No matter where in the world your wanderlust (or career) may take you, one of the best things about traveling is staying in a hotel. There are so many beautiful hotels around the world with great service, amazing amenities, and striking architecture – and we’ve written about many of them. Even so, hotels can be a breeding ground for thieves and scammers. Here are the four top worldwide hotel scams:
Fake Menus
Great! A local pizzeria slipped their flier under your hotel room door, now you won’t have to look any further for dinner. False. You’re about to hand over your name and credit card info to an identity thief posing as a pizzeria. This run of the mill scam is so popular, it’s even seen at Disney World of all places. If you want some low-key food to order in, ask the hotel for a recommendation instead. Before ordering anything, always check with the front desk to see if these are legitimate restaurants, or use Google to find local restaurants, and pay in cash. Never use your credit card over the phone.
The Room Inspectors
Two people usually dressed up as hotel employees will knock on your door, saying they need to do a routine check of your room/smoke detector/etc. If you let them in, one will engage you in conversation to distract you while the other steals your valuables. Hotels never do room inspections while the guest is in the room. So, if this happens to you know it’s most likely a scam. Call the main desk and tell them what’s going on. This scam is very popular in Spain.
Credit Card Issues?
Another scary way to get your credit card information stolen is this common scenario; you give your CC info to the front desk to apply any room charges to, as always. Later, you get a call from the concierge asking to confirm your credit card info over the phone (a huge no-no), as there was a problem when they entered it. In reality, you’ve been contacted by someone who called the front desk and asked for a room number that happened to be yours, and they’re pretending to be the front desk to get your information and steal your identity. There’s no way to tell that the call is coming from outside the hotel, because the perpetrator puts on a professional front. To avoid this disaster, tell them you’ll come downstairs to confirm it in person. Then go down or call the front desk directly to make sure it’s legit. You may be half asleep and not in the mood, but it’s better than having your identity stolen.
Don’t Drink the Water
This scam happens a lot overseas. If you go to a hotel, usually in a third world country, you may see various signs around the hotel that say, “do not drink water” or “water not safe for consumption” and other things along those lines. When you go to the front desk to ask about the water, they’ll say that the water in the hotel isn’t safe, but they have fresh bottled water you can buy (at an obscene price). Or you might have bottled water already in your room upon arrival. When you check out of the hotel, you’ll see extra charges on your bill for the water. This is when your research comes in. In cases like this, the hotel is usually trying to scam you by making you buy their bottled water even though the water in your room is fine. Research to see if the city and country you’re in has safe drinking water or not. If it doesn’t, you’re still better off buying your own water locally than buying the hotel’s water.
Hotels can be one of the best parts about traveling, but always remember that scams can happen. Make sure to thoroughly research the country you’re visiting, and the hotel you’re staying at. Read hotel reviews to see what other people have experienced. If there’s ever a problem or a concern, don’t be afraid to go to the front desk.
Most of these scams happen when there’s a holiday. They maximize their scam-abilities to tourist and vacation goers.
Just got back to my hotel room from a drinking sesh at the hotel bar. It’s so sad when people scam you. Just so low — feels so violating.
Sometimes, those hotels don’t respond to the complaints you’ve made. They’ll just smile at you and will say they’ll fix the problem when they won’t really make any solutions.
Those travel scams usually happen in major tourist destinations. It’s too bad, because it makes the tourists who’ve experienced it give bad ratings and feedback that isn’t necessarily reflective of the average tourist’s experience.
Whenever when we’re in a hotel, I always check first before opening the door to strangers. And I never fully open the door for them or let them in easily.
Really?? You have to be very gullible to have someone call you late at night and ask for your CC info and then give it to them.
I always prefer to trust my travel agency when I’m planning a trip. They know what hotels are safe and sometimes they even gave me discounts!
smh. they should stop scamming people and have a better job than fooling and making money from people
Do some research with the restaurant near your hotel. Or better yet, choose a hotel that’s near your favorite restaurant.
Be wise and careful with these scams! Save yourself from the stress that these scams gonna cause you.