Social Engineering of Hotel Maids – Win Some, Lose Some

I travel a lot.

Picture this. The hotel front desk recreates my room key so I can get back into my room. Because I forgot what room number I was in, I have them remind me. When I get to the room I find my key does not work. I hate it when this happens. It happens often enough that I know the fastest solution is to have a conversation with a maid to bypass the system. So that is what I did.

After some convincing dialog with a maid – "poof" – I am in the room (no name, no ID, no nothing). Not the first time I have done this, and for the record a rather easy affair.

I step over some luggage, see some pink running shoes, notice a container of watermelon chunks and other clutter. I remove a purse and towel from the chair at the desk so I can sit there and connect my laptop to the Internet and get some work done. Let’s just say I was hyper-focused.

I work about 45 minutes and from time-to-time consider getting naked and climbing into bed for a short nap until my girlfriend returns.

My cell phone rings and it is my girlfriend. I tell her I am in the room. She proclaims that is not possible because she is in the room.

Like a nightmare – as I scan the room, nothing is familiar. That is not our luggage. We don’t own shoes like that. The purse and towel I moved from the chair, I’ve never seen them before either!

Well, let’s just say I tensed up!

Gone in sixty seconds.

Comments

[JTH]

Jeff
ROFLOL!!!

Man are you ever FOCUSED!

So here's counter
Decade two ago I get off flight, Detroit.
Need to find the head pretty bad, and catch the first one, suitbag and briefcase... don't pay attention to the signage

Notice the bench, no standup's but grab a stall.

Then hear the click of high heels

[Mark Cathcart]

How funny, we've all been there or worse. I did the same thing at the Sheraton in Brussels. Half asleep one morning, I pulled on my levis, walked down the hall with nothing else on, to get a soda. Door slammed behind me, no key, no shirt, no shoes...

Got the maid to unlock the door, walked in and the people whose room it was were still in bed... as you say, gone in 60 seconds

[Darryl]

OUTSTANDING!!! These stories made my day.

[Fred Sobotka]

When I attend IOD next month, I will do what I can to help by placing a sign on my hotel room door that says "Not Jeff's Room"

[JP Harris]

Birmingham, AL. The person at the front desk was having a problem getting my reservation up and my room assigned but it was late at night; I was grumpy. Just give me my key and point me toward the elevator, please!

Up and down the hall. Key worked (my theory on the keys not working is that they recycle them too much and the mag stripes are damaged). Open the door and walk in on some poor guy, laying on theh bed with his shirt off watching TV and chilling after his day. I was gone in about 5 seconds.

Warning to all travelers. Always flip the mechanical bar across on your door. I've had too many people walk in on me in hotels. NY, DC and a few other places. If you think you have privacy behind that door you're fooling yourself.

[BagGirl]

Sounds funny. And definitely something that would happen to me, knowing my bad experiences with hotal stays. Amazing how something as simple as getting the right key to the right room can be such a chore for hotal staff.