How to safeguard your security, privacy in a hotel

NEW YORK • The case of an ESPN reporter who was videotaped through a peephole in her hotel room door shows how easy it is for a hotel guest's security and privacy to be violated. Here are some tips for staying safe in hotels.

• Desk clerks should never say your room number aloud when you check in. The number should be written on the card key sleeve and discreetly handed to you. You have every right to ask for a different room if the room number is announced, according to Peter Greenberg, CBS travel editor and author of "Hotel Secrets from the Travel Detective."

• Solo travelers, especially those juggling luggage and card keys, are vulnerable to push-ins at their hotel room door. If you feel uncomfortable walking from the lobby to your room, "ask the front desk to provide an escort from the hotel staff," Greenberg said.

• If you haven't requested room service or assistance from housekeeping, and someone knocks on your hotel door claiming to be a member of the hotel staff, "call the front desk and ask if someone from their staff is supposed to have access to your room and for what purpose," according to a list of "Guest Safety Tips" from the American Hotel & Lodging Association. It's not unusual for high-end hotels to send staff for turndown service or to deliver complimentary chocolates and other amenities, but even someone who appears to be wearing a uniform can be a phony.

• Last summer the hotel industry reported a spate of prank calls to hotel employees and guests in which frantic callers claimed to be reporting an emergency such as a fire that required guests to leave their rooms. The American Hotel & Lodging Association says if you receive such a call, hang up and call the front desk for confirmation before leaving your room.

• Memorize the locations of elevators and emergency exits on your floor.

• Keep hotel room windows and doors locked, and blinds and drapes closed. Be sure to check bathroom windows, sliding glass doors and doors that connect adjacent rooms. Use whatever bolt or chain locks are on the door whenever you are inside the room.

• If you are worried about being spied on through the peephole of your door, Greenberg suggests covering it with a piece of duct tape, which is easy to remove if you do get a knock on the door and want to see who's on the other side.