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Have You Ever Stayed at a Hotel Without a Room Key?

February 17, 2010 at 11:48 AM | by | Comments (5)

Reading this Wall Street Journal review of the newly renovated Jumby Bay Resort, it was easy to get swept up in all the luxury. Then we came to the part where write Laura Landro says, “I was a little surprised to learn there was no room key.” Ditto, Laura!

Like this writer, we tend to be security freaks when traveling, especially alone. So the idea of not being able to barricade ourselves in our rooms—or our valuables when we’re out—is a little unnerving. Have you ever stayed at a hotel without a room key? Did it freak you out?

At a place like Jumby Bay, where rates start at $1,395 in the high season, you could presume that your fellow guests are just as rich if not richer than you, so what could they possibly want from your room?

This may be so, but as Landro reports, Antigua has had some issues with crime in recent years, including a fatal stabbing on the beach, and the murder of a couple of honeymooners. Jumby Bay’s GM had this response to Landro’s security concerns:

Mr. Hedley says the resort has had no crime, and has a security team supervised by a retired U.S. Secret Service agent. Only residents and staffers are allowed on the island, and all nonresidents depart each evening by ferry. Guests can lock doors from the inside, and rooms have a safe where guests can deposit valuables.

But tell us: have you stayed at any other properties where you didn’t get a room key or were worried about security? Share your fears in the comments below.

[Photo: Jumby Bay Resort website]

Hotels mentioned in this story

Comments (5)

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No and I don't want to

I think it's so weird. Must have room keys. And the hotel better have a "if it gets stolen, we'll pay for it" policy too.
juliana on February 17, 2010 at 11:56 AM #Permalink

Staying in room without keys?

This hotel looks beautiful!
Vineeta Greenwood on February 17, 2010 at 12:12 PM #Permalink

Hotels without keys.

I have stayed many times with my family at the Kona Village Resort which also does not provide keys and it was a fantastic experience to stay where you could trust the people around you.  What makes it work is that it is a gated resort and access is strickly monitored. They will provide you with a key if you ask for one but I never met anyone who did.  It was strange at first but then it became a great feeling, it makes for a very special experience.  They have been in business for 40 years and do not seem to have a problem.  Maybe the people who pay $1,000/night do not have a need to steal from their neighbors.  It is a real sense of luxury in this jaded world to be somewhere so special and safe that you do not need a room key.  Try it, you might like it.
Hadrian on February 18, 2010 at 9:56 PM #Permalink

i couldn't do it

I have never stayed in any hotel without being provided a key and i am not sure if i will ever be able to do it. I understand this hotel is really safe, but there are always exceptions and i wouldn't risk being the unlucky one to get robbed or harmed. I prefer the safety a locked room provides. I had been staying in some Niagara Falls Hotel recently and it was a very pleasant experience. The staff was nice, and seemed trustworthy, the other hotel's clients also seemed nice people, and even though i made a couple of friends there i could never leave my room unlocked.
valentine25 on November 24, 2010 at 12:14 PM #Permalink

Not possible

I have travel entire world and currently on <a href=http://www.traveladda.com/zone/south_india.html>South India Tour</a>. But i have come across this type of things firs time.
Every hotel gives the room key and it is for customers benefit to save their belongings.
madhuri on August 23, 2011 at 4:31 AM #Permalink

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