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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Man spies on women through hotel room adjoining door

21 replies

jay55 · 25/07/2020 15:11

www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/key-west-voyeur-652938

Man slid a spy camera under the door to the adjoining room to film the women when they got back from the beach, so he knew they'd be changing.

These women were not safe from a voyeurs eyes in the privacy of their hotel room. He did this all the time on business trips so many, many women will have been violated.

I've no doubt this man would take full advantage of mixed sex spaces for changing etc if he had the chance.

OP posts:
Sailfin · 25/07/2020 15:27

Appalling.

Some time back, a man was put in the sex offenders register because he secretly videoed himself having sex with women.

He had the audacity to blame "the sisterhood", whoever they are supposed to be.

Sailfin · 25/07/2020 15:27

On the sex offenders register.

wellbehavedwomen · 25/07/2020 17:25

@Sailfin

Appalling.

Some time back, a man was put in the sex offenders register because he secretly videoed himself having sex with women.

He had the audacity to blame "the sisterhood", whoever they are supposed to be.

If only the Sisterhood were that powerful.
LouHotel · 25/07/2020 20:45

I've worked in the hotel industry for 15 years - since I moved to big brands 12 years ago every single one had a lone female traveller policy.

Depressing really and as a 20 year old I remember thinking how unnecessary it was until I took a request from a female traveller to never allocate her close to a male work colleague of hers as he was becoming more and more inappropriate.

I think about her a lot as I realise now that clearly she didn't feel comfortable raising it with her employer.

Sorry to derail but we in the hotel industry have our own safeguarding so for me what sticks out from this is a lone male should never have been allocated in a adjoining room next to women or families and those of us with experience know why.

Goes without saying the man is still to blame.

DianasLasso · 25/07/2020 20:47

That's interesting info if very depressing, Lou. Good to know that much of the hotel industry is aware of this problem and acts accordingly.

Splitsunrise · 25/07/2020 20:50

@LouHotel would be interested to know more about the lone female traveller policy if possible!

Sailfin · 26/07/2020 02:52

Well - absolutely..

Jkrowling92 · 26/07/2020 08:14

LouHotel Wow how depressing but honestly thankful there is one. If there’s something I’m learning, it’s that good faith only puts women in harms way.

LouHotel · 26/07/2020 08:42

@splitsunrise some of it is common sense that gets completed for all guests now but it started specifically for women travellers.

Dont allocate interconnecting or end of corridors/near stair well

Dont allocate rooms that the entrance is easily seen from common areas (ground floor, near bar etc..)

Dont disclose room numbers (at reception, restaurant, bar) and if someone calls the hotel asking for 'Mrs Smith' dont just transfer without speaking to the guest and do so without affirming that Mrs Smith is staying here so

'' let me place you on hold and check our room records''....I'm sorry I do not have a guest registered with that name''


Human and child sex trafficking is a big concern for hotels these days - incredibly difficult but we try to teach staff to work on trusting instinct. I would much prefer to deal with a complaint from a man travelling on his own with his child being questioned than it be something else and missed.

FindMeInTheSunshine · 26/07/2020 09:11

Interesting about the guest policy for lone female travellers. Last year I went to a conference with a male colleague and have no concerns about him, but simply didn't want to be put in a room next door, or above or below, simply because sound travels, and I had no wish to hear when he was in the shower or vice versa, that's just wrong! I often wondered what the default was, if hotels try to put groups of colleagues together or spread them out.

jay55 · 26/07/2020 09:12

LouHotel really glad you have those policies in place. I used to travel a lot for work and thought it weird I was never on the same floor as my male colleagues, I guess it could have been this sort of policy.

OP posts:
Sicario · 26/07/2020 09:16

I used hotels a lot during a particular period of my career. Top class hotels only, and every single time I would encounter men trying their luck. Once I got to my room and found 2 messages waiting on the room phone - someone clearly had my room number.

Since then I made certain to never have a visible room key card (with the room number on) and to insist that my name and room number was not spoken aloud when signing for things.

I would also make clear on checking in that my personal security was my highest priority.

It's shocking how many men are outright predators and they think it's ok.

MrsKingfisher · 26/07/2020 09:24

I travel a lot with work around 8 months of the year I am in and out of hotels around the globe, never have I been allocated a non connecting room due to being female. I always have to ask that my room is non connecting many many times I get to my room only to find there's a connecting door.

Hotel receptions pay no attention to security saying room numbers aloud so others in the vicinity can hear.

I have a doorstop alarm that fits under my door and before I lock my door I check under the bed, wardrobes, behind curtains and in the bathroom.

Hotels really could and should do more to ensure safety of guests.

calllaaalllaaammma · 26/07/2020 12:02

This can be a problem in Air B&B's as well, as they are often run like B &B's with multiple guests but some have no locks on doors as it is a domestic house.

Thelnebriati · 26/07/2020 12:13

This would make a great campaign - ask every hotel and business that has changing rooms or accommodation to publish their safeguarding policies on their website.

LouHotel · 26/07/2020 12:19

To understand the female perspective of travel you have to have female industry leaders driving policy - general managers are overwhelmingly male as the old school approach to how you reach this position is through male orientated departments (food and beverage)

Yet when your a GM the areas you need to fully understand are finance and commercial and the largest departmet you'll have line management for is housekeeping. The latter two are female driven and finance has a better mix of sex as a department.

fascinated · 26/07/2020 12:30

I would never use an Air BnB for safety reasons. The owner, for a start, and anyone else who may have a key. Plus any other guests if it is a a shared house. I shudder to think of what might happen.

EmbarrassingAdmissions · 26/07/2020 18:24

Hotel receptions pay no attention to security saying room numbers aloud so others in the vicinity can hear.

I travel for work (or used to until this March) and when it's on the public purse, we're put up in a very budget hotel chain. Some of the ones in some cities have the entrance on a different floor to the reception - and after 18:00 they lock the door and you gain entrance to a lobby where you're stopped by Security in full yellow jacket, with clipboard. Who proceed to ask you if you've already registered and demand to know your name and room number. Standing next to the (open) stairs as well as next to the lifts - just in case anyone would like to learn that it's just you in your room, and your name and room number. Hmm

The hotel has enough problems that they have security rather than reception 'greet' you - but it's obviously no problem for you to give all your details in public…

Al1Langdownthecleghole · 26/07/2020 21:54

Have also worked for the public and charity sectors and am a veteran of budget hotels.

The ones I especially dislike, are ones that have a lot contractors staying. Being a lone female in a noisy, alcohol fuelled, Male environment is unnerving at best.

DianasLasso · 26/07/2020 21:58

Ah yes, and the public sector's insistence that budget hotels must be booked through a central (private contractor) booking service (despite often being more expensive than booking it yourself). And that booking service then does all sorts of things that are odd in the extreme ("I need a hotel within walking distance/a short distance of the railway station because I'm coming by train..." - "great we'll put you 20 miles down the motorway from the town centre..."; "I need a hotel in ABC" - "Here you go..." - "Err, lone female traveller here, used to live in ABC, that hotel is right in the middle of the red light district and dodgy as fuck.")

Drives me and my female colleagues nuts.

BusinessTraveller · 27/07/2020 16:27

Hate staying in hotels on business, far too many times hotel staff have assumed I'm a prostitute based on nothing more than I'm a lone female traveller. If they checked my booking they'd see it was a corporate booking. I dress in conservative business attire. Hotels are normal business hotels. I'm mystified why they would make that assumption except I'm female

It really pisses me off. It's bad enough having to dodge colleagues and other guests.

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