It never got off the ground. Most hotel safes today use an electronic locking mechanism, as opposed to a mechanical dial. Instead of keys, they open with programmable pushbuttons into which guests can set their own combination. If a guest forgets what he has set, the boxes can be opened with a preprogrammed number that must be verified through a central computer system to prevent possible misuse by hotel staff. Our hotel staff opens the safe using a floppy disk and computer in the guest's presence.
Some hotels provide in-room safe boxes as a free service, while others charge by the day.
Mr. Jarvis said in the latter case, travelers should ponder what they're paying for, and whether the limited piece of mind is worth it. It will give you some protection against the maid who might take something that's left out in the open, but for anything really valuable, you should use the vault downstairs. Mr. Jarvis advises travelers to check ahead of time to make sure the hotel has a vault that is accessible 24 hours a day, and to verify the maximum liability the hotel is willing to accept in case of theft. Often hotels will require guests to make a private agreement and pay an additional sum to insure particularly valuable items. But even with such an agreement, Mr. Jarvis said, guests can't always rest easy.