I know some people will view this as a silly question, so I will put on my helmet in case I get blasted.

I have always heard that we should leave our valuables in the hotel safe. I make this a practice, as I completely agree that it's never a good idea to walk around with valuables, especially if you look too much like a tourist. But my question is this: What assurance do we have that the hotel doesn't have a key or passcode to the safe? I'm curious as to whether or not anyone has heard stories of things going missing from the hotel safe. Thanks.

Check this recent thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34515144

One of the posters to the thread claims to know of stories of things having disappeared from hotel safes.

It's a really good question and one I've often wondered. I think there is no assurance. I also think it makes a big difference whether it's a hotel safe in your room or a hotel safe at the front desk. The only suggestion I can make is check your hotel(s) on tripadvisor. I figure if anyone has had things stolen they are likely to complain about it there.

I always leave my valuables (usually with a value of around 2000GBP) in the in room safety deposit box. Hotel staff are honest, not professional criminals, their job is worh more to them than the contents of an in room safe. Of course, I have my own insurance for theft so I'm covered if the worst should happen. You're far more likely to be a victim of crime to your own cleaner than a member of hotel stafff.

More valuable items such as jewellery (with worth of more than 10000GBP) should be kept in the hotel's own safe which is usually guaranteed by insurance and the general manager (or some senior member of the staff) witnesses the entry and exit of your items.

I made a mistake setting up my code on a hotel room safe in Paris; I had visions of a locksmith having to come, at great expense, and open the thing.
Not to worry, the owner had a key and opened it in 2 seconds!
That said, I do not worry about things being stolen from the safe in that hotel but I generally only use it for my plane e-ticket and my passport.

there was another thread about whether to carry passport or not; I posted with copy from other Fodors posts regarding the 'safety of safes', ie:


Author: Travelnut
Date: 07/11/2004, 12:21 pm
Message: Grist for the mill:

Author: robbiegirl
Date: 05/02/2004, 02:50 pm
Message: This was posted on another credible site by someone:
Unsafe Prague Hotel: While in Prague in July 2003 a group of 21 students and three teachers stayed at the Hotel City Club, and all our rooms were robbed. . . . we returned at 9PM 6 rooms had valuables (camera, money, CD players, CD, change,....) stolen. The rooms were NOT broken into but rather keys were used to get in. . . . Also two other people staying at the hotel HAD VALUABLES STOLEN FROM THE SAFE at the same time! The desk clerk and manager did nothing but laugh at us and said they were not responsible for any loss.

Author: FlyFish
Date: 06/14/2003, 11:52 am
Message: We were in Venice and decided to take a short walk. I took the equivalent of about $40 out of my billfold for incidentals and put everything else - cash and credit cards - in the safe. When we returned the hotel had lost power and WE COULDN'T OPEN THE ROOM SAFE FOR SEVERAL HOURS.

Author: dugi_otok
Date: 06/14/2003, 12:57 pm
Message: Hate to put a damper on the safety of hotel room safes.
Friends traveling with us in Budapest had their ROOM SAFE BROKEN INTO while we were out to dinner. This was at a big time US hotel chain.All gone- passports, $,travelers checks, airline tickets....
Earlier that evening my friend went down to the lobby and asked how do you operate the room safe. He recalls, the staff members eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree.So we suspected an inside job. . . . . (the police said that hotel safe burglaries happened before), the hotel manager made good by believing my friends- reimbursed them . . . . I will never leave anything of value in a hotel safe again.

Author: E_from_Texas
Date: 06/14/2003, 03:44 pm
Message: Well, I used to trust them, but now ...
I recently returned from Europe and stayed at the Hotel Cluny Square in Paris. The Hotel Cluny Square has a big issue with room key control and will give a room key to anyone requesting it. Noting this, I made sure that my valuables were either on me or in the in-room safe and that my suitcase was locked when I left the room. However, this did not deter a thief who gained access to my room with a key and BROKE OPEN THE SAFE. Filling out a police report in the wee hours of the morning was not the way I wanted to end my stay in Paris. So I would say, the best place for your valuables (and that includes charge receipts that may have your credit card number on them) is on your person. The best investment I made for my trip was a $14 money pouch. The only item they took from my safe was receipts with credit card numbers on them.

Thanks for your replies, this has been very intersting. I really thought I would be viewed as paranoid fool for questioning the safety of a safe. I agree with M_K that most hotel workers are honest, but as we have now read, there's always one bad apple somewhere in the world. It just goes to show, nothing is ever a sure thing, so we must decide which is less risky, carrying valuables on your person or leaving it in a safe.

It's a tough call -- but I think that the less valuables one carries, the better. I try to pack as lightly as I can these days as well -- even if I'm wearing the same outfit twice, I don't know these people anyway.

To go back to the original question of how safe is the safe? I'd say, whether they have a passcode, a special key, etc., etc., or not, the safe is going to be safER than leaving it in your room unprotected.

If one is THAT worried about storage of valuables then either don't travel or travel with as few as possible and avoid the obvious "mental turmoil."

I always leave my valuables in the hotel safe--including passport, tickets, money and credit card. On a recent trip, the night before we were leaving, the safe malfunctioned and we were unable to open it. The hotel staff had a magnetic card and were able to open it. So, yes, hotels have access to room safes, but I still feel that this is the best place to keep valuables.

You all are so right about not travelling with things of great monetary value, and I should have been more specific when I mentioned "valuables." I am speaking of my passport and my extra cash, which usually isn't a huge amount, as I use the ATM to get cash as needed. I used to include plane tickets, but most of those are electronic today. I see my passport as very valuable because if it were lost or stolen, it could delay me from visiting the next country on my itenerary, or from coming home.

I agree with others...if you can't afford to lose it, leave your valuables at home. If the hotel has safety deposit boxes at the front desk, I always lock my things there first. I only use in room safes when I have no choice.

"I see my passport as very valuable because if it were lost or stolen, it could delay me from visiting the next country on my itenerary, or from coming home."

Just another opportunity for me to say this is exactly why I always keep my passport on me, in a moneybelt, comfortably situated in small of my back, under all my clothes.

I usually take my passport with me as well. But I just put it in the front pocket and feel for its presence throughout the day -- I'm a very forgetful person and tend to lose things unless I constantly check to see if I still have the things I've carried with me.

The "safety" of anything --ANYTHING-- is relative. We are dealing with probabilities (here, of loss) so statements that claim some universal answer are ridiculous.

And there is always some trade-off you are making. A hotel room safe is safer than leaving valuables on a desk or in a drawer...but not as safe as putting in a well-managed hotel office safe. Is this safer than leaving them at home? Well, how safe is your home, while you are on vacation? (or other times? Once my place was burglarized while I was travelling...but so was the flat upstairs, and those neighbors were only at work...)

"their job is worth more to them than the contents of an in room safe. " In the case of Hotel management /owners yes. In the case of the chambermaids it depends on the hotel,in many cases no. they can get a similar job elsewhere quite easily.It would be hard to prove that anything was taken from a room or their value.The manager might not even believe you over a employee he has to work for months ahead. I have 2 ideas to improve hotel security: a)have safes where you can add your own padlock.if you lose the key they can cut the lock with a cutter b)require guests to show some sort of ID or hotel card before handing over the key at the door.It would be easy to get into many hotels with traditional key just go up to the counter and confidently ask for the key for a room where the key is on the rack (why dont they hide this from view!)

Sam