Travel safety expert says you should never stay above floor four at a hotel

A travel security expert has explained why he thinks anyone staying at a hotel should avoid the fourth floor at all costs.

Unfortunately, he's got some chilling thoughts about anywhere below the second floor too, which I think we can all agree makes holiday plans a little awkward.

But you might want to take note, as Lloyd Figgins is an expert in the area of travel safety.

The former soldier spoke to the Sun Online Travel to share two reasons travellers should be wary of certain hotel floors.

You may have already guessed by now that one of the reasons is about fire hazards.

"When you arrive in a hotel, you’re in an unfamiliar environment which you think is safe," Figgins told the outlet.

"The problem comes that if there were to be a fire alarm go off, what do we do next?

"Do we know where the fire exit is? How are we going to get to it, and is it going to get you to safety? Is it blocked or locked?"

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He recommends that once you touch down in a hotel, it's worth 'walking the route of the fire escape, counting the number of doors between your room and the fire escape'.

Sure, your initial instinct might be to check out the tea and coffee making facilities. But it makes sense, and is sound advice if you want to stay safe.

Figgins continued: "Make sure you are staying between the second and fourth stories of the hotel because fire department ladder rarely reach above fourth storey."

As for what goes down below the second floor, he explained: "Anything below this is targeted by burglars."

You might think that he’s just heard too many horror stories, but remember this is a travel risk expert we’re talking about here - it’s his job to be cautious about these sorts of things.

If you want to be extra careful, the author of the The Travel Survival Guide says that you should avoid saying your room number out loud, and have the staff write it down on a piece of paper for you.

"Hotels attract criminals as there are a lot of people with their valuables or possessions either in their room or on them," he added.

"Receptions and lobbies are where they can pose as fellow travellers.

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"They are looking for people checking in alone because they can hear what room they are allocated - the receptionist says they are in room 301, for example.

"When they then see that person in the bar or restaurant, they know that room is unoccupied and [they] are unlikely to be disturbed.

"It is often the case that they have a way of gaining entry into that room, sometimes an inside job like getting cleaning staff to open the door for them, and know they won’t get hindered."

And if you want to be extra cautious, you can also bring a door wedge with you. According to Figgins: "Even if you’re in your hotel room and [criminals] have the master key, the door wedge underneath will stop even that."

Sleep well, then!