Hotel-check-in habit could reveal room numbers, travelers told to act on safety cues

A routine hotel check-in can inadvertently reveal a guest’s room number, safety experts warn, potentially exposing travelers to privacy risks in public spaces. Jaime Kimbro, regional manager of the AAA Diamond Program, told Good Housekeeping that reception staff are trained to share room numbers discreetly to protect guest privacy. When a desk agent voices the number aloud, travelers should not hesitate to request another room, explicitly stating that, for personal safety, they do not want their room number announced.

If guests do enter their room and want to maximize security, Kimbro recommends a quick but thorough internal check. Possible hiding places such as bathrooms and wardrobes should be scanned for anything out of the ordinary or unsecured items. After that inspection, guests should fully engage the deadbolt on all exterior-facing doors. In the case of a connecting room, ensuring that the deadbolt on the connecting door can engage properly is also advised. If anything about the room feels off or unsafe, travelers are urged to trust their instincts and ask for a different room.

Beyond room entry security, guests are advised to take measures to protect valuables. Ensuring a functioning in-room safe and placing jewelry, passports, and electronics inside can reduce the risk of theft or misplacement. The guidance aligns with broader consumer safety practices, including verifying that the room telephone works so guests have a direct line for emergencies or hotel staff if needed. The emphasis on securing belongings mirrors a larger trend in hospitality toward granular safety protocols that individual travelers can enact without altering the core hotel experience.

Industry voices have also weighed in on travel hygiene and privacy. Travel writer Lydia Mansel, writing for Travel + Leisure, has suggested that soft furnishings in hotel rooms—beds, chairs and similar fixtures—can harbor bed bugs, and that travelers should position luggage away from these surfaces. Her approach includes placing luggage in the bathroom, near the entryway, or somewhere away from the bed and carpet, thereby reducing contact with furniture where pests are likely to reside. She also recommends leaving a note for housekeepers to keep luggage in place, since luggage racks can inadvertently become carriers for bed bugs.

Taken together, these recommendations reflect an evolving emphasis on privacy and security for travelers, particularly those who travel for work or business purposes and rely on hotel accommodations as temporary offices and bases of operation. The core message remains practical: be proactive about room security, use hotel resources wisely, and trust one’s instincts when something does not feel right. For hotel operators, the guidance underscores the importance of discreet, consistent communication about room numbers and robust security practices that can be implemented quickly by guests without requiring changes to hotel policy. As travel continues to rebound, guests and providers alike are likely to see increasing attention paid to how simple touchpoints at check-in and in-room setup can influence safety, privacy and trust in the hospitality experience.