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Lockers and Security Boxes

General Hostel Operations

Aidan Haines started this discussion 13 years 10 months ago

Hi all!

We are planning on converting several of our private rooms into dorm rooms. In the past we've only had private rooms (2,3, or 4 people) but since the 4 person rooms were often going unbooked we figured it would be better to convert them to dorms. They are pretty much already set up as such with bunk beds, but I'm wondering about lockers. We have no room to install any even if we wanted to. Now of course I've stayed in plenty of hostels without lockers and while it wasn't ideal it wasn't a major problem, especially as our dorms will be small (4 bed). I wouldn't want to stay in a 16 bed dorm with no lockers.

However, I seem to remember most hostels that didn't have lockers did have some sort of secure deposit boxes in the office for small valuables like passports, credit cards, ipods etc.

So my questions are... are we required to offer somewhere safe for guests to store valuables? If someone has something go missing from their dorm, can we be held liable? From my experience hosteling, people who sleep in dorms generally understand the risks and take certain precautions (moneybelt in the pillow case etc.) but then again it would be the less experienced hostelers who might not take these precautions, wind up having something taken, and then raising hell.

So what is the liability for a hostel? If we offer somewhere to store valuables (a safe in the office) and someone does not take us up on this offer and has something nicked, are we absolved from responsibility?

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rjd1983

13 years

You would have to check your local Innkeeper's Act, and see what it says. I'm sure most Acts would say as long as you have provided reasonable security, and notices you are not liable, but that is most likely not going to cover your staff. If staff stole guest property, you would most likely be liable. But again, check your local Innkeeper's Act.

In the UK it will vary depending in which part you are in (E.g. Scotland or England) and I believe in the US, it varies from state-to-state.

The most easiest and cheapest way of absolving yourself of liability is to provide a locker service, and if you have space to put lockers in the room or the building, then do it.

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Rucksack Brian

13 years

I ran a hostel that did not have room for lockers in the dorms either. We bought enough safe deposit boxes for each guest to have their own, and they could set their own code to open the door. The safes were big enough for small items like wallets, phones, iPods, small netbooks, etc. At the very least the most valuable items could be locked up. We also had a big deposit box behind reception for laptops and other larger items that only the staff could access. (If something disappeared the ONLY culprit could be the receptionist)

We bolted most of the safes onto the wall at reception, and some were bolted to the walls in the rooms themselves if there was enough space.

Only on rare occasion did anyone complain that they couldn't lock up their entire backpack.

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