Should You Use the Hotel Safe? Travel Experts Weigh In

When staying at a hotel, you may be tempted to keep valuables such as your passport or laptop inside the safe. But this begs the question: How reliable are hotel safes, really? A number of recent viral videos — including this YouTube video that has been viewed over a million times — have claimed that it’s easy to access the safe using a simple code. So, should you be worried about leaving your items in the hotel safe, or are these concerns overblown? Here’s what travel experts have to say about the matter.

The First Thing To Check

Many hotel room safes come preprogrammed with a factory-standard code that can be used to access the safe if you forget your password, usually a simple series of numbers such as 0000 or 1234. While this code can be changed, some hotels neglect to do so. This puts guests at an elevated risk of having their valuables stolen by any potential thief who’s familiar with this generic access code. So, Meredith Carey of Condé Nast Traveler suggests that before leaving items in the safe, guests should check if it can be unlocked with an easily guessable default code.

Here’s what you can do to double-check that the safe is secure: First, lock the safe with a unique password that you create. Then, try unlocking it using the generic combos mentioned above (e.g., 0000, 1234, etc.). If the safe fails to unlock, you can probably rest easy. But if you’re able to open the safe with a generic password, contact the front desk to express your concerns and ask about other options for how to store your valuables.

Is There a “Secret Code” for Hotel Room Safes?

In 2023, the team at Inside Edition investigated a viral video that showed someone using a “secret code” to access a hotel safe. But after several attempts across multiple cities in various hotels, the investigators found that this “secret code” didn’t actually work, as each safe remained locked and secure. 

Despite these findings, CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg suggested avoiding the hotel safe altogether. During an interview with Inside Edition, Greenberg said that if you’re looking for a place to store your valuables at the hotel, the best options are either a safe deposit box behind the front desk or in the hotel manager’s own personal safe.

Don’t Be Alarmed

Despite concerns of hotel safes being vulnerable, this issue probably isn’t as extensive nor as concerning as you may think. Frommer’s cited a 2016 study that analyzed hotel room burglaries in the Miami-Dade area, a popular tourist hot spot. The study found an average of only 20 hotel room burglaries occur each year, and made no specific mention of hotel safes. The stolen items may very well have been taken from a more vulnerable place out in the open.

Frommer’s also reached out to several specific hotels and travel-related organizations, only to be told that they “seldom hear about this issue” of things being taken from hotel safes. The publication also attempted to interview victims of hotel safe theft, but came up short in finding anyone to speak with. While you may still have concerns, ultimately the risk of hotel room safe theft appears to be low.

Secure Alternatives to the Hotel Room Safe

If you’re still concerned about using the hotel safe, there are several alternatives. You might think to carry valuables on your person at all times, but doing this puts you at an added risk of being robbed of those valuables on the street.

Instead, there are a few places where you can stash valuables that potential thieves may not think to look. Consider storing items under the dead center portion of the mattress, or in the pages of the bedside Bible (if there’s one in the room). Also, whenever you leave the room, consider putting the “do not disturb” placard on the door handle. If people see the “do not disturb” sign, they’re likely to think you’re resting inside the room, and won’t try to break in.

Another option is to travel with a portable safe of your own, such as this soft, canvas bag from Pacsafe. This travel safe easily fits into your luggage, but is still big enough to hold a laptop, a passport, and any other valuables you may be traveling with.