"Made" my first CCWer, hotel "Invasion", exciting vacation!

[CNYCacher]

Hey all,
Been down to Virginia Beach all this week and had an interesting time in the world of situational awareness. Gotta say though that I missed THR and hit the Nightcrawler thread when I came back ASAP.

First, I think that I "made" my first CCWer (made, as in recognized) on Thursday, the wife and I stopped in "Joe's Eatery"* for some grub. The place wasn't in what you would call "the best" part of Virginia Beach, but it certainly wasn't a bad neighborhood. Either way, the owner of the place showed up while we were eating (the other employees were calling him "Joe"*). He was dressed in jean shorts and an untucked Polo shirt. I noticed when he reached overhead that he was wearing a rather sturdy-looking belt and there was some type of clip coming down in front of the belt at around 2-oclock. The shirt only rode up so you could see the bottom half of the belt and the clip, but I am pretty sure it could have been an IWB holster. He also adjusted something there when he sat down in a minute later (I know the diff between 12 and 2 so no smart-*** comments on that one ).

*=Names have been changed


Other thing happened just tonight. I am right now in a motel room about halfway back to my home in Upstate NY. A few hours ago, maybe 30 minutes after we settled into the room, we were all lounging on the beds when suddenly there was the sound of the electronic lock on our door and our door opened. My first reaction was to assume that it was the cleaning lady. I yelled out "Excuse us!". Then two things happened at once:

• I realized that cleaning ladies generally don't come around at 8:30pm
• I heard a man's voice say something in the doorway

This part of the story I am kind of proud of: I bolted off the bed at the door. Bolted. I was laying on my stomach on the far bed in the room, and I just popped up and hit the ground running. I could see from where I was that no one had actually entered the room, and in fact the door was only open about a foot so I couldn't even see who was on the other side, so I rushed the door and kicked it closed. I could hear a man on the other side of the door, he was saying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I looked through the peephole and here is a guy standing on the other side of the door holding up that little envelope that they hand you the key cards in at the front desk, holding it up so I can see it. He is business-dressed, with a laptop-bag slung over his back. In his other hand he has a keycard. He keeps saying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!".

I open the door a little bit with my foot planted behind it (given our relative sizes, no way he could have pushed past me like that) and the conversation went like this:
"What do you want?"
"I'm sorry, my room is 209," he holds up the key-card envelope and it indeed has 209 written on it in the front desk lady's sloppy penmanship "and I get the numbers confused, I am so sorry!" (we are staying in room 206, so it is entirely plausible)
"why does your card work in my door"
"No idea!" (he looks back and forth from the numbers on the door (206) to his envelope(209)
"Okay, then. Bye"
"So sorry"
"No problem"
I slam the door in his face. I wasn't trying to be mean, but I wanted to make sure it latched. I also put the chain lock on and went right to the phone and called the desk:
"Front desk"
"Hi, the guy from 209 just came up and he got the room numbers mixed up and he was able to get into our room with his keycard."
"Well. . . that's not supposed to happen. . ."
"Oh, really?"
"No."
"Gee, I didn't think so. Could you change the lock and bring me a new card please?"
"Sure, it'll be right up"

From what I understand, they can reset the locks on the doors from the desk, so as soon as she generated a new keycard for me to use, Mr 209's card wouldn't work in my door enymore. My new card was up within a couple minutes, during which time, and for quite a while afterwards, I got a good ribbing from my wife and her brother about how I had rushed the door (did I mention he was with us at the time [we are visiting him on our way back from VA Beach]).


Self-critique: No need to re-open the door.


So there was my adventure du jour.

 

[DirtyBrad]

My guess is the front desk is the one got it transposed. She probably told the guy 209 and punched in 209 to the key-card programming machine.

Good job with how you handled it. Definitely a good idea to use the manual locks (I don't know what you call those lever ones that they use now) in motels. Lord knows who has keys, what the deal is with the electronic locks, etc.

 

[Jim March]

The good news is, so long as the guy's intent was OK, what you did wouldn't hurt him. Exactly as it played out. If he'd been rushing in (bad intent) you'd have been in the right place.

No harm, no foul.

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

I had something similar happen several years ago on a business trip to Jacksonville. I was given a key card to room "XXX". I used the card to enter. The only light on was in the bathroom. I went in and noticed an open suitcase on the bed and personal belongings on the dresser. I got out of there quickly. My lucky day that no one was in there...CCW or otherwise. They'd have been right to be indignant.

