First of all, how would she know?  But mainly it's silly because if you're discreet you won't draw unwanted attention.  And if she has concerns she should book a hotel with a fairly busy lobby and several places for her customers to wait discreetly.  I've done this dozens of times and never had a problem.

Granted, one shouldn't make policy based on the rare, exceptional occurrence, but she' gotta do whatever gives her peace of mind. Any ladies care to chime in with stories of indiscreet gentlemen? Perhaps the one about the guy lost in the lobby with his big bouquet of flowers, yelling into the phone, "what was the room number? 312?! Ok, I already asked the front desk, but they said there was no Pussy Willow staying here!"

-- Modified on 3/17/2015 8:10:34 AM

Actually, dont ALL hotels, even (especially?) high end conservative one, derive an important part of their revenue from the business?  It seems to me that these places wouldn't want to go out of their way to unnecessarily inquire into the business of the many, many people who wait in the lobby for a wide variety of reasons.

Although you may feel you are being "discreet" while waiting, many in the hotel industry will tell you that they have been trained on what to look for when locating "johns," and men waiting "discreetly" in the lobby is one thing. Although they may not really know what you are there for or what you are doing, you will still be on their security cameras. And if they decide to follow you to her room, and notice a trend of other "discreet" men headed to the same room, you may compromise her location. So why not just respect her wishes and make her comfortable?

Hotel Lobby - don't wait there

If the provider asks you to avoid waiting in the lobby, respect her and don't do it. I had one provider tell me that her hobbyist arrived an hour early and waited in the lobby. He told her this and she was worried it might draw attention.  So don't do it  

And let me just preface this by saying that hotel employees know what's up. They only give a shit if you're being obvious/inconsiderate.  

When we're in a hotel working, we want to be as low-profile as possible. I know that when I check in, the staff are thinking to themselves, "a chick in her 20s doesn't come to Cleveland by herself for the sightseeing. Homegirl is a total hooker." That's fine, but I want them to forget all about me until I leave. When there are dudes showing up and lingering in the lobby checking their phones every ten seconds, it has the potential to make other guests uncomfortable. There's only about a .01% chance that other guests are going to know what that guy in the lobby is there for, but the staff do not want to take that chance. If it becomes overly obvious that these guys are johns, they're going to put a stop to it. Maybe they'll ask a guy who he's there to see, maybe management will ask the lady to leave, or maybe they'll just call the cops. None of those are going to lead to an arrest, but all are going to cause problems. Is it likely? No. But just the possibility is enough to make a lot of us uncomfortable. I can't speak for the other ladies, but my vagina goes into DEFCON 3 lockdown mode when I'm uncomfortable, and that's just no fun for anyone.  

Besides, you sillies love showing up early for some reason. Sometimes y'all like to show up and lurk when I still have my hair in a pineapple bun while I'm running downstairs to grab a diet coke in my Breaking Bad sweatpants. Talk about a fantasy killer.  

And yeah, some laughably indiscreet dudes have done a good job fucking it up for the rest of you. I had a guy show up with a floral arrangement that was almost as tall as me once, and I think Courtney had a dude tell the valet attendant "I'm here to see Courtney Ova in room 123."  

Just chill in your car and play Angry Birds or something for a few minutes. It'll really help us out.

practice.  The only time I'll consider going into the lobby before I have the room number & OK to go up is if I know from past experience that it's a large spacious lobby and usually very busy, and even then usually only if it's too cold  out or pouring rain & there's no alternate place nearby to wait like a coffee shop.  
What the average person doesn't realize is that many hotel employees (desk clerks, doormen, porters, etc.) spend all day in that lobby and can easily spot odd behavior.  And in most establishments they are expected to be another set of eyes for the actual security guys, and often have had some training in what to look for.  So honor the request.

The hotel lobby: One stop hobby shop!!!

I definitely try to limit my times in hotels, but I luv it when:

Guys show up early, and lurk in the lobby while surfing my website.  

Go to the ATM and take out donation amount, sure you booked 2 weeks out, but gotta make sure that donation amount is right!

Text and repeat room number out loud once it comes through, don't want to forget it! DOH!  

And then stop by the front desk and ask for an envelope. Sure, just in case you want to "write a letter"

All completely fictitious, I hope... LOL!

