Is it safe to stay in a hotel alone as a woman? If you have ever had a concern about someone unexpected entering your hotel room while you’re inside? The problem while not prevalent is real.
Alarms for Hotel Room Doors Can Keep Intruders Out
Even with security protocols in place, well-meaning hotel personnel like housekeeping and maintenance staff might open room doors for guests encountered in the hallway. They may even use a tool to bypass the metal swing bar dead-bolt to help the “guest” get inside. The swing bar can only be flipped from the wall and over the door if someone is inside so if it is engaged someone is inside the room!
While this post focuses on how to add an alarm to your door, there are more important hotel safety tips for women traveling alone at the end of the article so keep on reading to the end.
Two Popular Security Alarms for Hotel Room Doors
The Personal Door Alarm and the Door Stop with Alarm are two solutions worth learning about. The Portable Door Alarm alerts you if the door is opened even just a little bit by sounding an alarm. It will allow the door to be opened. It is small light weight and easy to pack. The Door Stop and Alarm stops the door from swinging open plus it has an alarm that goes off when the door swings onto the steel plate and pushes down on the plate. Slightly larger it too is easy to pack.
Both alarm devices can help you feel safer if you need to stay in a hotel alone. Here’s more on both alarms for hotel room doors.
Portable Travel Door Alarm with LED Flashlight
- Flashlight & door alarm in one unit
- Easy to set up on any door – no installation required
- High Pitched 95-decibel alarm triggered when unauthorized entry is attempted.
- Great for hotel and motel rooms, train compartments, as well as dorm rooms.
- Built-in emergency LED flashlight
- Uses 2 common CR2032 button-cell batteries, included
The Portable Door Alarm is easy to use and can be used on doors and many styles of hotel room windows. Simply hang the door alarm on the inside handle of your hotel camper, or boat door knob or lever. When someone attempts to open the door from the outside, the device activates a piercing 95-decibel alarm which is designed to scare off the potential intruder. A Door Alarm also features a built-in flashlight for use in a darkened room for additional safety and convenience.
How the Portable Door Alarm Works
The Portable Door Alarm is extremely easy to use and takes only 5 seconds to setup which is described as follows:
Pull the bottom clip which removes the two slim silver prongs which are attached by a wire to the Portable Door Alarm. The prongs are held together with a clear plastic cover. Slide off the cover (save the cover as you’ll want to replace it when the alarm is not in use) and the prongs will separate causing a loud alarm to sound alerting you that the door alarm is functioning properly. Use your fingers to press the prongs together which stops the alarm.
Locate a space in the door or window jamb and slide the closed prongs between the door and frame (or window and frame). As long as the door remains closed the Travel Door Alarm will remain silent. If the door or window is opened (even a little bit) the Portable Door Alarm will loosen from its placement causing the prongs to separate and the alarm to sound. Not only is the high-pitched alarm a great warning to you, but is likely to startle and scare off an unsuspecting Intruder.
When the Portable Travel Alarm is not in use, the sensor slides back into the alarm. Nothing to turn on or off…the battery is used only when the alarm sounds.
The door stop with alarm can be used in two ways. Use it as a regular device to keep a door from swinging open into a room. Use it as a safety device by turning it on and an alarm will sound if a door swings onto it and presses the silver plate down onto the unit. Turn the switch off and the unit is a regular door stop. If an intruder attempts to open the door, the wedge-shaped design will prevent it from opening and activate a 120 dB alarm to frighten him away. The door stop requires a 9-volt battery to make the alarm work. This is a great item for home or apartment use; especially if you have a side door to the house or another entry door which is not well secured.
Both Alarm Devices are useful beyond home and hotels, other applications, include:
- Hotel Windows
- Dorm Rooms
- Apartments
- Boats and Campers
- Vacation Rentals
More Hotel Safety Tips for Women Travelers
- Stay in a hotel with room access only from the interior of the hotel. Exterior room doors found in motels are riskier.
- Reserve the room under your first initial and last name, that way the reservation is nongender specific.
- Don’t stay on the ground floor, they are easier to access for non-guest intruders. Ask for a room higher up but not higher than 6 or 7 stories in case of fire or natural disaster. Typically fire ladders reach about 7 stories up.
- Have the front desk employee write down your room number and not announce it for privacy.
- Upon entering the room inspect the room for hidden intruders behind the curtains, under the bed and closet and bathroom. Make sure the windows and adjoining room door have functioning locks. Use the deadbolt AND a portable door alarm in case even the deadbolt is compromised.
- Use the main lobby door to enter and leave the property. Do not use the stairwell where you could be isolated.
- When leaving your room make it seem occupied by leaving the TV on and leaving the do not disturb sign on the door handle.
- Use the valet service to park your car, while more costly it is safer than walking in a parking garage by yourself.
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