Anything ever go missing in the hotel safe?

Never had anything missing from a hotel safe. Actually I also had never anything missing from a hotel room either with the exception of a very basic hostel.

I leave all the good stuff at home

No issues; nor do I travel w/anything I would miss losing.

I have never lost anything from any hotel room in which I have stayed, but I've only been in about 300, so there's still a chance if I keep travelling for a few more years.

I frequently use hotel safes for my airline tickets, passport (I carry a photocopy) and extra cash. I've never had anything missing. I don't take expensive jewelry or anything else that I'd hate to lose -- through my own carelessness or by theft. However, I have put jewelry that I've purchased on trips in the safe and it's been okay.

I have never had anything stolen from the hotel in-room safe. However, I recall reading 1 or 2 reports here that someone had stuff stolen. I guess it's quite rare really; at least less of a chance being stolen from the safe than carrying it with you and get pickpocketed.

Never had anything stolen from in room safes.

I suspect the few reports that we read about are partially the fault of the guest. Perhaps they forgot to lock the safe although they will never admit it. I've done that couple of times and thankfully nothing was taken but it happens.

Never had anything stolen from the safe, even the time I forgot to get my stuff back out when we left...the hotel kindly returned it to me when I called and gave a description of my mother's pearls (big, big 'oops'-never traveled with 'good' jewelery again!)

Note that most room safes are too small to house a laptop. And remember that the staff has access to the master key or code for all room safes.

Access is usually limited to the security office or top managment. It's not like the maid has a code to open any safe.

AAFrrequentFlyer wrote: "It's not like the maid has a code to open any safe."

I often leave stuff of some value in hotel bedrooms (most often a laptop and, most conveniently for the light-fingered, modest amounts of cash). Nothing has ever been taken. Human nature being what it is, I am sure that not everybody on the housekeeping staff of hotels is trustworthy, but I think the risk of stuff being taken is acceptably low.

I wouldn't ever take anything that needed to be put in a safe (I don't even own anything like that, actually, although I do have a few small diamond studs but that's about it). Why take anything on vacation that you need to keep in a safe, what's the point? So you'll have to go through a whole bunch of trouble just to wear some jewelry and then return it? Why even do that, unless you're going to some grand ball or something.

I never take any jewelry with me on trips, except for my watch and wedding band (I leave my engagement ring back home). But I still use the hotel safe to put extra cash, passport, reservation print-outs etc.

Sometimes if I return to the hotel after sightseeing in the day, then go out again for dinner, I will leave my camera in the safe as well.

Christina,

not everybody staying in a hotel is on vacation...

I never carry my passport around. I always just take one CC when venturing out, leaving the other 2-3 in the safe. I like to have couple of $K in cash during my travels but I don't carry that around either. Stuff like that.

I also always leave my laptop(s) out and never had a problem.

I know you asked about the safe but...

My teen daughter had her cheap souvenirs (plastic Eiffel Tower, etc) and an irreplacable chalk portrait stolen from her Paris mid level hotel room. Never could figure out why anyone would have wanted them.

Yes. Of course, it can happen and does. Someone I know put her valuables in the hotel safe at the front desk and some items were missing.

An aquaintance of mine had cash not returned to her from the hotel's safe in Paris. She put in a large amount of USD and when she asked for the envelope, there was no trace of any records of it and she had a receipt but not for the cash amount, just for a few other things with it, I think her passport, which was returned.

SeaUrchin - per your description, I take that this occured with a hotel safe in the reception, but not an in-room safe?

Poetic Justice  
View profile
 More options Apr 14 2006, 5:14 pm
Newsgroups: rec.travel.europe
From: paradisel...@webtv.net (Poetic Justice)
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 17:14:07 -0400
Subject: Re: Hotel room safes.

