Nomercy448

It's a hotel, whether it's a rental car or a personal vehicle, odds are if you check 100 plates in a hotel parking lot, 90% of them will be out of state. Nationwide rental car companies have the option to plate their vehicles in any state they have a license to operate, so most pick whichever state offers the cheapest tax rates.

I could argue the alternative - if you have IN state plates at a hotel, you're more apt to have personal belongings in your vehicle (which always are in the vehicle) than an out of state person on a trip in a personal vehicle, especially a rental car (which also has out of state plates). Most people don't "move in" with a rental car, and most folks clear out their personal vehicles before a long trip, making room for pertinent items for the trip itself, and people out of state are more cognizant of protecting their belongings than a night tripper headed to some meeting in a different town.

Breaking into a car window is easy, and it's outside - but there's a false sense of security in a hotel - nobody checks ID's at the door to ensure they have a reason to be there.

Here's another easy con I have been warned about while traveling - a potential thief walks into a hotel lobby and sits down like they're waiting for a friend around 3pm, opens a laptop computer and stick in an earbud, makes it look like they're busy. Might even fake a phone call loudly saying, "yeah, I'm waiting in the lobby whenever you get ready to come down." Lots of check-ins happen over the next couple of hours. The thief overhears the attendant read room numbers and thank "Mr. Last Name" for choosing their hotel. Then they leave for a while, come back during supper time, get in the elevator, go to top floor, come back to lobby and tell the attendant they forgot their key in your room. Hotel confirmation practice is to ask which room number and last name - same at every hotel chain I have ever stayed. Bingo - The thief heard your room number and last name earlier in the day... Now they have your room key, go upstairs, knock on the door, if you're not out to supper and answer the door, "oh, sorry, I'm on the wrong floor, my colleague is staying in (whatever room number one floor up or down - so 313 if you're standing in front of 213)... If no answer, they use the key, walk in, pack up your belongings, walk out like I'm checking out early, and nobody knows what happens until you get back from supper...

Another one my company trained us on (except trade business suits for camo jackets). Thief loitering near a hotel notices guys unloading camo stuff and rifles into the hotel. Waits in the lobby to hear their last name and room number. Later, he knows they went out to supper, puts on a camo jacket, goes to the front desk, says they need to get something out of Room XXX, I'm staying with YOUR NAME, he asked me to come back by and pick it up for him." Camo jacket makes sense, she only got the name of the guy renting the room, not the buddy staying with him, sees too many faces in a day, but hey, he had a camo coat... Unsuspecting attendant gives them a key and access to their stuff...

It's not rocket science, thieves figured this stuff out a long time ago...

Cars get burgled, hotel rooms get burgled. No perfect answer for either. My personal belief, and all of the training I've received as a national and international business traveler suggests the vehicle is the more secure location when you are not in your room. It's mobile, public, and with limited means of access (you hold the only key, plus breaking a window) whereas the room is static and private, and virtually public access (VERY easy to get a key to someone else's room).

Bottom line, it's a hotel - it's a target, and you're a traveler, so you're more vulnerable than usual. Whether it's your car in the parking lot or your room in the building, and whether you're in a rental car, personal car, in state plates or out of state, it's all less than ideal. It's a target.