I went back to the main desk and re-booked an empty room. The staff was falling all over themselves with apologies. In view of the way things might have turned out, I now knock on hotel doors the first time I enter.

 

[dman4384]

Those hotel locks are not nearly as secure as you would think.

When they give you a key at the front desk you THINK they simultaneously program the room lock as well. This is not true.

The key they give you has a certain code on it which matches the room lock, along with a sequence number. Think of that as a master code/sequence number.

Your door lock is NOT reprogrammed until you put your new key into the lock and the master code is matched, and the sequence number is higher than the last time a master code was introduced into the lock. At this point the door is "rekeyed" to your key.

What makes this not so secure?

1) If the when keying the locks, the locksmith accidently puts the same master code into two rooms..(say rooms that are easily mistaken such as 206 and 209). This effective gives both rooms the same key.

Because of this, when the intruder opened your door, he actually INVALIDATED YOUR KEY. Good thing you had a new one brought up.

2) An intruder can use a card reader, and decipher the master code..which essentially gives him card blanche to enter that room at any time.

There are some newer system that do rekey the hotel room lock from the front desk, but those are newer and somewhat rare.

 

[sevesteen]

My employer has "Corporate Apartments" in a couple of their major locations for travelling employees. These are ordinary 1 and 2 bedroom apartments scattered through a gated community. I picked up my key (standard key, not a card) at the gate, went to what was supposed to be my apartment, opened the door, and an Australian voice asked "Can I help you, mate?" He was also with my employer, there for several months. We called the guardshack, and they found an unoccupied apartment for me.

When I got to my training class, was talking about the incident, when I found that someone else in my class was also given a key to the Australian's apartment, and showed up not long after I left. The Australian took it well--"I live here, really, I do!"

I made sure I chain-locked my door...

 

[geekWithA.45]

I travel for biz A LOT.

I was once on the OTHER side of this equation. The desk had assigned me a room that was already occupied, and given me a functioning key to it.

I'd strolled into the room, the door slammed behind me, flipped on the light, and saw some sleepy guys in separate beds, who were in the process of revving up to get PO'd.

Good thing I didn't throw my bags on the bed, as per my SOP.

I backscrambled out of the room, making comforting verbalizations "Oh my! Good Grief! I'm sorry! They messed up at the desk!", generally trying to make myself as unthreatening as possible....just in case I'd barged in on One of Us.

I got myself to the desk post haste, cut to the front of the line, and had some unhappy words with the manager. At the same time, some irate gentlemen from that room added their protest.

Take Home Lesson:

Don't Trust Hotel Locks.

Use the flip locker, and carry a rubber wedge in your luggage.

 

[Cacique500]

First thing when I get in to a hotel room is lock the deadbolt and then either chainlock it or use the second lock at the top of the door.

 

[dakotasin]

hehe... hotel screw ups...
i've been essentially living out of a hotel room in denver for the past 2 months. i was just getting ready to go on a dog shoot w/ a friend, so i had my ar-15 in my hands, getting ready to case it.

door pops open, and i stand there w/ my gun looking at the figure in the doorway, while he simultaneously became very nervous. he apologized and quickly left, my heart slowed down.

hilarious looking back on it, way too exciting at the time.

 

[P-35/53]

I thought maybe it was just me- In South Carolina I was given an electronic room key - wife and kids in tow I entered the room only to see clothes on the floor and see steam coming out of the bathroom. Beat a hasty retreat and got a new room and key - they sent me to a room occupied by a couple who believed in joint cleanliness.

 

[MountainBear]

Having worked for a company with several hotels in a certain resort area, you'd be scared to know how many keys are found and where. Key control is a big issue every season, but it seems master keys still turn up everywhere.

Personally, I don't sleep in any hotel room without at least a chained door and a loaded .45...

 

[evan price]

Used to travel constantly for job, and had both sides of the equation (The Walker or Walkee in the room.)
Why the heck wasn't it like in the magazines where they accidentally confuse my room key with that hot Swedish stewardess? It's always some half drunken fat bald dude from some convention.

Anyway I always stay in a hotel, with loaded weap in night stand in a shaving case, and I lock all locks & chains, and take a little rubber doorstop with me.

