WHEN you arrive at a hotel room, you're unlikely to immediately check the lock on the door.

But holidaymakers have warned guests that is the first thing they should do, as several have had bad experiences.

Most hotels use electronic key cards to open the room doors and anyone with a key card assigned to that room can use it to get inside.

But most rooms also have deadbolts or latches on the inside that guests can use to ensure the door is locked to everyone, including anyone with a key card.

Reddit user r/LifeProTips took to the community sharing site to urge hotel guests to check to make sure their door locks properly and their room is secure before they get settled in.

They wrote: "Check your hotel room door locks BEFORE you unpack.

"Before you get settled in, make sure your door has a working bolt you can engage from the inside and if the bolt is broken or doesn't exist or the lock is in overall poor condition, ask for another room.

"Your hotel costs should include this basic level of security."

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The post has received 6,000 upvotes and more than 300 comments from people who have revealed horror stories from their own hotel room stays.

One person shared a story about the time they didn't deadbolt their hotel room door.

They wrote: "I once stayed in a hotel and they had physical keys for the rooms.

"The morning comes round and this woman just unlocks my door and walks halfway through the door, screams and runs out.

"The keys all opened every door… she was using the room opposite and obviously forgot which one was hers."

Another person wrote: "My aunt and her friends had met a guy at a bar who had followed them back to their motel (without them knowing).

"In the middle of the night he convinced the front desk he knew the girls and so they have him a key to their room.

"My aunt is a fairly light sleeper and woke up to this guy snoring on their floor. She screamed, the guy woke up and tried to explain, she gave no s***s and kicked him out. Then she ripped the front desk a new one."

Someone else recalled the time they couldn't lock the door because it had been secretly wedged open.

They put: "My hubby went to the bathroom, meanwhile I locked the deadbolt behind us. It opened when I checked. I locked the deadbolt, door opened. Rinse and repeat.

"I found the plastic 'no smoking' sign, paper advertisements and junk crammed into the door jam slot – you know, where the handle locks into the frame?

"So it sounded like it locked, looked like it locked, but nothing locked. I pulled everything out and locked the door for real and tried to stop hyperventilating."

Another person wrote: "My mum and dad were checked into a room. When they opened the door (with the key card), there was another guest showering (thinking the door was locked – a reasonable expectation of privacy on the guest's part).

"The clerk somehow issued the same room key twice."

A fifth wrote: "Last summer, someone kicked in our hotel door with one kick. No latch or deadbolt over as someone [had] just left the room for something.

"After that I'll definitely check locks next time I stay at a hotel."

Meanwhile, a frequent flyer has revealed the £1 item that will stop people from breaking into your hotel room.

A Royal Marine explained how to stop someone from breaking into your hotel room on holiday – and all you need is a belt.

A flight attendant revealed a safety trick to always do before entering your hotel room.

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