From irwell's posted Ombudsman article:
>Though we will never know how the
>money disappeared from the Sgrois' safe,

How about;  Housekeeping or another hotel staff member wipes the safe's keyboard clean before the guest checks-in.
 Or wipes it clean and then sprays keyboard with a light film (furniture polish, hairspray, etc).
 (These keyboards are usually plastic covered IIRC)
 The next day; Guest puts valuables in safe, locks it with a 4 digit PIN and leaves for the day.
 Housekeeping/staff either uses a woman's blush brush and a fine power to find fingerprints on the safe's keypad.
 Or if a light film was applied the fingerprints could probably be seen if you looked closely (an angled penlight would help).
 The thief now has the 4 digits of your PIN but of course not in order.
 With a pen and paper they write down the combinations or put them in some kind of graph.
 If your PIN number is 4 different numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) there are only 24 combinations.
 If your PIN is 3 different numbers (1, 1, 2, 3) there are 36 combinations.
 With practice a thief could probably pull this off in under 10min.
Regards, Walter

..And Paradise Was Lost...like teardrops in the rain...

Yes, it was the safe at reception area for the guests. I suppose you have to make sure everything is listed on the receipt. I think she didn't and that is why the cash was missing.

I have only stayed in better hotels, and have never had anything even bothered. I did have all of my makeup stolen once from a smaller hotel run by a family whose nationality is not American, in the U.S. and would never stay in hotel again if those kind of people are at the front desk at check-in. They lied about it all, so I left and went to Dillards and replenished my supply.

Your things should be fine in a safe. One thing I've noticed, but then I have only stayed at nicer hotels, is that in areas that depend on tourism for survival you will get better service than you would in the states staying at your average Hilton or Holiday Inn.

beshep, funny you should mention make up, I actually consider that one of my valuables, I have made a promise to my DH, just a bitty little bag of it is going on this trip...we have no layovers so he is safe from duty free.

beshep wrote, "a smaller hotel run by a family whose nationality is not American, in the U.S. and would never stay in hotel again if those kind of people are at the front desk at check-in."

Am I reading this correctly??? "Those kind of people"!

I am always suspicious of "Those kind of people".

Oh, definition of "Those kind of People"....Usually of Dutch or Flemish extraction, identified by their penchant for Gouda Cheese and Birkenstocks. Often seen travelling in pairs or small family groups. Most likely to be seen in sub-tropic areas, and beaches.....I hope this helps.....LOL

Interesting choice of words..."those kind of people".

No, I've never had anything go missing from a hotel room. However, I never travel with anything that cannot be replaced easily. I leave my good jewelry at home. I bring several pieces of costume jewelry that will work with different outfits. Nothing that I will lose sleep over if it is lost or stolen.

uh-oh. "those kind of people" are taking over the hotel hospitality segment, so poor beshep58 is going to have difficulty finding a hotel in the US before too long...

I always leave my cash ( except for one days worth) and my CC and passport in the hotel safes. Have always been the kind that are in room, except at the Hotel Des Mines where it was behind the desk. I have never had a problem . I do not bring jewerly that I am not wearing ( ie only wedding ring and one bracelet come and I wear those all the time) .

I cannot believe someone actually thinks the maids are " dusting for finger prints and cracking codes" ha ha .

I always read people posting " my friend said, or my friend had" but I have never seen a poster say that it happened to them.

I feel perfectly safe with the safe .

And no, the maids DO NOT have your safe code, what a load. Only certain staff have assess to that and if stuff is stolen out of a safe you could phone the police and file a report, bet most hotels would not like that..

Knock on wood, I've never had anything stolen from a hotel room safe. I don't take anything valuable like family jewels on vacation (I actually bought a fake wedding band for my current trip), but I do leave extra credit cards, passport, ipod, cell phone, garmin, etc. . . in the safe while I'm out during the day. One trick I just figured out for putting my MacBook Pro laptop in the safe - if you tilt it up (prop it up with something so it is in the safe at an angle) then it will fit with the door shut.

Well, there is a certain "those kind of people" who do seem to own a lot of US motels. beshap is going to have a hard time finding a place on the road if she's thinking of who I'm thinking of. As someone who "only stayed in better hotels", she may not find this to be a particular nuisance, however.

I might slum it, but I would never defame an entire nationality based on one experience. Very sad.

bozama, if you were referring to my post, if someone looked me in the face and said something happened to them I would take it at face value. If it happened to me I would most likely share the experience on these boards, too.

I was actually standing next to another friend when she saw a hotel maid walk past us wearing my friend's hair clip that had gone missing the day before. Shall I not relate that experience because it wasn't my hair clip?

Beshap you are certainly one for generalizations about nationality! On your other posts I have learned that "most Italians speak good English" and "Italians walk very fast and will run you over if you let them!"

