If you want to break into a hotel room, just wear slippers

[harvyk]

Thief wearing hotel slippers given access to room safe at Hong Kong's Peninsula Hotel | News.com.au

"Speaking in English, he told hotel staff that he had lost his room key and demanded another one," the newspaper cited a Hong Kong police officer as saying, adding that the man provided details of the 47-year-old male occupant including name and birthdate, without saying how he had obtained such information.
After entering the room, the man "telephoned the front desk from the room saying he had forgotten the password of the safe and asked for assistance to open it", the officer was quoted by the SCMP as saying.

Surely the hotel should either ask the guest for actual ID or failing that go to the room with the guest so the guest can get their ID.

The remotely unlocking a safe part is also a bit of a worry, especially only after he had also "forgotten" his room key.

 

[Foreigner]

Con job by one talented trickster. Amazing lax of security for a five star property.

 

[markis10]

No way I would leave that much cash in my room regardless.

 

[samh004]

Not good press for The Peninsula, very bad security there.

shame, I've always had great memories of staying there.

 

[Flashback]

I've found this to be true in just about every hotel property I've ever stayed in. A request for a room key is never met with much of a security challenge.. scary really, especially in this day and age.

 

[madrooster]

I've found this to be true in just about every hotel property I've ever stayed in. A request for a room key is never met with much of a security challenge.. scary really, especially in this day and age.

I had to ask for an additional room key at a hotel in London once, all I had to do was tell the front desk the room number. The front desk did not ask for ID let alone a name to match against the room records.

 

[Mal]

I'm about 50% for being challenged for id if I request a new room key.

But it isn't hard to find out information about a hotel stayer... Breakfast comp sheets, room service logs etc are the easiest. Maybe even listening at thr breakfast or bar and hearing which room and surname they are charging to. Or if particularly malicious ring the room and find out how the person answers...many people will switch into corporate mode and give their full name.

 

[JohnK]

I constantly need the safe opened manually as I manage to lock myself out for one reason or another.

It is not good knowing that they would just hand out room keys to anyone. I guess one of the positives of staying in a small hotel where staff who is staying in which room at any point in time.