Clearly the above does not apply at the Beverly Plaza hotel in Pattaya (not that this is a recommendation, I was booked in there as a result of a misunderstanding).

The safes in BP are/were in reception and dual key-operated, and when I inevitably lost mine (another of my skills set which includes missing flights, checking out of hotels on the wrong day, and travelling with other people's passports) a man with an oxy-acetelyne torch had to be summoned to open it - much to the amusement of all and sundry in the lobby.

Needless to say, on my return home the key was found in a pocket of a pair of shorts.

Having said that, NIrish's point is well-made