I once spent a nervous night about 12 years ago at the Knights' Inn in Detroit about a block and a half from the Ren Center with a chair in front of the door and a .357 magnum under the pillow and had to draw it twice in the same night.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

The shirt only rode up so you could see the bottom half of the belt and the clip, but I am pretty sure it could have been an IWB holster. He also adjusted something there when he sat down in a minute later

So you saw a belt clip on the manager's belt where he may hang his keys commonly or sometimes that was in the 2 o'clock position, which places it above the area of his from pants pocket where he later adjusted something...some something in his pocket, maybe checking for the keys in his pocket that he failed to hang on the clip on his belt?

 

[CNYCacher]

So you saw a belt clip on the manager's belt where he may hang his keys commonly or sometimes that was in the 2 o'clock position, which places it above the area of his from pants pocket where he later adjusted something...some something in his pocket, maybe checking for the keys in his pocket that he failed to hang on the clip on his belt?

Negative. Said clip was very simple and could have had no purpose other than to secure something inside the pants to the belt/top of pants. It didn't have any knobs or hooks to hang or snap something onto. It was very similar to what I have seen on 99% of all IWB holsters which use the metal clips instead of the leather snap-loops. I could be wrong, and am certainly not looking for a slap on the back and an "atta-boy!" I was gonna write the post about my motel experience, and thought i would include this as an aside.

 

[gunsmith]

a hotel did that to me too!

no one was in the room, but all the other peoples personal belongings were!
Laptop, camera,...I got a good price for them at the pawn shop....
I went to the manager and told him maybe I should get a room thats not already occupied

 

[pax]

Comedienne Chonda Pierce tells a great story of the time she was given someone else's hotel room key ... and ended up lying down next to a dead body.

Huh. Somehow, it's funnier when she tells it.

pax

 

[Zundfolge]

i've been essentially living out of a hotel room in denver for the past 2 months. i was just getting ready to go on a dog shoot w/ a friend, so i had my ar-15 in my hands, getting ready to case it.

door pops open, and i stand there w/ my gun looking at the figure in the doorway, while he simultaneously became very nervous. he apologized and quickly left, my heart slowed down.

Keep in mind that your 30 round mags (if you have any with you, and maybe even the rifle itself) are illegal in Denver (City has an AWB).

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Quote:
i've been essentially living out of a hotel room in denver for the past 2 months. i was just getting ready to go on a dog shoot w/ a friend, so i had my ar-15 in my hands, getting ready to case it.

door pops open, and i stand there w/ my gun looking at the figure in the doorway, while he simultaneously became very nervous. he apologized and quickly left, my heart slowed down.



Keep in mind that your 30 round mags (if you have any with you, and maybe even the rifle itself) are illegal in Denver (City has an AWB).

Does that apply if you aren't a resident and just passing through? *check your weapons at ze door* If so I'll make sure to bypass the city if I'm ever passing through regardless of whether I have an EVIL assault weapon. That city will get none of my dollars with their AWB and breed specific dog bans.
That sounds like pretty funny timing though. "guess you broke into the wrong room"

 

[NineseveN]

I thought maybe it was just me- In South Carolina I was given an electronic room key - wife and kids in tow I entered the room only to see clothes on the floor and see steam coming out of the bathroom. Beat a hasty retreat and got a new room and key - they sent me to a room occupied by a couple who believed in joint cleanliness.

Lol, that was you? Good thing you didn't walk in on me and the misses...we shower armed.

 

[LoneStranger]

Lol, that was you? Good thing you didn't walk in on me and the misses...we shower armed.

nineseven? Would he have been threatened by your display of Friendly Weapon?

 

[NineseveN]

He just might have been.

 

[ny32182]

I've also been given a key to an occupied room before. I guess its more common than I thought.

 

[Snake Eyes]

where they accidentally confuse my room key with that hot Swedish stewardess

Some (many) years ago, I walked into "my" hotel room to find a pretty attractive naked woman kneeling on the bed and taking a huge bong hit. At that time in my life, the bong was almost as enticing as the naked babe, and the two of them had my undivided attention.....

......until the guy she was "kneeling" (sitting) on top of reared his ugly head and started spouting profanity at me.

Dang, I thought pot smokers were supposed to be more mellow...

 

[P-35/53]

From Nineseven-Lol, that was you? Good thing you didn't walk in on me and the misses...we shower armed.


I admire your water conservation and armed response practices. Didn't see much but it sounded like someone was enjoying themselves.