Hotel Safety Tips for Lone Travellers
We are often asked how to stay safe when travelling alone for work or leisure.
Sadly, there are incidents of solo travellers being attacked or robbed - so it is worth spending a bit of time thinking how you can stay safe when travelling on your own.
Here are our hotel safety tips for lone travellers.
Updated March 2026:
We regularly review and update our safety advice for travellers. With more people travelling alone for work and leisure, these practical hotel safety tips can help you feel more confident and prepared when staying away from home.
At Streetwise Defence, we always say that most personal safety is about prevention rather than confrontation. A few small habits when you check into a hotel can dramatically reduce risk and help you feel more confident when travelling alone.
HOTEL SAFETY TIPS FOR LONE TRAVELLERS
1. Request a room on floors 2, 3 or 4
The idea here is to stay in a room low enough to get out of in the event of a fire and high enough to avoid intruders through the window.
Definitely avoid the ground floor and the first floor as those are prime spots for break-ins.
Equally, you don’t want to be too high up, as emergency services may struggle to reach upper floors with ladders in some situations.
2. Find your nearest emergency exit
On arrival at the hotel, walk to the nearest fire exit from your room.
Check it looks in good working order and there is nothing obstructing it or preventing it from being opened in an emergency.
Then, memorise your route to the fire exit (eg. turn left out of room and it is the 6th door on the right).
If there were a fire and there was smoke you might not be able to see anything and you might have to feel your way along the route.
3. Search your room for intruders
When you get to your room, prop open the door with your suitcase and check inside to ensure no one is hiding.
Look under beds, in wardrobes, in the bathroom, behind the curtains etc.
This might sound extreme, but unfortunately, there are cases where an intruder has hidden in a room until the person falls asleep and then assaulted them.
4. Search your room for hidden cameras
You should also check around for any suspicious-looking devices or lights that could be a camera.
The most common places for hiding cameras are in mirrors, picture frames, light bulbs, smoke detectors, clocks, lamps, plants and plug sockets.
Again, sadly, many travellers have reported this in a hotel or holiday rental property.
If you find something that you are suspicious of take a photo of it for evidence and use a blanket or a piece of tape to cover it up.
Depending on where you are staying you may want to contact the authorities for support.
5. Check your window and door lock
Check that your hotel window shuts and can be locked or secured shut.
Check that your hotel room door closes and locks properly from both the inside and the outside.
6. Always lock the door
Whenever you are in your room, use the deadlock and latch to lock the door.
7. Travel with a door wedge
A rubber door wedge or door stop is a great piece of travel safety kit that I always travel with.
These can be bought cheaply and are lightweight to travel with.
We recommend using one with an alarm for added protection and peace of mind.
I got one for under £10 off Amazon and it is very reassuring to know that if someone opens the door in the night the alarm will go off.
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Take a look at my video below to see a demonstration of an alarmed door wedge.
8. Use a portable door lock
Another option some travellers like to use is a small portable door lock.
These lightweight devices fit into the door frame and add an extra layer of security to your hotel room door from the inside.
They are particularly popular with solo travellers and are easy to pack in a suitcase.
While hotels should have secure locks already installed, some travellers prefer the additional peace of mind of having their own device.
9. Place a chair or suitcase against the door
Another simple trick some travellers use is placing a chair or suitcase against the hotel room door before going to sleep.
This may not physically stop someone determined from entering, but it can create noise or movement if the door is opened, which could wake you up and alert you that someone is trying to enter the room.
This advice has been widely discussed in the media recently following a Travelodge incident where a guest reported a stranger entering their room during the night. The man who entered the room told reception staff he was her boyfriend and they gave him a keycard, he then entered her room and sexually assaulted hr.
While incidents like this are rare, taking a few small precautions can help you feel more secure when travelling alone.
10. Use the 'do not disturb' sign
When you are in your room, always hang the ‘do not disturb’ sign outside your room.
The hotel staff will note this and will not come in or knock.
So you know that if someone knocks on your door or tries to enter your room it won't be hotel staff.
Also, don’t answer your door unless you know who is on the other side.
Shout through the door to ask who it is and put your mind at ease by calling reception to double-check if they say they are hotel staff.
11. Keep your key separate from its envelope
After check-in, remove your key card from its envelope if it has the room number written on it.
That way, if you lose it while you are out or if someone is watching you, they won’t know which room you are staying in.
12. Check no one follows you to your room
When returning to your room, check no one has followed you back or is in the corridor.
This can be as simple as a quick turn and look up and down the corridor.
If someone is there and you feel uncomfortable, go back to reception and ask for help or try again in a few minutes.
Once again, do another room scan to check for hidden intruders before closing the door to your hotel room.
13. Get Our Free Solo Travel Safety Guide for Women
If you found these hotel safety tips helpful, we’ve also created a free 20+ page Solo Travel Safety Guide for Women.
It’s packed with practical advice to help you feel safer, more prepared, and more confident travelling alone - including transport safety, travel scams, situational awareness, confidence and boundaries, travel safety gadgets, and printable checklists.
Created by Julie Waite and Dene Josham from Streetwise Defence, with over 80 countries travelled between them and decades of personal safety experience.
14. Learn self defence
Would you know what to do if someone physically threatened or attacked you while travelling?
No?
We can change that.
At Streetwise Defence, we teach simple, practical self defence designed for real-life situations.
No martial arts.
No fitness level needed.
No complicated techniques.
Just realistic training that helps you feel safer, stronger, and more confident.
*Please note: as an Amazon Associate we earn commission from qualifying purchases. Each affiliate link is clearly labeled.