When you book a motel for a future trip, you might be focusing on its proximity to the nearby tourist attractions or even the features that it offers guests, such as an indoor pool or complimentary breakfast. Once you check in, however, it's also important to think about how you can feel as safe as possible. Motel safety generally requires a two-part approach – feeling safe when you're in your room and making your room unlikely to be targeted when you're not in it. Here's how you can succeed in both regards at your next stay at a hotel like Deluxe Inn.

When You're In Your Room

As soon as you arrive in your room, make a point of quickly checking the room's security features. Close the door and ensure that it locks – with a chain or separate lock – to your satisfaction. Take a look at the window and ensure that it locks and that the lock is in proper working order. Checking out the window is especially important if you're on the ground floor, but it's always a smart thing to verify. Look for the room's safe and ensure that it's in proper working order.

Confirm that there's a "Please Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on the inside of the door, and promptly display it on the exterior of the door. If your sign is missing, visit the front desk of the motel to obtain one. By leaving this sign up around the clock, any would-be burglars will think that someone is in the room and will be discouraged from entering.

When You Leave Your Room

You can take a series of steps to increase the security of your room when you're preparing to leave for the day. Start by ensuring that any valuables you wish to leave behind are safely stored in the in-room safe. If your room isn't equipped with a safe, visit the front desk and ask a clerk to store your items in the motel's safe.

Turn on your TV and set the volume to a level at which it can be heard by someone standing outside your door – you'll need to take a quick trip into the hall to confirm the level. The volume should be loud enough to suggest that the room is occupied by quiet enough that it won't disturb those in the rooms around you.

Turn on at least one light in the room. Doing so serves a dual purpose – it will cast a glow beneath the door to suggest that you're in the room and it will also make you feel secure if you return to the room in the evening.