Hotels

[The Stig]

What steps do you take to prepare for a SHTF event when staying in a hotel?

For me:
* Never stay in hotel/motel with exterior facing doors
* Stay on as low as floor as possible
* Place large towel across the bottom of the room-door to block smoke in the event of a fire while I'm sleeping
* Note the approximate distance to the fire exits from my room (counting doors preferably....ie 6 door to the left is a stairwell, etc)
* Keep my clothes and personal belongings stacked neatly in one location so I can easily grab them all if I have to scoot quickly
* Place room key with car keys so I don't lock myself out on a trip to the ice machine (total shtf event if making quick dash in skivvies)

Other ideas thoughts?

I think Hotels lend a false sense of security because you start to identify with your room and feel like you're in a bunker. Many things can be going on outside your room but you're separated off in your own little cocoon.

[alaska]

i hate hotels.
I will actually walk from my room to 2 diff exit locations. kind of like a muscle memory thing.

[bacpacker]

I try and stay on a lower floor. Also typically I keep my bag packed and ready to grab if need be. All valuables are kept in a laptop backpack to grab and go. Clothes for the next day in a pile next to the backpack, along with the shoes. I also try and park away from the hotel, not right next to it. Always backed in and with decent access to a exit.

Good idea about the towel at the door and preplanning 2 different exits by counting doors.

[RedJohn]

I remember one time, I arrived in Orlando and my lower floor bedroom was flooded because of heavy rains. Lower is not always better.

I hate hotels. I have this thing about what they did in this bed before me.

[bacpacker]

Personally I prefer the 2nd floor, mainly due to all the traffic on the main floor. Generally hotels suck at their best, but are sometime a nessacary evil.

There has been a lot of good idea's so far, lookin forward to eveyone else's ides as well.

[LUNCHBOX]

I agree with the second floor....when me and my buddy make a gear run and hotel it I request the second floor and bring a decent length of rope just in case you have slide out. Keeping your bags and sensitive items ready and close is just part of how we (the like minded people) are.

Parking away and backing in are nice ideas.

[alaska]

i also procured, a while back, a case of fire escape masks. one will be with me from now on when a hotel is involved.

[ak474u]

I set up the suitcase tables, (look like cots for midgets) in front of the door a few feet when we go to bed at night, an invader is going to be in a hury to clear the fatal funnel most hotel rooms that have the bathroom at the inner wall feature, so if they kick the door, they have an entanglement of sorts in the way. Can you imagine kicking in a door of a darkened room and busting your ass as you hurry toward the living area? we actually do something similar at home with my son's living room toy box in the pathway.

[alpmco]

A flashlight. I always take two with me. One by the bed within easy reach. A small LED in my pocket.
With all the smoke alarms in hotels (I don't know where Motel 6 Ranks) I don't see the need for the towel at the door other than to keep light out or someone from peaking through those big honkin threshold gaps. Personally I prefer doors that open out to the parking lot not into a hallway. A place where if I'm driving I can back in outside the door. These type are disappearing quickly.
I don't unpack and store things in the drawers. I repack my important stuff prior to turning in at night. Grab and go! On business I take a backpack with me for leaving the room. I load it with essentials I may need.

[Idaho J]

Man, you guys are true preppers!

The only thing i do is keep my EDC gun on the nightstand (instead of in the nightstand at home).

This ended up getting us a free room once! My wife and i checked into our room and i brought my pistol from the car and laid it on the bed after we checked in. Instead of unloading the car, we went straight to the motel restraunt. After dinner we came back to our room and laid down. The manager knocked on our door, i answred it and he said "how did you get in this room"? I told him we had checked into it an hour ago...well he said that some other people had checked into it while we were at dinner and were a little concerned with the contents. I said "you mean to tell me that there was other people in my room while we were at dinner?". While trying to calm me down he said he would comp our room. It worked, i became calm, and got the room for free. Turned out that a computer glitch caused them to book out our room a second time that night. But now i realize it's not always a private room-anyone can walk in, staff or guests.