! It is almost always the hotel staff/room-maid who commits the theft, (sometimes with full knowledge of the hotel manager), but she strangely seems to have returned to Burma when/if the police go to investigate.

Room safes are fine for items that you will not miss so much, such as your special kinky sex toy, or your mother-in-law. For anything else, either put it in the front-desk safe (if they have one), or carry it with you in a hidden (or several hidden) pockets.

Simon

Quite often nothing is really lost but the "victim" likes to claim from the insurance company back home and for that they need a police rapport. In room hotel safes are meant for small stuff, definitely not for large amounts of money. They all have some form of override, besides that there are many ways of getting in there for the smart ones around us. As my company is / was installing in room safes I made it a sport to devise ways to get in, too simple.

Correct Dre,

Therefore, naming the hotel as our smart (aren't they all?) TPV does was totally obsolete (unless theft proven + no precaution at all from hotel management). Discretion and professional secret are 2 things this bunch obviously never learned.

But of course, TPV's who are great hotel owners also wouldn't mind if their ueber-fuehrer would name and shame their hotel. Actually most are so experienced from their TPV job that they must be the only "business men" in LOS who never hire any faux staff.

[simon43]

Hmm, not sure if LazyWeekend's jibes about the TPV were aimed at me. The hotel guest who reported the $2,000 theft was accompanied by the hotel concierge who helped him with the theft report and confirmed that a theft had indeed occurred.

If I were choosing a hotel to stay in, then I would certainly like to know if there were reported incidents of theft from room-safes, whether or not the hotel management had located the culprit or not. (It indicates that the room-safe master key/pin may have been compromised.)

Using discretion will not get the customer's money back. TiT

As for my hotel, I don't use room-safes, for the reasons that I have previously stated. And no customer has ever reported any theft

Simon

[Lancelot]

The normal in room digital safes are not meant to be burglar proof,just bar-girl proof.

Agreed. If hotel management -or rouge staff- need or want to open the safe, they can.

I never keep that much cash around and go to the ATM when I need to replinish my funds. Guys that keep serious amounts of money in a hotle safe are just asking for trouble.

My 2 satang

[Mighty Mouse]

My mate stayed in the bungalows of a well known Beach Road hotel last month. One evening he decided not to go out drinking and was laying on his bed in the dark, when he heard a key in his door lock. He didn't make a noise but watched his room door opening and the hotels security guard entering. The security guard closed the door behind him and was then startled when he saw my mate sitting up watching him.

Hotel management were immediately contacted and the guard sacked on the spot. Unfortunately, my mate did not enjoy the remainder of his stay at the hotel for fear that the guard might return seeking revenge for losing his job.

As I suggested in my earlier post, trust nobody.

[moo9]

The only reason for a safe would be airticket and passport. Why the hel_l people are always carrying large amounts of money into the kingdom? Probably too Kee niauw to pay the ATM fees?

Whatever....

[syd barrett]

My mate stayed in the bungalows of a well known Beach Road hotel last month. One evening he decided not to go out drinking and was laying on his bed in the dark, when he heard a key in his door lock. He didn't make a noise but watched his room door opening and the hotels security guard entering. The security guard closed the door behind him and was then startled when he saw my mate sitting up watching him.

All he wanted to do was sniff the bedsheets!