a building with a door and a balcony
Photographs ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

Two Important Reasons to Check the Door to the Balcony of the Hotel Room

“I  immediately locked the door and closed the drapes. The crazy thing, however, is that the next night when I got back to the room after work the door was ajar again! I locked it again and called the front desk to let them know. It was still locked when I checked before bed and in the morning, so at least the door/lock itself wasn’t faulty.”

During a recent trip to California when the Road Warriorette was in her hotel room and wanted to sit outside “enjoying the night air and relaxing after work with a glass of wine”, the noises from the other side of the glass seemed too loud when she went to open the door. Not only was the door unlocked; but it was slightly open as well — causing her to be nervous and concerned.

Two Important Reasons to Check the Door to the Balcony of the Hotel Room

Traveling by yourself can at times potentially be risky; so ensuring your safety — without going overboard, of course — is usually a good idea. Taking a moment to check and ensure that the door to the balcony of a hotel room in which you are staying is closed and locked is always a good idea…

…but on the other hand, locking yourself out on the balcony of the hotel room is quite easy to do when the door automatically locks when it is shut — presumably for security reasons — and your room is located on the 35th floor of the hotel property with no connecting balconies.

Over the years, I have encountered the door to the balcony from the hotel room to be ajar and have surmised that whoever was cleaning the room wanted some fresh air — similar to when the thermostat of the hotel room has been adjusted but not reverted back to its setting when I left the room to go out for the day. I rarely carry anything of value with me; so I am usually not all that concerned.

When the balcony is on a higher floor where adjacent balconies are difficult to navigate because they are separated, chances are that an intruder will not enter your hotel room; but on lower floors or with connecting balconies, the risk of invasion by an uninvited person increases.

Some hotel properties equip balcony doors with automatic locks — but that increases your chances of accidentally being locked out of your hotel room. What I do whenever I am out on the balcony of a hotel room is to leave the door open a crack; and if I am concerned about insects intruding upon the hotel room, I will block the small opening — usually with the curtain or a drape.

Some doors can be adjusted where you can unlock the door; but test it first by closing it while you are still inside of the hotel room before you decide to trust it if you want to close it — to keep the room at a comfortable temperature as one reason, for example.

Of course, this advice can also apply to being locked out of a hotel room in general, to which I offer this advice: always have the hotel key — usually a plastic card — on your person. No exceptions. Do not even think of leaving the tray from room service outside the door of your hotel room while naked, for example.

Summary

Check to ensure that the door to the balcony of the hotel room in which you are staying is closed, secured and locked for your safety and protection; and take precautions to ensure that you do not accidentally get locked out should you decide to enjoy relaxing outside on the balcony.

Photographs ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

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