How safe is the safe

[mogandave]

I'm surprised he actually used a key to open the safe, normally they do it with a potato.

True if the hotel uses cheap safes with solenoid release, but more up market safes use motorised bolts.

One way to tell is if your safe is a solenoid bolt is it will have a turn knob, when you enter the correct code it will click and you can turn the knob, it will also timeout, so a few seconds later you will hear another click as the solenoid releases, motorised bolts tend not to have turn knobs and "whuur" as they open and will "whuur" again as they lock.

One reason for house keeping needing to unlock safes is guest on departure often close and lock the safe after emptying it.

I think kids close and lock them more than anyone. For that reason I think business hotels would generally have much better master key/code control than would tourist hotels.

I’m sure when someone with a master key quits, the hotel has all the locks changed.

[MobileContent]

I never but money in the safe but mainly my passport.

Money stays in the Bank and I draw as I need the funds

[johnlandy]

The key would be restricted to management. Am sure a major hotel cashier can provide a credit voucher if you give the cash to them and if you feel safe is not safe - but you likely would not feel voucher safe in that case. Most people travel with credit/debit cards these days so do not have that problem.

I am sure you would receive many offers of holding your money if you let it be known.

The key would be restricted to management. "would be or SHOULD be" and there lies one helluva difference.

[rotary]

This things are not called "safe". These are safety boxes. If you want to know how to open look at those videos on Youtube...

Yes you are right, several VDOs on YOUTUBE on opening these. I had one in my locker at work and forgot the combo. The methods on YOUTUBE work I assure you.

[MediaWatcher]

They also need key access if the battery/ies go flat or the electronics fail. But, be reminded, illegal access has been achieve previously by staff, ex-staff and "friends" of the same.

[MrBanks]

I used to travel with cash, nowadays with the ease of getting money via ATMs I often travel with only a few pounds or dollars. I think in the world today there are few places where it would be hard to get cash by using your cards.

I would advise informing your bank, before travelling, that you will be using the cards abroad. It will help prevent annoying security blocks being put on the card.

I know that some will say that it costs extra to use a foreign card in an ATM here, however, it is only a small amount extra when compared to the peace of mind!

As a footnote regarding the safety boxes in the hotels, I always find it slightly amusing when I stay in a hotel, where they have not fastened (secured) the box down by bolting it to a shelf or a wall. In some places it is just sitting there ready to be picked up and smuggled out, perhaps by a naughty cleaner.

[NoshowJones]

I travel frequently with cash. If you don't dress flashy and don't bring attention to yourself then should have no problem keeping cash stached in luggage.

That is absolutely terrible advice. Never leave anything of value in your luggage.

So it is, it's the first place anyone would look if they got into your hotel room, even a hooker if you were stupid enough to shower alone. Come to think of it, if I had a hooker in my hotel room, they would never be out of my sight, except if they went to the john, and there would be no valuables there.

[ToddinChonburi]

Go to the bank and open a temperary account and get a dept card. There very easy.

[connda]

They keep honest people honest.

[Tony125]

One good point to mention don't come over here wearing a lot of gold, expensive jewlry ect. Also don't carry a lot of cash when you go out just what you might need to have a good time maybe more if your going to a mall to shop. Back in USA years ago in red lite area I had to jump in to save two idiots who were downton flashing cash . I was there when the officers asked them how much did they take,answer $800 I told the guys it costs $20 bucks for a girl why the heck are you carrying $800 ! Want to look like big spenders? More like big idiots.

[buck99]

I had money taken from my room safe in Mexico. I was at a 5 star resort and they took about 1/2 the $300 USD I had in the safe. That being said I think your pretty safe in higher end hotels that use a card readers on the door. They know who went in your room and at what time. At the better hotels they will have CCTV on every floor. That's a big deterrent. At the cheaper hotel are a different story and it's more of a risk.

[HUAHIN62]

A tip when using a hotel safe box is that you should always wipe the keys before you leave the room. Its very easy to see which keys have fingerprints on and makes it easier to break the code. Many also make the mistake to use only one number.

[Thongkorn]

If its the cheap safe most rooms have, I can open it in less than two seconds with out a key or a code, and if i can do it many more can.

[smotherb]

I will take care of your cash i'm known as fort knox until my gf spots it then it gone,seriously though any safe key is for management use only no need to stress,different if it a safety deposit area within a public area even with cctv

or unless some temporary hotel employee scores the key and . . . .

Get a debit card, hit the ATMs daily and keep the money in your front pocket. You can only loose a day's worth.

[cracker1]

^{Of course guests often forget their Safety Box codes and need to call hotel (senior) staff to unlock,}

^{I also worry about how easy it is for one of the staff to open but a comforted by the fact that hotel CTV outside my room is going to show any person who entered my room between my regular checks}

^{of the box..}

^{Sleep easy !}

[cbluck58]

Locks, alarms and safes are only to stop people who don't really want to get in - any scouser can tell you that

[dotpoom]

They have keys to your room also.

[EASYDOGG]

Take a look on Youtube: Some safes can be opened with a beer can or even a potato (as above)

Edited October 13, 2014 by EASYDOGG

[CapeThai]

Ask your hotel if they have safety deposit boxes. They usually also have these available downstairs in a private room. You keep one key and they keep one key. You need to use both keys at the same time to be able to open your deposit box. They usually only ask a small fee for these at Pathumwan Princess Hotel where I usually stay when going to Bkk.

