Are Hotels Safe?

[franky1]

its not just about hotels. its about a countries safety standards and regulations

you have to be aware if a country has lower standards of regulating anything, whether its food or shelter. to expect issues can happen

EG some countries do not send inspectors to every food establishment to rate their hygiene and food prep quality, so expect some establishments might give you a bit or severe stomach issues. the only thing you can do is check reviews on establishments, locations you wish to visit

some hotels may not have safety standards based purely on a lack of their nations lack of standards
this is where you should check reviews of other peoples experiences and incidents in the area to judge not just the hotel but the national standards to know if you are vacationing in a safe area

[Scarlett_23]

OP, the accident you mentioned is very sad. We stay in hotels and restaurants for various reasons. Many times we have enough time to visit the hotels and understand them. But sometimes there are situations when we book hotels directly without seeing whether the hotels are good or bad. Actually, one should not do anything in a hurry. While selecting a hotel room, I definitely prefer open, airy rooms. Open rooms are not only healthy but also refresh the mind. In a closed and unhygienic room, there is a possibility of any accident happening at any time. The carbon monoxide gas you mentioned is actually an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas. This gas detection device is a CO detector. Actually, when we travel, it is not possible for us to carry so much. Hotel management should be alert in this regard and keep such devices nearby. Moreover, they should check whether the electrical switches and gas stoves used in the hotel are in good condition and whether there is adequate ventilation in the room. It is their responsibility to regularly clean and properly maintain gas stoves, heaters, electrical switches, boilers, and other appliances.

[Nothingtodo]

Well, it might be possible from where you're standing but not sure it every family that will prioritise that especially those who don't see the need for it.  Perhaps if the government could do much enlightenment about the necessity for every homes to have  at least one carbon monoxide detector alarm those who never prioritise could be convinced to budget for it. In reducing carbon dioxide the most efficient way should be government making policies that discourages and disapproves uses of machines and devices that are co emission sources.

Well, maybe this system can be implemented in developed countries, but it is never possible to adopt any device-based system in countries that are low-income and live below the poverty line. In the area where I live, most of the vehicles are defective and are constantly emitting carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Now, there is no way that I or my country's legal system can reduce the carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions of those vehicles. Moreover, in my country, from an economic perspective, it is not possible to control carbon emissions with any device, nor is it possible to detect them. It is not possible to reduce carbon in my country without increasing public awareness and planting more trees.

[Y3shot]

Are Hotels Safe?

It appears tourists and everyone else who takes vacation even with their cities have some more jobs to do for their safety. After all, it's your own safety right?

Three women were reported dead in February from carbon monoxide (CO) inhaled from the hotel they lodged in (Royal Kahal, Beach Resort in Belize.

The ladies Imane Mallah, 24, Kautour Naqqad, 23 and Wafae El-Arar, 26 all Americans were found dead in their hotel room, on the 22nd of February, 2025.

The families pressured for a thorough investigation to ascertain cause of death.

It turned out that the victims’ carboxyhemoglobin levels exceeded 60%, which is far beyond safe limit. This was revealed by Belizean authorities on the 26th March 2025.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas, that is produced by some fuel using devices. Its odorless and colorless nature poses a major challenge in detecting this gas.

How will hotel users know if the room they just checked into is safe for their stay?

How do we know that the hotel is safe for guests?

What can be done to prevent future occurrence?

Royal Kahal Beach Resort in under scrutiny as to why this happened. How did such tragedy occurred?

Even if the resort gets sued for negligence it will not awaken the dead.
As individuals I guess it's time to be extremely careful, but how careful can we be?


Below are few safety measures though.

1. Install CO detecting devices especially around sleeping areas.
2. Keep your gas stoves clean and ensure it functions properly.
3. Ensure your water heaters and boilers are properly installed and not faulty.
4. Vehicles not in use in the garage should be checked often.

It's so sad to hear about incidents like this. Its important to take certain measures when you intend to take a trip. One is making adequate research about the services of such establishment and we know that we can't always rely on the reviews we get to see on some establishments as most establishment may be living on past glory. But on the part of the most establishment they can install devices that detect the presence of carbon monoxide. Constant maintenance of appliances like heaters, fire places, and generators. And if you walk into any room and the smell is stuffy or stale or you find more condensation on the widows please it's adviceable that you open the widows. I know we find using air-conditioning as luxury but nothing beats natural ventilation. If the room is properly ventilated it's better than any air conditioner. And there are other cases of awful events happening in hotels so please we should take our safety seriously take extra measures when you're any where as many establishments cannot be trusted and tend to play the ignorant card when they're caught in such situations.

