A former marine’s TikTok hack for keeping hotel room safe goes viral

Robin, a former marine and TikTok user in the Netherlands known for his viral life-hack videos, has produced a new clip showing three innovative ways to stay safe in a hotel room.

He claims that the only things needed for the techniques are a belt, a glass and a shower curtain rail that can be used to lock the door in a “triangular method”.

In the new video, Robin – who has 3.5 million followers on his handle @Dutchintheusa across social media – starts by covering the door knob with a belt, looping the belt through the door lock’s chain link and then back down on the knob, saying this makes it harder to pick the lock or even remove the lock from the link.

Next, he uses a water glass and puts it on the doorknob. This simple trick, he says, would make a noise and wake you up if anyone tries to turn the doorknob to enter the room.

The third trick is to be carried out only under extreme circumstances. Robin creates a makeshift barrier with a shower curtain rail, which he uses to put pressure on the door so it won’t open. The marine jams the rod sideways against the door handle and the wall next to it to create a “triangle”.

The new video has been widely shared and indeed well received by Robin’s followers. One thanked him saying: “I needed this... I'm nervous traveling alone for the 1st time ever in my life. I’ve been assaulted in the past and being alone in a foreign country scares me. I was looking at the door jam you can buy but some airlines won’t allow it in the luggage.”

Another person wrote: “Thank you so much for making and posting these videos!! You are appreciated.”

Robin had earlier revealed an innovative hack to save oneself from drowning in deep water. All that is needed for that hack is a pair of trousers that are used to make a makeshift “floatation device”.

Yet another safety tip that was suggested by a TikTok user a few months ago saved her from what she said was the “scariest experience of her life”.

Josie Bowers, 19, a former Cerleten University student, said in a series of TikTok videos that somebody tried to enter her hotel room when she was 15 years old and was on vacation with her family.

Ms Bowers had just stepped out of the shower and was wearing a towel when she heard somebody trying to enter her room.

The person on the other side of the door claimed to be “services”, saying they came to “fix the door”. Ms Bowers, however, realised the person was not from the hotel staff and shouted, pretending to be calling out to her father. As soon as the person on the other side of the door thought she was not alone, they left quickly.

“As soon as they thought that I wasn’t alone, and potentially my dad was there, they ran, they were gone,” Ms Bowers said.