How to book a "safe hotel"? The International SOS Organization offers 7 tips

▲A safe and reliable hotel where you can sleep peacefully is what helps travelers recharge. (Illustration / Photo by Reporter Lin Yuling)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

When traveling, besides arranging your itinerary, the most important thing is "accommodation"！ How can you book a safe hotel or inn that lets you sleep soundly? Rob Walker, a leader specializing in travel safety at the London branch of the International SOS organization, recently shared several important tips, including avoiding high-crime areas, ensuring rooms have peepholes and interior locks, providing useful guidance for travelers heading out.

1. Walker believes staying on the second or third floor is better than the sixth or seventh floor or higher. In case of an emergency, the chances of survival are higher if you have to jump from that height, and in the unfortunate event of a fire, that’s also the reach range of most ladders.

2. Try to choose a room far from the first-floor lobby and not accessible directly from the street. The reason is that the lobby may be a target for attackers, and if the street can directly look into your room, it might attract the attention of criminals (like thieves). Ideally, it's best to be near an emergency exit.

3. Try to avoid "interlocking doors" systems.

4. Do your homework before booking and avoid choosing hotels located in high-risk crime areas.

5. Ensure the room has an interior lock, peephole, door stopper (you can bring your own), and that there’s an evacuation procedure in case you need to escape.

6. The moment you check in and enter the room, use your luggage to prop the door open, and inspect the room (including the bathroom and closet) to make sure there are no intruders.

7. Keep an emergency kit nearby that you can easily access while sleeping. It should include your passport, water, phone, and power bank.