Common Hotel Crimes You Should Know For Your Safety and Security
If you commonly travel for any reason, whether it be for work or leisure, you should be thinking about how hotel related crimes can affect you. Statistics released by the American Hotel and Lodging Association show that the likelihood of encountering any issues at the hotel is thought to be slim, based on the billions that travel in the US alone everyday.
Despite the odds, we think it’s important to prepare accordingly, especially if you are staying at an extended stay hotel. Extended stay hotels have increased crime in certain areas, but they are generally considered safe when management take precautions. Our advice to those that need to stay in these hotels: read reviews, be prepared, and travel smart.
As nationwide crime scene cleaners, we’re not only daily travelers, but also part of the crews exposed to the worst situations. We’re always looking for ways to help our local communities.
So, what are some of the scenarios we’ve seen? These are the five most common hotel crimes we’ve seen committed at hotels, but without a doubt there’s more:
- Burglary and theft
- Physical Assault
- Car break ins
- Prostitution
- Murder
Crime #1: Hotel Burglary and Theft Cases
We’ve grouped burglary and theft together because the aftermath to the hospitality business is similar, but the definition of the two are separate. By burglaries we mean hotel break-ins, usually into the room with a weapon, whereas theft involves stealing, not necessarily with a weapon or room break in. Hotel crime has been predominantly both burglary and theft cases, with cases surging during the 2008 recession.
How does theft in hotel rooms happen?
At a hotel, theft often happens through sex trafficking (prostitution) but it can also happen when the criminal follows the person to the room they’re staying. Burglary at a hotel can happen in a variety of ways, usually by hacking or picking the lock, which is disturbingly easy to do. It may also happen because of poorly secured windows.
Most property management teams receive complaints about cash being stolen from the room. It is your responsibility, not the hotel’s, to secure and safeguard your items accordingly.
So what can travelers do?
First time travelers, solo female travelers, and those with extended stays in hotels should check the room for broken locks and windows. We’ve seen and heard it all, from finding drugs in the hotel room to decomposition odors. Bring up any issues you find with hotel management right away and refuse any room that isn’t safe.
Traveler’s adds additional peace of mind while you’re away from home.
Look into additional layers of security to help you during your stay. A second door lock, a personal travel safe, and other tips compiled in our crime prevention in hotel article can help you while you’re away.
One other helpful tip is to look into traveler’s insurance. Most policies cover travel assets and offer additional attractive benefits that may extend to other areas of travel, including the flight.
Do cleaners help the hotel industry with theft situations?
Great question, since there are no biohazards directly involved in a burglary, can biohazard cleaners help clean these situations? The answer is: yes, we can help hotels by cleaning fingerprint powder left behind by law enforcement. Fingerprint powder residue is messy and can contain carcinogens, so it’s strongly advised that specialized cleanup crews like us assess and remediate it.
Crime #2: Physical Assault
Traveling alone can be freeing, but remaining alert and vigilant to suspicious persons is critical to traveling safely.
Physical assault is the second most common crime against the hotel industry. Physical assault situations include domestic abuse, prostitution, and predatory behavior. As sad as it may be, reality is that most physical assault cases are by someone you know (e.g. domestic abuse situations). Domestic abuse is disturbingly common and not just isolated to private homes, but public hotels as well.
If you’re traveling alone…
The interest of traveling alone has increased, with solo female traveler statistics having increased six fold prior to COVID-19. Regardless of gender, if you’re one of these solo travelers, we recommend you keep your room number or the address you’re staying in private to locals or anyone you meet. Always trust your instincts. If you find someone acting suspiciously, listen to your gut.
Crime #3: Car Burglars
Car burglary is another common issue amongst travelers. While always making sure you lock your doors is important, unfortunately there’s nothing that can be done if the burglar breaks the glass. We always recommend keeping your cash and valuables in your own personal safe.
Remember the traveler’s insurance tip we mentioned earlier? That additional protection would cover these situations, and cover anything your car insurance company wouldn’t pick up as a result of the damage.
While biohazard cars are something that we clean, it implies that there were fluids or drugs left in the car. Generally these crimes are break ins to search and steal items from the car, so it doesn’t usually fall into that category. But, we are called to assist in these types of situations when an investigator uses fingerprint powder to investigate for prints, just like we mentioned earlier, or if we find drug residue in the car for any reason.
Crime #4: Prostitution
You might think that prostitution is a more common crime to encounter while traveling, but big hotel chains are more vigilant than ever about deterring prostitution. Still, human trafficking (prostitution) is common in poorly maintained hotels, and with it attracts other crimes like drug trafficking (another biohazard residue we help hotels clean). When this happens, hotels can lose revenue profit and gain a tarnished local reputation. That’s exactly the reason why chains reserve the legal right to refuse or throw out prostitutes in hotel rooms, or anyone causing similar issues for that matter.
Crime #5: Murder
The least likely crime to experience while traveling is murder. Sure, you might hear stories on the news or watch CSI about someone being murdered in their hotel room, but the actual crime statistics for hotel murders shows that the crime rate is small in comparison.
Based on the numbers, the American Hotel and Lodging Association estimates that around 5.5 million travel daily. One study showed that murder was the least frequent crime committed, with only about 2 daily murders out of a nationwide sample of 820 throughout the duration of the study. When you scale that based on the millions of guestrooms that are filled daily, the hotel related murder rate is insignificant with a rate far less than 5% annually.
Sadly, when hotel related murder does occur, prostitution is generally the reason, since it is a crime target to murder.
What should I do if I see something suspicious?
Report it to the hotel management right away. Hotel management should not underestimate the liability involved with these situations. If you find drugs in your hotel room, management needs to report the crime, call law enforcement, and hire specialists like us to remediate these situations. It’s unethical and illegal to have unqualified staff clean the area from biohazards like drug and blood cleanup.
When potentially unsafe hazards or biohazards are spilled, it’s required that the hotels contact specialized crime scene cleanup companies, like us, to restore the area.
We’re available 24/7, nationwide, so call us anytime. Hotel personnel, Hostel managers, and Airbnb property owners can be assured that their business will be handled discreetly and professionally, and we do not speak to the press without your permission.
