Hotels with Security Cards

[Guest cardholder]

I recently stayed at my former favorite hotel in NY, and was informed that the hotel had introduced a security device requiring the use of the room card to operate the elevators, and that guests would have to be met at the lobby. How common is this? Does anyone else find that this cramps their hiring style? I won't be staying there any more!

[LovesYng]

Very common in a lot of big city hotels. Plenty of times I would meet the escort in the hotel lobby, no big deal. He would call me in the hotel lobby on the house phone, knowing what the escort looked like I had no problem spotting him

 

When in doubt I whip it out :+

[jack]

card, I travel a lot. I would not stay in a hotel equipped as you just described. The procedure of having to activate an elevator with a room card requiring you to meet guests in the lobby is offensive and impractical.

 

I my case, I enjoy escort services and seldom know what he looks like. Secondly, there is no security advantage, since anybody is usually asked and can receive more than more "room key" card which could be handed out to anybody at anytime -- hence, the hotel's procedure adds no security to its premises.

 

Thirdly, I would assume the hotel you reference is a slow or low activity property compared to a Marriott where there are teams of people by the hundreds moving throughout their lobbies making it rediculous to think of trying to spot a guest. I want the knock on the door so I can greet my guest properly in proper attire -- whatever that may be.

 

Answer: if they don't change their policy, go someplace else. x(

[Luv2play]

This topic has been discussed previously in quite an extensive exchange of views. I would assume you can find it in the archives.

[Justice]

There's pluses and minuses with this system. For example, a str8 friend recently told me that she no longer felt comfortable staying at a certain casino hotel in Atlantic City (she's frequently comped there) because the people hanging around the elevator banks made her feel VERY uncomfortable. (Push in robberies and worse sometimes happen in even the nicest apartment buildings in NYC, so I can see her point.)

 

I recently stayed at four star hotels in downtown San Diego and near "The Loop" in Chicago. In San Diego, you had to insert your room key into a slot to unlock all but one outside entrance after a certain hour. In Chicago you had to show your room key to a security guard before you could enter through most entrances of the hotel. Again, that was only after a certain hour. Neither arrangement bothered me.

 

No security arrangement is foolproof, but if a hotel's security arrangement prevents even one tragedy from happening then I'm all for it.

 

Justice

[+ deej]

Some of the Vegas casinos have had a "show room key to get on elevator" policy for several years. Every working boy I knew had a (non-working) room key for all the major casinos just for this purpose. :+

 

It's pretty futile when all you have to do is SHOW the key.

[buttnovice]

Should not cramp anyone's style in a major way. Granted, the added security usually is an illusion. One's greatest fortress is still the room door. Anyone can get by the often sloppy or sleeping guard by flashing a card. Today's chain hotel room keys are so generic looking one easily can have quite a collection of those plastic credit card things. Often I stay on club or concierge floors that have key access. All one has to do is get into the elevator with you. After you insert your key and select a floor, it's a free ride for them. When I have someone coming to my room, I either meet them in the lobby or some other hotel public space, like the floor with the gym or meeting rooms. . . or simply on a lower floor lobby, then I escort my escort to my room.

[+ Lucky]

It's pretty asy for me to spot my tricks, even in a croewded lobby such as the Marriott Marquis. I insist that they arrive naked.

[LovesYng]

Lucky, your one of a kind. Keep up the good work, I laugh like hell after I read some of your posts :*

 

When in doubt I whip it out :+

[+ Lucky]

RE: Hotels with Security Cords

 

Thanks, I always love a compliment. Now I am going to take spelling lessons from Vincent Michael...

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Plus and Minus

 

>I recently stayed at four star hotels in downtown San Diego

>and near "The Loop" in Chicago. In San Diego, you had to

>insert your room key into a slot to unlock all but one outside

>entrance after a certain hour. In Chicago you had to show

>your room key to a security guard before you could enter

>through most entrances of the hotel. Again, that was only

>after a certain hour. Neither arrangement bothered me.

 

This has been discussed before, although some of the methods have changed. Particularly in downtown or high office spare areas (a good example is near the financial district in San Francisco or Manhattan or near the White House in D.C.), guards are posted to restrict entrance after a certain time to registered hotel guests only. While you can often advice the security guard that person such and such will be visiting you, or your guest can present his idea and aks the guard to call to his room, there is a slight delay and there may be an element of inconvenience if either the client or the escort wishes to remain anoynymous.

 

This is also becoming more prevelant as properties create special areas for privileged, high use (frequent hotel users), or other ways in which guests might be differentiated. This includes key card access to special areas where they might provide complimentary meals or a cocktail hour featuring free liquor.

 

http://www.gaydar.co.uk/francodisantis

[Guest cardholder]

RE: Mostly Minus

 

>This has been discussed before, although some of the methods

>have changed. Particularly in downtown or high office spare

>areas (a good example is near the financial district in San

>Francisco or Manhattan or near the White House in D.C.),

>guards are posted to restrict entrance after a certain time to

>registered hotel guests only.

 

That's very true. The techniques are changing. To get into office buildings in mid-Town since 9/11 one often needs to produce id in order to generate an instant photo-id badge. I hope that trend does not come to hotels anytime soon.

 

I find the whole thing very, very annoying and really wonder why there is not much more outrage. Although the guy at the front door of the hotel in NY encouraged me to complain, and mentioned that a lot of customers were upset.

 

I will be looking for a new hotel because there simply is not enough traffic or enough space in the front for an escort to be able to use any of the avoidance techniques suggested here like waiting for someone else to get on the elevator (because he'd have to guess that the person was also going to get off at the right floor) or going to a common floor with a gym etc.

 

The funny thing is that I also stay at a more exclusive hotel in London, but they have none of this. They do have CCTV throughout the hotel, and I am sure they watch where people go when they get on the elevator. I don't care for that approach, but it is less offensive than what is going on in NY hotels increasingly.