Most travelers assume the biggest vulnerability with hotel and cruise safes is someone knowing the override code. Turns out some safes may also have another hidden way in.
Years ago, in-room hotel safes were opened and locked with a key.
Of course, guests would sometimes lose their key. The solution was usually for the front desk to have either a backup key or a master key. Otherwise, they’d need to call a locksmith.
How Hotel & Cruise Safes Changed Over Time
All three situations meant the hotel (or perhaps the embarrassed guest) would have to pay extra money (for the new key [or lock!] and/or the locksmith). So, over time, as technology improved, most hotels (and cruise ships) invested in (or were built with) room safes with electronic locks, where guests could input a code of their choosing.
Of course, guests forget their codes all the time. Or leave without emptying their safe, which not only means their valuables are stuck in the safe, but the next guest can’t reset the code (which can only be done if the safe is unlocked). So safe companies have master codes for hotel/cruise staff to unlock the safes.
Unfortunately, those codes are all over the internet. And THAT’S why we’ve warned our readers that leaving stuff in your electronic room/cabin safe is not safe. Because anyone with the code to that particular safe could break in.
TIL (Today I Learned) you don’t even need to have a master code
Take a look at these safes. They’re all different brands, but have one thing in common. Do you see it? (Hint: it’s not anything to do with the locking mechanism).
Give up?
They all have a little metal plate on the front.
What that little metal plate is hiding
Well, it turns out that the little metal plate isn’t a decoration or a place for the safe company to put their logo. Nope, it’s actually hiding a little key hole that’s made for a master override key.
In theory, anyone with the correct override key could access the lock.
And, of course, those little master override keys can be purchased online. Because, of course, they can.
Here’s more information about it:
Before anyone freaks out, I’m no locksmith, but according to my research, override keys come in different shapes and sizes, tailored to the safe manufacturer and specific safe model. So, if nothing else, a potential thief would need to have the correct override key to access your safe.
That being said, a lock that can be opened with an override key is, unfortunately, also a lock that can be picked open. And there are some people who are really good at picking locks. So there’s that to consider. That’s why some hoteliers and cruise companies choose safes that don’t include an override key.
See? No little metal plate hiding an override keyhole
Now, to some extent, having this fail-safe (you see what I did there?) method to get into your hotel/cruise safe is a good thing. Say, if the electronics conk out, they can still access your stuff with an override key. But other than that, just like potential thieves having access to override codes, it’s just one more way that someone can get into your hotel or cruise safe.
At the end of the day, hotel and cruise safes are probably best viewed as deterrents, not vaults.
They’ll likely stop casual snooping or opportunistic theft. But if someone is determined — and has the right override key, master code, or lock-picking skills — these safes may not offer nearly as much protection as travelers assume.
Which is why I still wouldn’t leave anything truly irreplaceable in one. 😏
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