PS: The pretty girls in Soi Cowboy is also very trustworthy should want to save above mentioned fee....

Good Luck..

[Sandman77]

Did a hotel realy replace money when a robbery has been made of a guests safe?

[Thongkorn]

Take a look on Youtube: Some safes can be opened with a beer can or even a potato (as above)

I can do it with my hands, in less than two seconds

[poweratradio]

Pretty much every electronic safe has a hard key. Safes in hotels pretty much always will for the exact reason you described. A guest forgets the code so they need to unlock it.

Yeah right???? Won't name the hotel but I had a Nokia phone go missing that was given to me on arrival by a friend. I had my own and just exchanged the SIM so I put the Nokia in the safe. I returned to the hotel in Bangkok 3 days later from a trip up country only to find no Nokia anywhere. I called the front desk and was told I must have left it out in the theft zone of the room or lost it somewhere else. I had a laugh over this but my friend who gave it to me did not fearing for the info stored in the phone. Worry not my friend I cleared all your private information when I thought I would be using it.

[poweratradio]

1. The housekeeping staff generally knows how to open and reset the "safes".

2. If you wanted to steal valuables from a hotel room, where is the first place you would look?

In travels to Lebanon and Syria I used to take the walls floor trim off where I found a seam and then break the drywall plaster creating a hole for valuables and replacing the trim.

[poweratradio]

Use the safe deposit box at the front desk. Two keys are required to open it, one of which you keep. If you lose it, they have to call a locksmith to drill out the cylinder at your expense. It takes an hour and makes a hell of a racket. Nobody will be sneaking into your safe deposit box in the middle of the night.

Is this a hotel where only Rolls Royces and Bentleys are allowed to park???

[poweratradio]

I'm surprised he actually used a key to open the safe, normally they do it with a potato.

I actually feel sorry for you, you must lead a very sad life, obviously you have nothing to do and worst of all , aren't intelligent enough to write something funny, humor I enjoy but stupidity I don't

I believe the TheCruncher can fend for themself but I would venture a guess the point of what your calling stupidity in the post is the fact that we are being told the whole thread is as mundane and stupid as a potatoe because common sence must prevail in all cases of valuable safety. The obvious is as blinding as the sun.

[gk10002000]

I like the in-room safes. They are more convenient but probably less safer than the lobby boxes that more or less require two keys, hopefully mine is actually the only other key. I have seen the hotel "manager" come up and open in-room safes with the key. On one trip the safe battery had died. Of course people do sometimes forget the codes. Like in many facets of life, try to minimize your risks. I don't own or travel with any jewelry. I don't dress for flair. Just no name polo shirts with collars from Walmart. Neat and clean but not fancy. Sure I bring 4 or 5 thousand USD on my two month holidays, but no monstrous amounts. a credit card, an ATM card from a different bank/system, i.e. one Visa, one Master Card. I carry one card me in my button down pocket along with a waterproof copy of the photo page of my passport. So if worst comes to worse, I have some backup and ID can phone home for some help, get money wired, get to the embassy etc. I haven't had any issues with safe in my ten years of visiting. I had one small luggage money theft once. I had buried a little money inside my luggage and I'll be darned if somebody didn't get in there and find the bills. They were very neat thieves and laid everything back in the exact order I had left it. Either that or Aliens beamed the few bills out with a transporter like on Star Trek.

[sysyphus]

When I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Singapore, I lost my key to the hotel general safe deposit, not a room safe.

With much approbation regards my negligence and dismissing my plea that there was no keeper on the key, and my protests about the cost to open the safe etc.

an interested group of guests had gathered, who became more interested when a worker arrived with a substantial hammer and chisel.

He dutifully battered the safe and the manager pulled out the contents..NOT MINE.

I think he is washing dishes now.

[luis888]

I'm surprised he actually used a key to open the safe, normally they do it with a potato.

I actually feel sorry for you, you must lead a very sad life, obviously you have nothing to do and worst of all , aren't intelligent enough to write something funny, humor I enjoy but stupidity I don't

I would like to retract my comment and apologize to the cruncher, I wasn't aware these boxes (I won't call them safes anymore) were so easy to get into.

[jacko45k]

The key would be restricted to management. Am sure a major hotel cashier can provide a credit voucher if you give the cash to them and if you feel safe is not safe - but you likely would not feel voucher safe in that case. Most people travel with credit/debit cards these days so do not have that problem.

I am sure you would receive many offers of holding your money if you let it be known.

Well I do hope it is a master key of which there are only a few copies, and there weren't 2 keys received with every safe, otherwise they will be kept on hooks behind reception! When I wanted a locked safe opened the maintenance guy came with a laptop, and a manager entered a password while he looked away so I felt confident there.

[ATF]

I'm surprised he actually used a key to open the safe, normally they do it with a potato.

I actually feel sorry for you, you must lead a very sad life, obviously you have nothing to do and worst of all , aren't intelligent enough to write something funny, humor I enjoy but stupidity I don't

I would like to retract my comment and apologize to the cruncher, I wasn't aware these boxes (I won't call them safes anymore) were so easy to get into.

A potato or similar is used to prevent scratching so the safe doesn't look like it's been broken into.

I was always told a lock is there to protect your goods from an honest man.