One of our friends was recently in Norway – we haven’t been yet (but want to), so I lived vicariously through their Facebook posts and reels.
Towards the end of the first day of their vacation, they wrote about an interesting situation. It seemed that when they would leave their hotel room, the door would close behind them but wouldn’t lock for a full minute. They even timed it. 60 seconds.
Our friends are from the U.S. so, of course, they’re always hyper vigilant. When they left the room, they’d stand there for the 60 seconds until the door finally locked.
Of course, that got old really quick, so when the front desk was empty, they asked the clerk about the situation. The guy said it’s like that for “legal reasons.”
It sounded like an interesting situation, so I decided to do some research.
The Tragedy That Changed Hotel Locks in Norway
The reason for the odd locks is a direct result of a fire that happened in Norway almost 40 years ago. Forbes wrote a piece on it, back in 2012:
in the early morning hours of September 5, 1986, fourteen people lost their lives and fifty were injured in a terrible hotel fire in Kristiansand in the south of Norway. Many guests initially left their rooms in this hotel to go out into the hallway at about 4:40 A.M. when the alarm was sounded. They could not return [Edit by Sharon: to their rooms] because they were locked out, having not taken their keys with them in smoke, flames, and the confusion. Many died or were injured as a result. The damage to the hotel was about five million dollars.
More research suggests that the fire occurred at the 12-story Hotel Caledonien (which, by the way, was rebuilt and still stands today – it’s part of the HEIMR Collection). There are photos online of the aftermath of the fire, but of the ones I’ve found, they’re all copyrighted. However I did find a YouTube video of the event:
The fire and resulting deaths were considered a huge tragedy in Norway. As a result, the government made a law such that electronic door locks must remain unlocked for up to 1 minute after a patron has left their hotel room. That way, if there’s a fire in the hallway and exits are blocked, hotel guests can still go back into the rooms without having to fumble for their room key.
The doors automatically lock after 1 minute has passed.
What About Security Concerns?
Of course, the first thing a cynical American would consider is the safety issues of a hotel door that doesn’t lock immediately upon closing. If the hotel guest were to walk away before the 60 seconds was up, it’s reasonable to believe that someone could sneak into the still-unlocked room.
In researching, I did find one solution to this from Hotel Norge, located in Bergen, Norway (since 1885!):
Automatic Locking System:
The door to your room is designed to lock automatically 60 seconds after you close it. This is a safety feature that allows you to re-enter your room in case of an emergency, such as a fire in the corridor. The extra time ensures that you can seek safety back in your room if needed.
How to Lock the Door Immediately:
If you prefer that the door locks immediately when you close it, simply tap your room key on the encoder (the card reader) after closing the door. This will secure the door instantly, giving you added peace of mind.
However I couldn’t find out if this “tap your key on the card reader” was nationwide or just at their hotel. Sorry.
So yeah…should you go to Norway, heads up about those door locks.
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