Keeping Your Things Safe In Hotel Rooms

[Rainforest_Elf]

So, after reading mystic_path's recent post here, it got me thinking about keeping your personal items secure in your room while you're gone and can't keep tabs on them.

I'm planning on bringing little envelopes and notes to stick in w/ my tips for housekeeping while we're away in the parks, so they know exactly what is meant for them, so no confusion can occur. We're staying at the Disneyland Hotel, so while I know Disney is #1 in service, I'm still a bit worried. What happens if something goes missing? Do you simply report it to the hotel management and hope for the best? How do you prevent hotel theft from happening in the first place?

We're all bringing expensive gadgets that we might not always bring inside the park. Video cameras, Digital SLRs, iPods. Even further than that, I plan to buy presents and souveniors which I'm not gonna lug around all day just to keep safe.

So how do you keep the maid's possibly grubby paws off your stuff? Bring a suitcase that has a lock and key? Maybe this is a paranoid post, but I think we've all been trained to keep things hidden from the maid when your leave your hotel room for the day, and your personal items and cash are inside.

PS. This post is in no way meant to imply that all maids are theifs but I've heard one too many horror stories to not be a bit concerned and to try and be prepared.

 

[bumbershoot]

Use the safe. Use the secure boxes that most nice hotels have in the front desk.

I definitely leave a note for housekeeping to show what is their tip; you can just use the notepad and pen that will be in your room for that!

I would NOT bring those gadgets unless you're taking them into the park and keeping them ON your person (not in a bag hanging on a stroller), or using the safe for them.

 

[bumbershoot]

Also, something I've wanted to do but haven't yet, is to make notes of what you're taking, when you're packing at home. Put all the things you wouldn't want to forget on that list.

Then when you're packing at the hotel, make sure everything from that list is packed.

That way your electronics will make it back, and all of your shoes, too.

 

[kiwitravel]

I think i must be too trusting, we take Ipods, laptops, cameras etc every trip and whilst we don't tend to exactly leave everything out in full view, we don't go to extremes to hide them away either. If something did go missing I would go to the Hotel in the first instance and the Police in the second. If everyone did that, in no time those maids that are dishonest would realise being interviewed by Police everytime something went missing could be pattern forming in the police and hotel management eyes.

I think we live in a changing world where perhaps "old fashioned" ideals are disappearing and more and more people are just out for themselves....

 

[Brenna&Noah's Mom]

Good I'm glad I'm not the only one who got worried about this after reading the post.Does DLH have a safe you can use?I was going to buy a lock for my lugguage.

 

[bumbershoot]

Paradise Pier did have a safe, and according to disneyland.com, DLH has them in each room as well.

For what it's worth, the two housekeeping thefts of my stuff happened WELL over 10 years ago, so it's not a new, nowadays sort of thing.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

It only takes one dishonest person to tarnish the names and reputations of those who are good and honest in what they do. I think you'd be better off being careful with those expensive things. As a pp mentioned, keep them on your person or lock them in a hotel safe at all times. It's not worth the risk.

In terms of souveniers, Disneyland does offer a free package hold service. You can have them hold a package at specific park locations until the end of the day so you don't have to lug it around. They do not hold personal items that you brought into the park with you though, but they do have lockers for rent should you wish to do so.

 

[Catrinabeach]

We have a laptop lock that we use for that when we stay in hotels. You lock it to the laptop and then attach it to something in the room that is bolted down.

We only bring the camera other than the laptop and that we take with us every day. And we use the safe for the ID and money that we aren't carrying.

I'd be pissed if my purchases went missing and I would call the police immediately. We took alot of Christmas presents last year when we went for Christmas. I would be mad if anything went missing.

 

[bumbershoot]

I should also mention that while in the parks we've had someone steal a new purchase out of our stroller, AND on our last trip we lost a new purchase, and since no one turned it in, *someone* has a new and free lightsaber.

So though I haven't encountered bad housekeepers in many years, we've twice had dealings with thieves inside the parks, twice inside of a year!

 

[prettyprincessbelle]

I think I've been way too trusting too. Thank goodness (and knock on wood) that I haven't had anything gone missing or stolen. For cash, we usually just take what we're going to need that day and the rest we leave in the safe. Same goes with my wallet (even though I take my ID with me) and my purse.

Everything else I leave packed in my bags. With our electronics, we take the camera and our cell phones with us to the park, when we do have the video camera and we don't take it in the parks we have it packed in the suitcase.

I need to be way more careful from now on..

 

[tzuhouse]

I do go to extremes to hide my computer. I place the bag in another suitcase, which goes inside another suitcase and if it fits, goes under my bed. I figure that housekeeping would have to be very daring to go so far as pulling out the suitcase and going through it. They would have no explanation if I walked in on them that would be any good. You don't need to pull out what's under the bed, to make it.

As far as my camera and equipment go, they are on my at all times. No way I'd risk losing it. It's heavy, but getting the shots I want are more important to me than the fact that lugging the camera bag isn't ideal.

