Can a Hotel Tell You if Someone is Staying There? We’ve Checked

You might have wondered, are hotels safe places to stay at? After all, you pay to stay in a room at check-in. In fact, some hotels might turn you away if you don’t have a valid credit card. If you’re checking in at a hotel in another country, they’ll usually ask for your passport. Or other identification documents.

Hotels have so much information about you. How do they keep your personal information confidential? What is the hotels’ policy on the safety and privacy of their guests?

And finally, can a hotel tell you if someone is staying there? Read more to find out how hotels keep their guests safe!

General Policy

For most hotels, they are not allowed to tell you if someone is staying there. In fact, hotels are not allowed to give away any information about their guests.

This is part of the privacy policy of hotels. But what does this policy mean? And how does this apply to all employed staff at the hotel?

This means they have a duty to keep guests’ personal information from any visitor. And hotels are usually pretty uptight about letting people in. As all staff are legally obliged to do so.

This is especially the case for hotel chains and groups. So, expect them to have this general policy when it comes to guests’ privacy.

Why is this policy in place?

The short answer to this question is simple: To keep guests’ privacy under protection.

The long answer can be pretty complicated. As often, people will choose to hide out at a hotel from one problem or another in their lives.

In these scenarios, if the hotel lets slip who is staying in which room, well, the hotel could face some serious charges for breaking the privacy of their guests. And it would not be a pretty court case for anybody.

Are there times when hotels will breach this policy?

It is unlikely hotels will breach this privacy policy. Unless the police or FBI come looking for a fugitive or a criminal with a search warrant. Or someone comes looking for a guest with a subpoena.

Basically, hotels will tell you if someone is staying there. Only when they are legally obliged to tell you.

What are the consequences of breaching this policy?

So, what are some consequences people will face for breaching this privacy policy?

For the Hotel

Hotels will face pretty serious legal consequences. Information about a guest, whether name, age, or whether they are staying at the property. These are all confidential information of the guest. Which are protected under the law in most countries. The hotel cannot share this information with anybody. Especially not without the authorization of the guest. As doing so is strictly illegal.

In these cases, hotels, and the specific staff involved will be charged. Though the weight of the sentence will depend on other circumstances of the breach. It will also depend on the country, or if you’re in the States, on the state you’re in.

For the Visitor

For visitors asking a hotel to tell them if someone is staying there, they will often face similar consequences.

Once the hotel staff is aware of their presence, staff may call the police. Whether as a peace of mind to let professionals do their job. Or as a warning to the visitor to leave the property alone.

If a visitor refuses to cooperate with the hotel staff and the police. They might be questioned. And so, risk being charged and fined in the long run.

Possible Circumstances

We understand. The scenarios we’ve brought up so far seem pretty intense. And most of us have seen cases like these in movies. So, it can’t be as bad in real life. Right?

Yes, and no. We know how complicated these scenarios can be. So, we’ve come up with a few more everyday scenarios to show you what might happen. Whether you are calling to ask if someone is staying there. Or you want to know if someone will disturb you at the hotel.

What if you are hiding from someone, and they come calling?

First off, we want to be clear that if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to be on the run, a hotel is not your best option. And you should seek help from professionals. Especially if you feel unsafe around anyone you know, or don’t know.

With that out of the way, here’s what might happen if someone asks the hotel to tell them if someone is staying there.

So, someone calls or asks the front desk if you are staying there. The front desk will likely ask the visitor for their name. Then ask the visitor to wait somewhere out of sight as they check their records. This is to avoid giving anything away in the sight of the visitor, in case the person they are looking for is staying at the hotel.

If the person they’re looking for ends up on their records, the hotel won’t tell the visitor this. They will contact the person using the in-room phone service line. Then the hotel staff will clarify the relationship between the visitor and guest. If the guest recognizes the visitor’s name and doesn’t want to interact with them. The hotel will do anything in their power to keep the visitor away.

Ideally, hotel staff will avoid letting slip that the guest is staying at their property. They may tell the visitor no person of that name checked in. Or that they are legally not allowed to share this information.

Either way, the visitor won’t know if you are staying at the hotel.

What if someone you don’t know is looking for you?

Pretty much the same thing happens. The front desk clerk takes the visitor’s name and relays this information to the guest named in private. Out of sight of the visitor.

What happens when staff hears that their guest doesn’t know this visitor? They will usually be vigilant in how they will handle the situation.

Staff might simply ask the visitor to leave. With the reason that the person they’re looking for isn’t here. If the staff chooses to be firmer, they might warn the visitor. Often saying that if they refuse to leave the premises, they will call the police. This usually deters any reasonable person away from the hotel.

After incidents like these, staff usually contact the guest in question once more. This is to confirm the situation has been resolved, and that they shouldn’t worry.

What if someone wants to meet you at the hotel?

Now that we’ve been through situations where unwanted visitors come calling, what about visitors that you actually want to see on your vacation? Does this mean you’re not allowed to have friends come to see you at the hotel? Not at all.

The privacy policy still applies though. If your friend calls or asks the front desk for you, they won’t tell them anything about you. Not even if you’re actually at that hotel. This can cause a few problems. Not to mention it will definitely put a damper on your day!

To avoid confusion, it’s best to tell the hotel in advance you’re expecting somebody. In this case, the hotel might be a little lax with their policies, and let your friend know you’re here. But for most hotels, they will ask you to either wait for your friend in the lobby. Or simply meet elsewhere. Even if it’s right outside the hotel doors.

Summary

If there’s one thing to take away from this rather intense discussion, it will be that you can rest assured your safety and privacy will be the top priority of hotel staff. Whether this stems from the goodness of their own heart. Or simply because the hotel as an establishment wants to avoid legal complications. Some of you might even say that this latter reason will put you more at ease.

No one can waltz into the hotel lobby and demand to know if someone is staying there. Not even people legitimately looking for a friend. Or a relative. Or a spouse. Only law enforcement can. And even police or special forces need a good reason to back their demand.

As we’ve mentioned though, this should not put a damper on your vacation! Don’t worry if you want to meet friends or relatives at the hotel. Just make sure either the hotel knows about it. Or you are meeting up in a public space in the hotel, ideally away from the rooms and restricted areas of the property. This could be the waiting areas usually found in hotel lobbies, or a restaurant located inside the property.

Don’t forget it is always best to check with the hotel you’re staying at. Especially if you want to know their specific policies. Like policies around privacy and having visitors at the property. Most hotels follow the rules we have covered here. But circumstances vary in each case and at each hotel. Just ask!