You might not think twice about this at check-in, but it's an important rule you should follow
As a woman who frequently travels alone, safety is paramount to my adventures. And nowhere is this more important than at my hotel or accommodations. I want to know that when I’m in my room, I’m safe.
Although it seems like a no-brainer that a hotel room would be secure, when I was a novice in the travel world and staying at a budget space in Athens, a man who had been trying to engage my friend and me in conversation all day barged into our room after getting a key from the front desk! He had figured out our room number and knew our names, and while we were fine and successful in getting him removed, we were obviously very shaken.
It was a vital lesson that has informed everything I’ve done since, every time I check into a hotel. And it’s why I always ask the front desk staff to write my room number down instead of saying it out loud when they hand me my keys. Whether I’m in South Florida or South Africa, I never stray from this starting point.
I talked to four experienced hotel and travel professionals, and together we’ll explain this important step. Then, I’ll give you extra safety tips I’ve developed over the years with the help of travel experts around the globe. Keep reading for the crucial safety details.
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Why does hotel reception write down your room number?
It’s not just one reason, but they’re all important.
Nearly every hotel experience starts the same. You arrive at reception and present your identification to start the hotel check-in process. Many front desk staff will welcome you by name, then it’s on to payment and room assignment. And here’s where our important piece of advice comes into play.
Below are three reasons for having staff write down your room number, according to our experts.
For safety
Every hotel general manager I consulted for this story had the same answer: Writing down a room number instead of saying it out loud when handing over a key is safer, especially for a female solo traveler.
“We train all our colleagues never to say a guest’s room number aloud at check-in as a way to protect both privacy and personal safety,” explains Nick OrRico, general manager of Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park. “Instead, we write it down discreetly and program it directly into the guest’s key.”
“This minimizes the risk of someone nearby overhearing and learning where a guest is staying,” OrRico says. “The practice is particularly important for solo travelers or those arriving late in the evening, when discretion matters most.”
To help you remember your room number
Another reason to write it down, of course, is to remember where your room is.
Greg Fregoso, director of rooms at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago, agrees with OrRico, saying that the first and most important reason is security. “We don’t want any other guests or passersby to overhear the room number.” But that’s not the only reason.
“We also write it down to ensure clarity and so guests have an easy point of reference if they forget their room number later,” Fregoso says. An important safety note here: After you’ve checked in, don’t keep the envelope and key card together. This common hotel mistake puts you at risk if you happen to lose your key.
“When misplaced, you are giving the person who found it access to your hotel and room,” cautions Alicia Wiley, general manager of the Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City. “If you lose it, it’s like handing a thief your address and the way to get in.”
Instead, says Wiley, “If you think you will forget your room number, take a picture of your room number before you leave.”
To avoid fraud
Another reason not to say your hotel room number out loud is to avoid getting fraudulent charges on your hotel bill, according to hotel expert Cameron Sperance, content and editorial director of Questex Hospitality and Travel.
“There’s a good cinematic reference for this,” says Sperance. “Remember Oceans 8, when Sandra Bullock overhears a room number at the Plaza and then uses that information to check back into the room and bill the charges back to the original occupant?” Writing your room number down keeps you from being easy prey for an opportunist.
While Sperance notes that’s an extreme example, and erroneous room charges don’t happen frequently, “you don’t want mysterious and expensive charges suddenly appearing.” The last thing you need when checking out of a hotel is to discover a bad actor lived it up with spa treatments, dinner and shopping on your dime.
What other steps should you take to stay safe in your hotel room?
Personal safety doesn’t stop with protecting your room number. Here are some other tips from hotel staff, and from my personal experience, to help solo travelers (and everyone else) feel safe during a hotel stay.
- Lock your door: Always secure the deadbolt and secondary lock when you’re in the room.
- Hide valuables: Use the in-room safe or keep items locked in your luggage. Avoid leaving valuables out in the open.
- Report lost keys: If you misplace your key, ask the front desk to issue a new key for you. This will deactivate the lost key.
- Be discreet: Avoid sharing your room number or travel plans with strangers or on social media in real time.
- Use the peephole: If someone knocks, look before opening the door. If you don’t know who it is or feel unsafe, call the front desk or 24-hour security.
- Request a room on an upper floor: Avoid ground-floor rooms that could be entered from the outside.
- Avoid rooms near elevators and stairways: Ask for a room that isn’t near the elevators or at the far end of the hallway by the stairs. This offers both accessibility and enhanced security.
- Don’t get a connecting room: Single travelers should avoid rooms with an interior door that leads to another room.
- Book a reservation as two people: As long as there’s no fee for an additional guest, book a room as a couple and ask for two keys at check-in. This gives the appearance that you’re not traveling alone.
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About the experts
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Why trust us
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Sources:
- Nick OrRico, general manager of Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park; interviewed October 2025
- Greg Fregoso, director of rooms at The Blackstone Hotel in Chicago; interviewed October 2025
- Alicia Wiley, general manager of the Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City; interviewed October 2025
- Cameron Sperance, content and editorial director of Questex Hospitality and Travel and author of Moon Boston; interviewed October 2025
