Hotel Warning

[blackberryuser.livejournal.com]

A warning for people using safes in hotel rooms............sems that many of them have the
same "default" code to open them.  

Anyone know if the Westin Waterfront has this problem?

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2011/09/07/to-lock-or-not-to-lock-are-hotel-safes-really-that-safe/

Comments

[noeltheone.livejournal.com]

Pretty much all hotel safes have a bypass code to allow hotel security to get into the safe if the customer forgets the code. The question boils down to whether the hotel has reset this from whatever default is set by the manufacturer.

Here's one of the original reports:

http://gizmodo.com/5837561/can-000000-secretly-open-your-hotel-safe

I couldn't say if the Westin has reset these.

[paradoox.livejournal.com]

Actually most modern safes require a special tool / adapter to do the bypass. At least that is what I have seen whenever I have checked into a hotel room with a safe the previous occupant left locked. And this has happened more than once. Yes, the hotel can probably get into the safe but they only give that to the people who need it. I mean, if you forget the combination, wouldn't you want the hotel to be able to get in for you?

Code

[blackberryuser.livejournal.com]

But the big question for me is there only one person with this tool
and the code or are their thousands of them running around? Does every
hotel employee in the hotel know the code? Do thousands of hotel
guests also have the code? And do they already have the special tool
needed?


[Is that tool something like a common allen wrench/pocket knife/screwdriver?]

Re: Code

[paradoox.livejournal.com]

Last time I saw one of these it was like a handheld with a USB cable.

I doubt there are thousands running around the hotel.

But, hotels do say that for security you really should use the safe deposit boxes at the front desk ...

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

I asked the Westin, and their director of security Paul Dwyer said

"That is an extremely old safe in the video. We have different models and there is no default code to override our safe. We tested it just to be on the "safe" side."