Actually no Seaurchin, I was not refering specifically to your post, I have been on travel forums( this and others) for years now, and all the " reports" I have so far read on this type of theft have been alot less reliable sounding then yours, its usaully " I heard about " or " a friends sister" or " I read about a girl" etc.
If you say you saw the maid wearing your friends hairclip I believe you, although I would have a hard time understanding why you did not then grab the maid and make a hell of a scene. I know I would have, of course, I would be damm sure it was friends hairclip first, LOL

Yes, I know what you mean, B., hearsay can be unreliable, I agree.

Re the Hairclip Incident, my friend told me after the maid had already left on the elevator. My friend is extremely non confrontational, I don't know if she would have said anything if the maid had been wearing a whole outfit of her clothes!

It was a unusual clip, when those kinds of over the top hair clips were in style. I asked my friend if she was going to report it to management and she said no, if she wants it that badly let her have it. (This was in Milan)

"I cannot believe someone actually thinks the maids are " dusting for finger prints and cracking codes" ha ha".

Bozama,
That thread IIRC was about *how* hotel staff could get into a hotel safe.

And you cannot see how *easy* it actually is to do?
Regards, Walter

Bozama is very fortunate that he/she has not yet experienced hotel safe theft. Perhaps the housekeeping staff are not dusting for fingerprints and such, but staff members do steal.

Franophile , so this has happened to you?? Has it happened to your friend... or your relative?

Seaurchin, that is really weird, your friend handled that so oddly, mind you, it was just a hairclip and honestly you and I both know it was not locked up in a safe now was it,, no, she left it out, maybe the maid found it on the ground ( it may have fallen out of her hair) since I find it odd that the maid would first steal the clip then wear it TO WORK the next day!!! Lightning has really hit twice with you, TWO friends( well one just an accquaintence) experiencing theft.

. I have travelled for many years, I DO take precautions, but, I think you are more likely to be hit by a car then have your hotel safe broken into, and you know, I bet I am statistically completely spot on that bet.

Francophile, I may be stolen from one day,, but , I take all the normal precautions and I don't worry about it, I mean , I wonder, do any of you shower with your moneybelts, since the maids could sneak in while you are in the bathroom and steal from you without even having to go in the safes, since most of us do not lock our stuff up when we are in the room?

Bozoma, I did mention earlier that someone I know (clarifying for you: a friend) had valuables (specifically FYI: cash) stolen from the front desk safe.

Please put your bee back in your bonnet.

Whoops, I meant to say take your bee out of your bonnet, Bozoma.

"I have travelled for many years, I DO take precautions, but, I think you are more likely to be hit by a car then have your hotel safe broken into, and you know, I bet I am statistically completely spot on that bet".

Yes, very true. But I still look both ways when crossing a one-way street.

I've driven for 38yrs cars and 18 wheelers and have never had a seat belt save my life or saved me from personal injury.
Yet I will buckle-up tomorrow... statistically go figure.

And yes when I 1st read about this 'finger print on the hotel safe's keypad' (I forgot where and when) and realized how *simple* it was to do whether true or not, I do touch the other numbers after I close it.

Over the years there have been posts here and on other forums of people who have claimed to have had their safes broken into with no trace.
So either it was a master key or another method or they are lying.

And finding/seeing a finger print on a smooth cleaned surface is very easy for anyone to do. Regards, Walter

bozama-

This thread from 2003 - there are at least a couple of people reporting they had their valuables stolen from the hotel safe (first hand report):
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34426088

Actually Franophile you didn't specify cash , you said " some items" , I read posts and don't make things up as I go along. So the " some items" you actually meant, " cash" . I guess since you were there you would know that you meant " some items" were cash, but since I can only go by what you posted, I was not aware your friend had her cash stolen from the safe ,, what did the POLICE say about it when reported,, no, don't tell me, your friend also didn't bother to report it right?

How many people actually report these thefts to the police I wonder?

I will now go and read the 5 year old thread.

Paradiselost,

Some people may have had their safes broken into, I am not saying it has never happened, I am saying that many of them are in fact probaly mistaken though, they either forgot to lock safe, or they miscounted how money was in safe, which is why most of them seem not to contact the POLICE! Goodness , I find it hard to believe people would tolerate someone stealing from them and not pursue any legal reporting. It wouldn't get the money back but it would likely put the suspect maids and desk clerks on alert and save other hapless victims.

