Differences between a hotel safe and a class safe

Sometimes customers call or come to us looking for a safe, and the inspiration for the purchase came from a 'familiarisation' with a hotel safe they had in their room at a hotel or guesthouse.

Is it a good idea to install a hotel safe in your home or flat? Both hotel safes and class safes perform certain specific functions, but they differ in many aspects, from their use and level of security to their capacity and convenience. So let's take a look at the main differences between a hotel safe and a class safe. Find out if a hotel safe is a good solution for securing your private valuables.

Hotel safes are designed for short-term and ad hoc storage of valuables that you bring with you for a (rather) short stay in a hotel, guesthouse or apartment. They are most often attached to permanent fixtures in the room and you will find them in a wardrobe, a cupboard, a desk – generally in some piece of furniture. However, due to their light weight, they are products that are very easy to move or carry away once the fixings have been unscrewed. Hotel safes can be described as small, light and compact. When guests hide their valuables in them, they should feel that these are locked up and not lying in plain sight of those who enter the room (e.g. hotel staff).

You may be interested in:   Travel safety: the hotel room safe – can you trust it?

Class safes are more versatile and can be placed in built-in furniture (e.g. furniture safes), but can also be free-standing. They are used wherever long-term storage and protection of documents, jewels or other valuables is required. Class safes are products which, due to their higher weight, are definitely more difficult to carry out.

Hotel safes are mainly used for short-term storage of valuables, so their security level is low. The construction of such a safe itself is also very simple - the sheet steel body is 1.5 mm thick, fitted with two bolts with a diameter of 20 mm. As far as the locking method of hotel safes is concerned, they are equipped with simple electronic locks. The hallmark of these safes is therefore simplicity – both in construction and in operation.

Class safes, on the other hand, undergo stringent tests to obtain a specific security certificate. They offer a higher level of security, primarily due to their construction. Safes with a basic security class of S1 have a single-walled body made of 3 mm sheet metal and double-walled doors, while safes of higher classes feature a multi-walled body, additional fillings between the walls to provide long-term protection for the valuables deposited in them and multi-walled doors. They can be fitted with advanced locks, alarm control panel elements to make unauthorised access significantly more difficult.

Due to their purpose, i.e. short-term storage of a guest's valuables, hotel safes usually have a smaller capacity than class safes. Their dimensions allow them to accommodate basic valuables such as travel documents, cash or electronics (camera, tablet, laptop).

Class safes have different capacities, but are usually larger and have more varied organisational options. They may have shelves, drawers on telescopic rails and other features to facilitate the orderly storage of various items. Importantly: the dimensions of class safes (height, width, depth) can sometimes be modified – this allows you to create a product that fits perfectly, for example it will fit into an alcove that the customer has.

Hotel safes have a minimalist design. More often than not, their colour range is limited to black, graphite or white, making them easy to fit into a variety of hotel interior styles.

Class safes (standard version) are most often available in black, graphite or light grey. However, it is also possible to have the safe painted in any RAL colour, a high-gloss finish, a matt finish or even to have the safe covered with customer-designed graphics. All this to make it possible to adapt the safe to individual preferences and interior design.

Let's not kid ourselves – the price of hotel safes (considering all the above features) is lower compared to class safes. This may encourage you to buy them, but....

When it comes to the security of your valuables (and first of all, think about how much they mean to you, how valuable they are) – it's not the price of the safe that should be important, it's its level of security, in other words: how long (given the body, design and weight) the safe will resist an attempt to get at the deposit. Class safes are more expensive, but they represent an investment in the long-term security of your valuables.

In summary, the choice between a hotel safe and a class safe depends on the individual needs and expectations of a user. A hotel safe is a product designed for short-term, ad hoc security of rather small values that you leave in your room (in a hotel, guesthouse, chalet or flat for rent). If you are bringing more valuable items with you (e.g. jewellery, watches), it is a good idea to deposit them in a safe at the reception or in deposit boxes (if available in the accommodation).

A class safe is ideal for homes or offices where the need to keep valuables safe at all times is a priority: cash, important documents (contracts, deeds, policies, passports), jewellery, watches, gold or other precious metals, coins. A class safe is sometimes required by law (e.g. you cannot store weapons and ammunition in a classless hotel safe).

The level of security that a product provides (by certification) should be the most important factor in choosing a safe. At HARTMANN TRESORE, a variety of models are available in different configurations. If you have questions or need help with your selection, you can consult one of our experts and, once you have received an offer, you can work out the details and place your order. You are welcome!