[Frankolala]

I feel thos shouldn't be just hotels but also in our environment where we live. This is because I saw how carbon monoxide from the smoke of a generator killed three people sleeping together inside one room. Unknown to them that the generator smoke is entering inside the room. It's a sad story and for this season, I don't lodge in hotels where the rooms are close to the generator house.

[Hispo]

Are Hotels Safe?

It appears tourists and everyone else who takes vacation even with their cities have some more jobs to do for their safety. After all, it's your own safety right?

...

Hotels are safe as long as they are regulated and comply with the regulations of the governments and are subjected to monthly or even surprise visits from inspectors to check for sources of CO gases and other hazardous substances. You know, they are regulations for buildings and hotels in any civilized country and if they are followed and CO detectors are properly installed near sleeping areas, these unfortunate incidents will decrease in occurrence and people would be saved from dying tragically.
Both the hotel administrations and also regulators are at fault in those cases.

[Fiatless]

its not just about hotels. its about a countries safety standards and regulations

you have to be aware if a country has lower standards of regulating anything, whether its food or shelter. to expect issues can happen

EG some countries do not send inspectors to every food establishment to rate their hygiene and food prep quality, so expect some establishments might give you a bit or severe stomach issues. the only thing you can do is check reviews on establishments, locations you wish to visit

some hotels may not have safety standards based purely on a lack of their nations lack of standards
this is where you should check reviews of other peoples experiences and incidents in the area to judge not just the hotel but the national standards to know if you are vacationing in a safe area

What you have said is true and it is happening in my country. Health supervisors are corrupt and don't care about the safety of people in both public and private places. Even if it is clear that the hotel is not conducive for inhabitation, these health workers will accept bribes and certify them safe. Belize is a tourist country and should implement global standards in hotel services. Investigation should be thorough to determine the real cause of these unfortunate deaths.

[Zanab247]

We still have some safe hotels in the country but you are free to make your choice base on your financial level. There are some standard hotels that have those equipment to create a good security for those that will be lodging inside the hotels to spend some weeks or some months without any challenge of their equipment or activities in the hotels.

If you check very well, you will discover that those cheap hotels are not safe for people to lodge, because the hotels owner don't have money to make their environment safe for their customers to experience standard security, and you can find out that some of the things they listed in their service to render to customer are not functioning.

[Glowy]

I feel thos shouldn't be just hotels but also in our environment where we live. This is because I saw how carbon monoxide from the smoke of a generator killed three people sleeping together inside one room. Unknown to them that the generator smoke is entering inside the room. It's a sad story and for this season, I don't lodge in hotels where the rooms are close to the generator house.

Absolute truth, this is just a hotel incident, just one from the many cases not reported and unknown to both victims and facility owners and manager.

Some places are not worthy to have humans around.

[Nothingtodo]

I feel thos shouldn't be just hotels but also in our environment where we live. This is because I saw how carbon monoxide from the smoke of a generator killed three people sleeping together inside one room. Unknown to them that the generator smoke is entering inside the room. It's a sad story and for this season, I don't lodge in hotels where the rooms are close to the generator house.

Absolute truth, this is just a hotel incident, just one from the many cases not reported and unknown to both victims and facility owners and manager.

Some places are not worthy to have humans around.

Tourist attractions, hotels, and restaurants should not be set up everywhere because the potential for environmental pollution is high. In noisy areas, the amount of carbon dioxide is already high. If there are car repair factories, brick kilns, plastic industries, etc. nearby, the possibility of environmental pollution is highest in that area and there is a serious health risk in hotels in the area.

[Derekfunds]

The basic function of the hotels is to take care of there customers, give them the best treatment and make sure they are safe from anything. What happened was an accident but then again was she the only person that was in the room or is it only her room the CO enters? It is possible that she might be having a health issue before going to the hotel because most persons we see walking everyday are not humans ( they are not alive) some are walking dead and any slight thing can cause a problem so if it is possible they should also make available a machine that will be checking health status.

[Dunamisx]

We cant avoid hotels completely because there will be times we are not going to be at home and seek an aboard in another place far from home, which most of us often resulted at renting an hotel to stay for any reason, but that been said, we should be careful of the kind of hotel we rent, we must have information regarding the hotel and see that they are not located in an hidden location far from open environment, we are also expected to always take care of our assets when in hotels, be mindful of what we do and where we go for security reasons in an hotel.

