Strange detail in hotel room security hack confuses the internet: 'I don't get it?'

A few things almost certainly happen when you check into a hotel. You unpack your luggage, check out your hotel room, and test out how comfy the bed is.

But according to a set of hotel life hacks recently shared on social media, there are a few other things that you should be doing as soon as you check in too.

According to a popular video shared on the Facebook page, This Is Hack - which puts different life hacks to the test - there are a few simple safety steps that should be put in place before you kick back and start to enjoy your holiday.

The nifty hotel room hacks included covering the door’s peephole with a bandaid and wiping down TV remote controls. But one uncommon trick that left everyone a little confused.

The hack involved taking a mug and delicately hanging it on the door handle, leaving it there overnight or while you are in the room.

“I don't understand the mug,” one person questioned with another saying, “Why would you do that?”

The whole idea behind it is to be alerted if someone is trying to gain entry into the hotel room. The cup will fall and smash when the door handle is turned, waking you up if you’re asleep.

People commenting on the post promptly pointed out that the trick served as a do-it-yourself burglar alarm, designed to notify you if someone tried to gain entry into the room.

“It’s the same as a burglar alarm. If the handle is turned the cup falls to the floor,” one person explained.

“It’s a 'door alarm' if it falls it means someone jiggled the door handle,” another pointed out.

“If it falls you know someone has tried to enter,” confirmed a third.

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Many question 'clever idea'

While some loved the “clever idea” saying that it could potentially save your life, others weren’t convinced it was a fool-proof way of catching an intruder.

“There are a lot of 'ifs' in this method. If the floor has a rug, it might not break or even make enough noise. If the handle is a round doorknob, it won’t work. If the door handle is too close to the edge, it won’t fit. If the door handle swings up, the cup won’t fall off,” one person said.

“Both sides of the handle don't always turn,” another explained.

A flight attendant also chimed in, offering her experienced opinion on the travel hacks, saying the process looked to be a little extreme.

“As an airline crew, watching this exhausted me. Just wash your hands before you eat. Use the deadbolt and door chain. No one is peeking at you through the peephole, plus what exactly are you doing in front of that door that would be that interesting just in case at that exact moment someone happened to look in and it wasn't a fisheye lens?” she asked.

Another agreed saying “I’d need another holiday after doing all of that!”

But apparently, people are not only using this method in hotel rooms but in their homes as well.

One woman said she uses the same trick to alert her if people are attempting to enter her home, especially around the holidays.

“Putting a mug on your doorknob so you can hear it if someone tries to break in,” she wrote.

She added (perhaps unnecessarily) that you should lock the door as well when using the hack.

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