I’m back in CA to attend Eric’s wedding. The wedding is this afternoon up in the San Bernardino National Forest. I’m staying in a chain hotel at the base of the mountains.

There’s a “night latch” on the room door like you find in all hotel rooms like this. You swing it over after you lock the deadbolt. I’m never sure what I should do with it.

I understand how I wouldn’t want someone with a stray card key to break in and steal my stuff while I’m sleeping. OTOH I think I’m more likely to fall in the shower or something and would want the paramedics to have easy access.

Do you set the night latch when you stay in a hotel?

I use the deadbolt.

Yeah. I couldn't really explain why.

Mrs pj also wads up a square of TP and sticks it in the viewport. I guess there were articles about stalkers or just general perverts peering into people's rooms through the viewport. At this point, if someone wants to see my nakies on the way from the shower to getting dressed, that's their problem, not mine.

I use the night latch when I go to bed every time I am in a hotel room for myself (which, pre-Covid, was frequently for work). I have had hotel workers “accidentally” walk into my room saying they believed it was unoccupied (sometimes after the quickest of quiet knocks and sometimes with zero warning) on a handful of occasions. Always when I was checking in alone, and always at reputable business hotels.

I’m interested to see if women answer this question differently than men.

I use the latch, but not religiously.

I’ve had hotel staff come in with very little warning.

And one time, we were given the key to a room that was already occupied. The couple was not amused.

Since there was nothing else available, the hotel gave us a penthouse suite.

Sweet suite.

I got the bridal suite in Marseilles once. On an overnight stay between a flight that got in three hours late from Casablanca and I was catching the first flight to Barcelona in the morning. I was in the room for four hours. Alone.

I use it. And I’ve never called it a night latch. It’s the rape lock. I didn’t know it had another name.

quote:

At this point, if someone wants to see my nakies on the way from the shower to getting dressed, that's their problem, not mine.

Ha, must agree. At my age, if they want to see me naked they have my sympathy. Hope they get treatment.

I always use the lock for safety. I hadn't thought of it as a way to prevent accidental entries by staff etc., but that makes a lot of sense.

quote:

I’ve never called it a night latch. It’s the rape lock.

I didn't know it was called either of those things!!

Re getting upgraded... the best room upgrade I ever had was when I was staying in an area of Tokyo where where there are tons of government offices and embassies from countries all over the world. I was there for a meeting and IIRC I arrived on a random weekday and would be there for two nights. The hotel staff at check in said that they were offering free upgrades because they had some unused rooms. I was like, um what?? Anyway. I said something like as long as the room isn't worse than the one I'd originally reserved and they said oh no, definitely not. So I said ok... Turns out they put me in super fancy suite with a separate living room, kitchen nook and bedroom. Oh and an amazing view.

It was so amazing, I drew blueprints/floorplans of the suite to show Mr. SK. when I got home.

I was in Tokyo to translate for these fancy meetings between the leaders of a (government-sponsored) English teaching program and some representatives from among the people hired to teach in the program. On my way to Tokyo I was super excited because it was a pretty high profile event and a huge honor to be selected as a translator. But when I saw what my hotel looked like, all I wanted to do was stay in the hotel!!

I had an upgrade a couple weeks ago, not nearly as nice as yours PJ and SK. I arrived in St.Louis in the evening and had to spend the night before returning home. The only queen room left at the rate I paid was on the ground floor. I don’t do ground floor for personal safety reasons (yeah, I know the term rape lock, too). So I asked if they had anything else, and they were out of king rooms, only had a 4th floor king suite, for $20 more plus tax. Fine.

It was a lovely room. They didn’t charge me for the upgrade.

I always use it, but Steve's comment does give me pause. I can only assume that if some emergency person needs to get in, they can break down the door, but maybe I'm wrong.

TBH I've never given it much thought. I just use all the locks provided.