Well, if you want something a little more solid than a hardwood wedge for a doorstop:
Traveller's Door Stop

Alex

A smoke detector might be a good idea. After all you have no idea when the hotels one was last serviced, or even if the bloody thing actually works. If its a high rise hotel. Tell them you suffer from vertigo (little white lie, you only suffer from it above 40,000 ft...) and ask for a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor. Reduces the distance you have to go if bugging out when the fire alarm goes.

<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I'm in sales. The marraige is fine because I'm in sales and not home long enough to build up an argument!

I'm surprised no one mentioned it, but I can think of one very important thing.

Maps of the area.

Pilllow?

In addition to my EDC, FAK and flashlights, specificalIy for travel stays I like to carry my Garmin eTrex Legend loaded with MapSource maps of local area (and route if going by car) and a small traditional compass along with1L Nalgene and an assortment of rations (granola/snack bars, some hard candy, extra single-serve coffee bags, some sugar packs. I also need to carry a laptop, and use a CamelBak PeakBagger, with a 3L reservoir to consolidate the pc and gear.

I would add a tin cup or bowl from my gear to that. Along with a spoon and a packet of instant noodles. Presuming that your room has a kettle (or you brought your own travel kettle) you can at least guarentee something hot to eat.

Bring your own alarm clock, if you have to be somwhere at a certain time. Hotel alarm clocks are unreliable.

If you don't have a set of bells or a wedge for the door, move a piece of furniture in front of it.

Firearms may be restricted in MA, but you could decide to remove your car's tire iron for "maintenance"

Rather than taking up space with an alarm clock, I always just use the alarm on my cell phone. Sometimes I set a redundant alarm on my PDA as well.

I concur with the previously suggested recommendations to request the second floor if possible. You're up off the ground, but close enough to evacuate easily if needed. Keep a good flashlight nearby (I always have my E2E on me anyway), lock the doors and enjoy.

I'm a safety geek. I'll look at a floor plan of a hotel and choose (if possible) a room near an emergency exit, preferably near a fire extinguisher as well.

If I'm traveling by car (and therefore have much more latitude in what I bring) I'll even toss a fire extinguisher and a smoke alarm into a duffle to bring into the room. I haven't invested in a evacuation hood yet though.

You know, I totally forgot... get some flip-flops for walking in the bathroom/showering - hell even just for the carpet floors. It's really scary what's left behind by your hotel-roommates (that's what they are, and they just slept in your bed!). One time I found blood on the side of the tub (I was a traveler for years) and I've seen the Dateline type undercover investigation with the blacklights and such.

Anyway, the other thing I always used to do was keep clothes handy. I sleep in gymshorts, so normally it was just shoes and a shirt for emergencies, but in the winter, I always had my pants, socks, shirt and coat laid out for a quick getaway in case of a fire. And keep a spare blanket, coat and sleeping bag, and hand/foot warmers in your truck (you had a spare vehicle key in your laid out pants right?) so if there's an evac, you get to stay snuggly warm while everyone stands outside waiting in the snow.