Are you looking to book a hotel room? Well, certainly mark your preferences so you're not in a room located above the fourth floor. You also don't want to be on the ground floor, according to former soldier and current tourist risk expert Lloyd Figgins.
Figgins explains that the third floor of the hotel is the safest "bet" for two safety reasons.
In an interview with The Sun, the expert explained that "the biggest thing that is ignored is the risk of fire. When you arrive at the hotel you are in an unfamiliar environment that you think is safe. The problem is if a fire alarm goes off - what will you do? Do you know where the emergency exit is? How do you get to it and will it get you to safety? Is it blocked or locked?"
Because of this, Lloyd says "you should always follow the route of the emergency exit in case of fire, count the number of doors between your room and the emergency stairs."
He added that anything above the fourth floor is a bad idea because the firefighters' ladders usually cannot reach above the fourth floor.
So why not book a room on a lower floor?
Figgins also warned that the ground floor is the one that most attracts thieves. In order not to alert thieves as to where to find you, Figgins suggests that people avoid saying their hotel room number out loud and ask the receptionist to write it down instead.
"Hotels attract thieves because they have a lot of people with valuables in the room or on them," he told The Sun. "The reception desk and the lobby are the places where they can impersonate other hotel guests. They look for people who check in alone because they can hear which room they are assigned to."
So, how does Figgins suggest people avoid getting targeted by thieves?
He recommends that anyone who fears being the target of theft while in their room should invest in and take a wedge (stop) for the door with them on vacation. Lloyd explained, "Even if you're in your hotel room and a thief has the master key, the door wedge will stop him."