This viral post exposes a scary hotel security flaw, but there’s a simple way to stay safe

A TikTok video once raised alarms about hotel room security after demonstrating a device that could open doors from the outside. User braccozz posted a clip showing how a simple twisted wire could be inserted under a door, looped around the handle, and pulled to open the door. The video gained over 13.4 million views before being deleted, but not before sparking widespread concern.

"If you ever see this come under the door, run IMMEDIATELY."

— @braccozz

One woman’s real-life encounter with the hotel door hack

Before the original video disappeared, it reached TikTok user josiebowers10, who shared a terrifying experience from her teenage years. Bowers, from Canada, recalled how someone tried to break into her hotel room using the same method when she was 15 years old and on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland.

"I've actually had this happen to me before when I was on vacation," Bowers said in a TikTok video with over 10 million views. "I was staying in Ocean City, at the Hilton, right there on the waterfront, and I went to go shower before the rest of my family was done at the beach. So I was by myself. Before I could shower, I heard these noises. I went to see what it was, and it was this contraption. I was just standing there in my towel, and this man opened the door."

"I was just standing there in my towel, and this man opened the door."

— @josiebowers10

She immediately slammed the door shut and secured the deadlock, but she could still hear voices outside. Then, one of the men tried to trick her into opening the door by claiming to be hotel staff.

"They told me my 'key thing isn't working' and that they’d come to fix my 'keypad,'" she said. At first, she hesitated, but something didn’t feel right.

"Never let people know you are alone."

— @josiebowers10

Remembering advice from her stepdad, a police officer, Bowers quickly pretended to call out to her dad, saying someone was at the door to fix the keypad. The moment the men heard her, they left.

A similar case in San Jose

Bowers’ experience isn’t an isolated one. NBC Bay Area reported on a woman named Deborah who faced a terrifying situation at a Holiday Inn near the San Jose airport. She was in her room Wednesday around 9:30 PM when she noticed something strange: a long metal wire moving under her door.

"It looked almost like a coat hanger coming up under the door, but it had several pieces attached to it," Deborah said. "And then I saw that they were actually trying to move it over and reach for the door handle, and so that's when I tried to just stop it with my hand."

"I saw that they were actually trying to move it over and reach for the door handle."

— Deborah, via NBC Bay Area

Deborah immediately called the front desk, and hotel staff confronted a man and woman she had seen earlier that day. The couple claimed they had knocked on the wrong door while looking for a friend, but they escaped before police arrived.

The incident has made Deborah rethink her hotel safety habits. "So I think they were looking for any noise coming out of the hotel room, so I will definitely be more noisy. I will have more lights on, put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the doorknob, and hopefully those things will help in the future."

"I will definitely be more noisy. I will have more lights on, put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the doorknob."

— Deborah, via NBC Bay Area

Staying safe in hotel rooms

Both Bowers and Debra were lucky to escape unharmed, but their experiences highlight the importance of hotel security. Experts recommend always using additional locks, never opening the door for unexpected visitors, and keeping valuables secure. If something feels off, it’s better to trust your instincts and alert hotel staff or authorities.

With videos like the one from braccozz disappearing from social media, these firsthand accounts serve as critical reminders to stay vigilant while traveling.