When some people come on these forums as newbies and read all the posts about pickpockets, well, some of them seem petrified as it can make it seem like Europe is filled with theives just waiting for your fat dollars,,
YES there are theives, but no worse then anywhere else really, I mean are you all this paranoid about using the hotel safes in Hawaii I wonder??

Bozoma, forgive me, I am not as perfect as you. I did not specify 'cash'. I'm wrong, wrong, wrong. I am so sorry!

Please enjoy your weekend.

Thanks for answer re police report.

And did you read the five year old thread?

Hi Francophile03, was it a thread for 5 year olds

Boz, I do hope it never happens to you but the fact is that it does happen and it is not THAT uncommon (Of course you will probably think that my second best friend told me that an acquaintance of her aunt's said someone told her that).

Haha Faux!

<<Over the years there have been posts here and on other forums of people who have claimed to have had their safes broken into with no trace.>>

On a recent trip to Buenos Aires I put my camera, extra cash, jewelry I'd purchased there and my passport in the safe. After one all day outing I returned and found the safe unlocked because I'd neglected to lock it before I'd left. Everything was still in the safe just as I'd left it.

The point is that I think that like me, other people get distracted and neglect to go through the full "close" process on the safes in which you select a personal code. I've been using them for years and nothing has ever been taken.

Francophile , yes I read the thread, and it was nothing new, although the Club Med in Mexico being held up at gunpoint by bandits was pretty off topic...

Also, liked the one about the person whos safe got broken into but all the theives got( or took) was old charge card receipts?? LOL Strange folks.

I still maintain while it does happen it happens so infrequently to be statistically unimportant. Stuff is still safe in a safe 99 % of time, IF you remember to lock it correctly when you leave room.

Slightly off topic, but on another board I go on there is poster who said she worked as a front office manager at a nice hotel, and a big problem they had was people FORGETTING stuff in their safes. I bet these are the same people who think someone broke in and stole their stuff( usaully they claim only " some" money was taken,not all) when really they forgot to lock safe and miscounted their money to begin with ...LOL

"Bozo..."

Here is first hand report! I have always used the office safe at hotels we have frequented. But I will not use them any more! My last trip in April I used the office safe and assumed all was well. A month after I had gotten home I got a credit card statement and found that the emergency credit card we brought had been taken out of the safe, used($$$) and replaced!

No, I did not make a police report in that country as I did not know of the theift till I returned home. We reported the fraud and also sent a letter to the hotel to inform them. We are still awaiting the results.

Just because it did not happen to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I think you are rude poster and nasty to other posters. Especially to one on this thread. Being nasty doesn't make your point of view more important! It reflects badly on you.

geraldine, let's see if I get this right: you call somebody "bozo" and then accuse that person of rudeness.

Hmm.

Geraldine:

Could you please give us the name and location of this hotel? I would like to avoid this hotel at all costs.

FYI:
"Bozo...." was the posting person's screen name. I did not print it out in full.

It was Hotel Rosita in PVR.

You may write them and ask if it was reported. Which it was!

After years of using hotel office safes I will no longer use them!

Excuse me! after reading back thru posts ...I should have written "Boza..."

One other first hand experience with an office safe was in Orleans.

We stayed in a hotel three nights. On the last evening I retrived evrything from the safe and paid for our room. The next morning the manager asked me if we had left anything in the office safe. I told him we got it all last night from the lady manager.

He said great! The hotel was broken into last night and all the safe items were stolen as well as the money I had paid him for out stay!

geraldineb wrote: "It was Hotel Rosita in PVR."

PVR? That's an airport, isn't it?

Well, yes, it is the airport code for Puerto Vallarta. She did say the hotel is Hotel Rosita in PVR which she meant as a way to abbreviate Puerto Vallarta. But I'm sure you knew what she meant.

No, I did not know what she meant; more precisely, I did not know where she meant. I don't fill my head with a list of airport codes, although I can recognise some -- mainly those of airports I have used.

I am sorry. I thought you had looked up Hotel Rosita and found it was located in Puerto Vallarta.

Here are the web sites to both hotels. The first is in France and the second is in Mexico.

http://www.hoteldelabeille.com/accueil.htm

http://www.hotelrosita.com/english/rooms.html