Mary

 

[DL4my2kids]

We take what we can carry in our pockets like cash and a major credit card. The rest of the wallet stuff goes into the safe. DH bring his laptop every time and I always bring 2 cameras and my camcorder. Funny but I never seem to use my camcorder and it always stays back in the room. Anyway I guess what I am trying to get at is nothing has ever been taken from us on site.
But just to be on the safe side, maybe bring stuff to the lobby safe?

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

We've never had any problems like that staying onsite (or off for that matter thankfully). But we also like to stay at places that include room safes. On this trip we had a laptop, ipods ect... with us and locked them up all in the room safe at Hojo's. That really helps you feel secure, but even so I always take my wallet and important stuff like that with me. But unfortunately you can't lock everything up, like all the goodies you buy. Only so much can fit in those safes. So either you have to trust they won't steal it, or not allow them in to the room to clean.

 

[Rainforest_Elf]

We've never had any problems like that staying onsite (or off for that matter thankfully). But we also like to stay at places that include room safes. On this trip we had a laptop, ipods ect... with us and locked them up all in the room safe at Hojo's. That really helps you feel secure, but even so I always take my wallet and important stuff like that with me. But unfortunately you can't lock everything up, like all the goodies you buy. Only so much can fit in those safes. So either you have to trust they won't steal it, or not allow them in to the room to clean.

I've always wondered how in-room safes work....do you set the combination and then it resets when you leave? Do they give you keys that only you have access to?

I certainly wouldn't mind not letting housekeeping in for the duration of our stay, I don't mind using the same towels, the bed doesn't need to be made, really, and we're bringing out own toiletries so that won't be needed. So what do you do? Just keep the Do Not Disturb sign on the door the whole time? What prevents them from coming in?

 

[JadeDarkstar]

well im glade to see im not the only one worried after that post. Im thinking of buying a bical lock for one my bags and useing it when we go ..or just leaving the note up that says do not distube. I am also going to mintion to the front desk. ive read alot of horror stories on hotle theft and if i find anything gone the cops will be my first call. Becouse I will not let what happened to her happen to me. for one im not as lucky to get things returned. I am seriouesly thinking about this alot. I will have a laptop by then and am not sure i will have it in the park with me.. so..idk just makes you think

Im gona do the list thing I think im gona make two lists a day One i take with me one I leave on the table naming what I have and I know its there and DONT touch or something
but im always parinoied this just wakes you up alot

 

[bumbershoot]

I've always wondered how in-room safes work....do you set the combination and then it resets when you leave? Do they give you keys that only you have access to?

At Paradise Pier and HoJo, you choose the combination. Same for the safe we used at the Westin Grand in Vancouver.

Of course, if your 4 year old is messing with the buttons while you're doing other things, it will lock OPEN, and then when you call the front desk they can't send someone out before you're leaving the room.... Not that that happened on this trip to HoJos or anything like that....

 

[amyamya]

I didn't post on the other hotel issues post because so many on this board love their Harbor Blvd. hotels, but after staying at what is now the Best Western Raffles and returning to our room door wide open and our neighbor's room cleaned out (cameras, camcorder, phones, etc.) while they were at the pool, we have decided to only stay on-site. We have felt an added level of security at the DLH and PP and are trying the GCH in Oct which I'm sure is the same. We like that we don't have to walk down any major streets at night to go to our room, and although crime can happen anywhere, we have never had an issue on-site, but are still extremely careful. If you stay on Harbor or surrounding streets, pick a hotel with indoor hallways. Some of the properties are the older motor inn style and not nearly as safe. Disneyland is the #1 tourist destination in the West and people know that and are there to take advantage.

Please don't flame me about not wanting to stay on Harbor. I am not saying all the hotels are bad. I read the reports and a lot of you have great stays at Hojo's and other places. This is just one of the reasons we choose to stay at a Disney hotel...

 

[bumbershoot]

I agree with wanting a hotel instead of a motel. It's why I like HoJo, b/c it's a hotel. (but I also like Anabella) And they aren't cleaning out my wallet at check-out time like PP did!

 

[mystic_path]

Bring a lock and a key for sure, or even a combination lock if you have one, and store your luggage in the closet. Take full advantage of the safe, and take all your personal belongings with you wherever you go such as your cameras, wallets, passports, money, ID of any other sort, cell phones etc.

Its so important. If you saw the link above in the original post, I have always been so good about locking up my stuff and taking all personal belongings with me. I just forgot my lock this time and it was my dad who made the silly mistake of putting my wallet in my luggage before we left and had everything stolen.

I will not say that all hotel staff are bad, there maybe a few decent ones at the Carousel as well, but you can never take the risk.

 

[Califgirl]

Knock on wood, I've never had a bad experience with a hotel, but I always have locks on my luggage and lock up valuables in my suitcase. Especially if I brought a laptop that doesn't fit in the safe. I just lock it up in my suitcase. I also use the safe for cell phones or things that I'm not carrying at the moment. It is just prudent. I never realized it was a big deal or that others didn't automatically do it.