[Zlantann]

We cant avoid hotels completely because there will be times we are not going to be at home and seek an aboard in another place far from home, which most of us often resulted at renting an hotel to stay for any reason, but that been said, we should be careful of the kind of hotel we rent, we must have information regarding the hotel and see that they are not located in an hidden location far from open environment, we are also expected to always take care of our assets when in hotels, be mindful of what we do and where we go for security reasons in an hotel.

The location of the hotel is important because some places might be prone to security risks. There was a case where the operators of the hotel robbed customers and even killed some for organ trafficking. I prefer to go to well known hotels that are located in the main cities.

But I think the OP is focusing on how healthy the hotel environment is. The story was about people who were suspected of having died due to air poisoning. I have gotten good information from this thread, which is we shouldn't consider just the physical beauty of a hotel. The environmental health of the hotel is also very important.   

[Glowy]

We cant avoid hotels completely because there will be times we are not going to be at home and seek an aboard in another place far from home, which most of us often resulted at renting an hotel to stay for any reason, but that been said, we should be careful of the kind of hotel we rent, we must have information regarding the hotel and see that they are not located in an hidden location far from open environment, we are also expected to always take care of our assets when in hotels, be mindful of what we do and where we go for security reasons in an hotel.

The location of the hotel is important because some places might be prone to security risks. There was a case where the operators of the hotel robbed customers and even killed some for organ trafficking. I prefer to go to well known hotels that are located in the main cities.

But I think the OP is focusing on how healthy the hotel environment is. The story was about people who were suspected of having died due to air poisoning. I have gotten good information from this thread, which is we shouldn't consider just the physical beauty of a hotel. The environmental health of the hotel is also very important.   

Oh my world!  Operators who are supposed to have the interest of their customers at heart...robbing them? That's gross madness and even killing them, I find it difficult to comprehend.

Our world is evil, indeed.

[yamin_galib]

Man, this is just so sad. Imagine going on a trip with your mates and not making it back due of something like carbon monoxide something you can't even see or smell.
Hotels should have basic safety like CO detectors, but now it feels like we have to watch out for ourselves. 
It sucks that it has to be this way, but better safe than sorry.

[Nothingtodo]

We cant avoid hotels completely because there will be times we are not going to be at home and seek an aboard in another place far from home, which most of us often resulted at renting an hotel to stay for any reason, but that been said, we should be careful of the kind of hotel we rent, we must have information regarding the hotel and see that they are not located in an hidden location far from open environment, we are also expected to always take care of our assets when in hotels, be mindful of what we do and where we go for security reasons in an hotel.

You can't always be careful about hotels because sometimes you have to stay in a place where hotels are not very available. In that case, you will be forced to rent an unhealthy and risky hotel. Moreover, in most hotels, people rent hotel rooms at low prices to save money. In that case, you will find that all those hotels offer discounted or low-cost services that do not have a healthy environment. How do you choose a healthy and risk-free hotel in a situation where most people live in the low-income bracket?

[Yucky]

You can't completely avoid hotels, as you may need to travel for events and require lodging if you don't have a family member in the location where you can stay. The issue is the carelessness that often occurs in hotels.
There's was no proper check to ensure that the gas stoves were turned off or if the previous occupant had engaged in any illegal activities, such as handling gas.

 It's possible that the room wasn't properly cleaned and checked before they checked in. You might settle in without thinking twice, but this is a lesson for us to be more careful and cautious.
No matter how clean and tidy a room appears, it's important to conduct your own checks before settling in.

[Dunamisx]

Apart from the safety, i think there is more to consider with the use of these hotels, because I've seen some who cannot for once do without leaving in an hotel, then if we are to calculate the money spend in securing one for a month and the cost on house rent for that same month, we should be able to see a significant difference from what we are spending our money from, which many would have preferred renting a house than the use of hotel if we are going to be economical.

[Reynaldo]

NGMI if you're trusting random hotels to have your best interests at heart. Same principle applies in crypto trust but verify, and always have an exit strategy.

[Karl Johansson]

I have travelled a lot in Europe, North- and South America, Asia and Australia as well and I will say - mostly, the bigger and wellknown hotels are safe!

Cheers... from Sweden, Scandinavia