When you have checked into your room, you have a right to refuse it if it does not have the following:
- Locking system on doors and windows
- Toilet with an open and easily accessible ventilator
- A door viewer
- A working phone
- Working air conditioning system
- Fire alarm system
- Running water supply
Check the room for cleanliness and hygienic conditions, if you are not satisfied, ask for another one.
Put up the
'DO NOT DISTURB' board outside your room during your entire stay. Intruders don't generally enter occupied rooms.
Before you leave your room, turn on the TV or radio loud enough to be heard outside.
Keep curtains drawn on windows that provide unhindered view of your room from outside.
Use the door viewer before you open the door for anyone.
Arrange your belongings in a fashion that will tell you if anything is missing.
Keep all your things in the closets/drawers provided and lock them.
Check the phone to see how to report emergencies.
Does your hotel have child-friendly rooms (covered outlets and tub faucets, rounded furniture corners).
Write each child's name on a slip of paper, along with the number of a close friend or relative at home; then tuck or pin the paper in the child's pocket. In case you have a local contact number mention that too.
Look for hotels that have supervised play centres.
Draw up rules and regulations for children with you:
Forbid roaming unescorted in the hotel.
Familiarise them with your emergency plan in case it has to be put into action.
Don't send them out to buy things from nearby shops, restrict your purchases to once a day and preferably finish then before you check in.
Fire safety tips:
All transit accommodations, like hotels and guesthouses, are generally prone to fire and other safety problems. So check out the safety measures before you check in. Forewarned is forearmed.
Upon your arrival, find out where the emergency exits are? Don't leave it for later. Before you enter your room, look to your left and to your right and locate two exits from your floor. Check each one and count the number of doors between your room and the exits. They may be hard to find in a fire because of panic and smoke. So make sure of the exact location.
Fire always goes up, so you should always go down. And come down by the stairs.
You can start by locating the position of the stairs. This is important in case there is a fire and you are on an upper floor. It is always in your interest to use the stairs in an emergency.
Lifts and elevators should be avoided. A disruption in power supply can trap you in an immobile lift. Also, lifts even when working tend to behave in a strange manner in
such situations.
Take stock of the position of fire extinguishers, fire exits and fire alarms.
Make yourself familiar with the plan of the floor you are on, so that you know how to get out in a hurry. Find out about the designated safe refuge areas on your floor.
Fire is something that can catch you unawares and more so when you are in a strange and unfamiliar place. How you respond to it in the initial few minutes will decide the course of events.
If you discover a fire in your room, leave the room if you cannot tackle it with the available resources.
Raise an alarm and get all the occupants out of the room. Don't waste time collecting your belongings; life is more precious than everything else. Remember to close the door after you so that the fire remains confined in the room.
If the fire is not in your room but you hear the alarm, don't panic and rush out. The fire could be raging just outside your room.
Feel the door with your palms. If it is hot to touch or you find smoke seeping in from under the door, be cautious. Don't open the door.
Open a window to escape or for fresh air while awaiting rescue.
Phone and let others know about your situation. Wait for rescue. Use wet towels, newspapers or bed-sheets to plug the gap and prevent smoke from seeping into the room.
If you can't get out, fill the bathtub with water as quickly as possible, because water pressure may drop quickly.
Don't loose your presence of mind. Don't hide under beds or tables. Rather let others know that you need help.
In case you decide to leave the room, take your room key with you. If the exits are blocked, you may have to return.
Flames are ferocious and frightening, but smoke is a silent and sinister killer, even deadlier than flames.
It numbs your senses before you realise it. The main constituent of smoke is carbon monoxide, a colourless and odourless gas. It just puts you to a sleep from which it is impossible to awaken.
Smoke, when hot, is lighter than air and rises, thus leaving some breathing space if you crawl on all fours. Keep to the walls, others may be darting across.
Cover your mouth and face with damp cloth to help filter out poisonous gases and smoke.
Visibility may be a problem. So take a torch with you.
Whatever the situation, don't panic. Keep your family together, stay calm and think. This will help you to take positive and constructive steps to help yourself and others.
