Does each hotel have an in-room safe on Classic Italy April 26,2023
I'll have my laptop and would like to secure it when out each day. We may also get our cash needed at the airport when first arriving yet we don't necessarily want to carry it all with us each day. Hoping someone can tell me if there are safes in each room big enough for a MacBook. thanks!
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I’ve never known a Tauck hotel without a safe. If safe is too small, just lock your laptop in your suitcase, the best you can do. Be very careful of pick pockets in Italy, especially Rome, very very common. Do not carry your passports while out and take small amount of cash and just one credit card while out and about. Don’t wear lots of jewelry and look like a rich American
Every hotel Tauck has ever put us in had one but whether a laptop would fit in it is another matter. Maybe 14" max width interior. As soon as we get into a new room anywhere we stash our passports, extra cash, cards, etc in it. They go into some brightly colored bag so it's easy to see them in the dark interior of the safe.
Every hotel and ship we have been on has had a safe, some larger than others. If your room safe is too small, you can always check large items with the hotel manager and have them locked in his safe. People do that all the time.
StephFairlie - Yes, your MacBook will fit in the room safe.
Just to be "safe", which MacBook do you have?
StephFairlie, be careful getting cash at the airport. Not only do money exchanges have lousy exchange rates or high fees, but even ATM machines there may charge a much higher fee than if you wait and find a bank ATM near your hotel. I made that airport ATM mistake in Lisbon and regretted getting impatient to get cash. You won't need any to tip the Tauck driver picking you up. It's all included. The hotel.can direct you to the nearest ATMs. When possible I like to use the ones located in a bank where I feel I have more safety while putting the money away and less likely to have been tampered with by thieves.
Italy uses the euro and that is easy to get before you leave - if you have any concerns about ATMs. But we've always done like Claudia Sails and used the ATMs at a bank.
We keep unused Euros from a previous trip(s) so we always have some before we leave. So no hurry to exchange at the airport.
You are all great, the MacBook is the Air and is the small 13" one
I'm going to post a new question right now about needing to get cash and/or how much to bring if you all wanted to check that and respond - much appreciated.
We rarely get cash unless the tour director specifically suggested at the start of the tour. Our current trip, Israel, the info from the TD waiting for us said 50 shekels would be enough so instead of searching for an ATM, my husband just exchanged money at the hotel which we know is never the best rate but he really didn’t care for such a small amount. So the hotels are often able to help.
I don’t see a a big reason to get money in Italy, credit cards will rule. If a card gets stolen you can get it back, if cash gets stolen, you are screwed.
I took this trip last May and used very little cash. Most I needed was at the end for tips to TD and our bus driver and a cab in Rome one day. You’ll need euros for public bathrooms too- they’re typically 1euro as I recall. Get the cash as you need it-credit card is really easy. Even the gelato places took credit cards!
This is a fabulous trip, enjoy.
I’ve been wondering how secure the in room/in cabin safes are for valuables. Surely they must need to be reset after each guest as well as accessible by management if a guest cannot access it for some reason. Any opinions or experiences about this?
They are safe for a casual thief, but for an inside job or a skilled thief, it's child's play. Just google and search on youtube, "how to break into a hotel safe" and you'll see what I mean. That said, I've never had a problem with one (storing stuff, not breaking into one
). .
I got to thinking about the original question. As I have always said, Google is your Friend!
I just Googled "dimensions of typical hotel room safe" and got plenty of info. I also refined it some by using "dimensions of typical hotel room safe in Italy." but the results were the same.
There is no guarantee your safe will be the same size as those listed, but it will give you a good indicator if your MacBook will likely fit. The limiting dimensions on some seem to be height. Remember, if need be, you may be able to gain an extra inch or so by placing your laptop in on a diagonal. Here are the dimensions of just a few hotel safes:
Global Hotel Safe Electronic Lock w/Card Slot 15"W x 10"D x 7"H Keyed Differently, Off White
Interior Dimensions: 8.7" H x 16.8" W x 11.6" D
Interior 8 7⁄8" 17 3⁄4" 12 5⁄8"
Internal Size: 195 x 305 x 120mm (HWD) (7.7" X 12" X 4.7") (Burton Safes Standard Hotel Safe S1)
Finally, the hotel website may provide some information. In the list of room features, the Brunnelleschi Hotel in Florence (Small Group tours stay here) it lists: "A laptop-sized safe." However, the Sina Bruffani, it Perugia only says, "Adjustable air conditioning - Telephone with messaging service - Satellite TV channels - Wi-Fi - Safe deposit box - Minibar - Courtesy line - Hair dryer"
StephFairlie,
I, too, have the MacBook Air and it fits in all the safes I have ever used when traveling abroad. I typically do not take it with me on Tauck tours, however.
Enjoy your tour!
The best thing for tours is to take a minimum of valuable things with you, leave expensive jewelry at home…we often don’t even take our wedding rings sometimes or use silicone wedding rings, gold or silver ones that are about a dollar each.
If there was a significance problem with safes in the hotels that Tauck uses, believe me, they would not be using those hotels going forward! Your main risk is while out and about, gypsies throws fake babies at you, distraction techniques like a scuffle breaking out in front of you etc. those are the most common ones in Italy.
The hotel can absolutely open your safe, if need be. I had a situation were I entered the wrong code when closing the safe and didn't realize it until it was too late. I called the desk and they sent someone who could open it. I don't remember the process but it took some time and equipment (an electronic device).
I'm sure people depart the hotel and leave the safe locked, either empty or with stuff in it. The hotel has to have a fairly easy way to reset the safe.
Tauck only uses high-end hotels, and they all have a safe.