Options include the Starbucks down the street, a park nearby, in front of the building next door, and your car (assuming you drive).  If the weather is really foul, you don't have a car, and can't find a place to hang out, find a men's room in the hotel and hang out in the stall.  

Try to be as nonchalant as possible and blend in.

1. Guys show up early because they don't want to be late. Tough to predict traffic and even public transportation in DC. How accommodating are providers when a guy shows up late because he didn't want to risk lurking?

2. If a guy is taking public transportation, he can't wait in his car. One can be discreet--I walk around the neighborhood, but when it's cold, not fun--**usually the walk is necessary because the provider is late rather than me being early. **

3. Waiting in lobbies, in general: When I first started hobbying and waited in a lobby, I felt like every eye was on me and knew exactly what I was there for. When I waited in lobbies for ... job interviews, business meetings, it struck me--nobody notices or gives a damn.

If anyone were to ask who you're seeing and you feel compelled to answer--you're there for a confidential interview.

I recently saw a provider, and there was a music festival taking place in the hotel. I thought, Wouldn't it be a great service if a provider could give such intel--the perfect reason to blend in and not lurk. I'm just here trying to get Capt. Kirk's autograph.  

I did walk around the festival after, and if the provider might have been chagrined because I embarrassed her ... too damned bad!!!

Sometimes it blows my mind that some men can not use enough common sense to realize that you standing there in the lobby or "sitting in the chair reading a newspaper" does not make you invisible and you aren't fooling anyone. It ticks me off to no end when someone tells me they're "in the lobby" just like the idiots that can't find the room and go "ask the front desk" where the room is.  

Like another lady posted, the hotel staff are trained to spot clients and working ladies,I have clients who work in the hotel industry that have told me this also. It doesn't matter how "busy the lobby is". When I stand in a hotel lobby or when I'm checking in, I can tell just who the clients are that are waiting to go up to a ladies room. You are putting the ladies in danger when you do this, stay in your car.  

Rude !

But definitely don't be hanging around in the lobby constantly checking your phone. It's common sense I thougt that guys know not to do that.  

  I had one guy walk in and lady at front desk was just being friendly and said hello there can I help you? My client replies , Oh I am good heading to room 302. Lol  

 That was NOT discreet. Another time I am checking in and I get a text and it says " you look great today ". My client was pretty early and had been hanging out in the lobby. ;-(

  So pull in park and then say " I have arrived ". If you are really early go and wait somewhere nearby.

I tend to wait in the car. Once in a while when I'm in DC, if I park far away I would wait at a nearby bookstore or Starbucks, or even the hotel lobby.

Waiting at the bar, receiving a text message, getting up and then walking to the elevator is a dead giveaway.

Parked the car, walked into the lobby, found the coffee shop.  Sat down, asked the counter guy for a diet coke.  "Diet coke" he says, raising one eyebrow and giving me the fish eye?  Yes please, I sez.  OK pal, none of MY business, and he gives me the coke but then he like in a sly kind of manner slithers over to the land line and makes a call and sez "Mike, we need to do inventory." Just like that.  I'm no idiot, I know what "do inventory" means.  Less than five minutes later, I'm not exaggerating, a private dick walks in and sits cross wise so he's staring right at my profile.  I know he's a dick because he's got a walrus mustache and he's bald with thick glasses.  He plays games with me.  Doesn't say a word.  Just "looks" at the menu which was an obvious cover up for staring straight past it at me.  So I go into high gear and play it cool.  Act nonchalant.  I call the counter guy over and I say "That was a great diet coke. You mix the syrup yourself? Doesn't taste like that pre-canned stuff. This is a great shop."  The counter guy senses that I am hip to what's going down and he just says "thanks" and walks away.  So he sends some kind of signal to the private dick, that I'm onto them.  The dick waits to make his move, he knows this isn't going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. Just then my phone rings (1812 Overture ringtone) with a text from the lady with her room number, says come on up.  So I pulled a fast one.

I'm on foot (from Metro for instance) I won't go in the place until I have the room number.

It seems fine to stay in lobby, especially bar, if it is large. Obviously dont hang out in a comfort inn lobby if lower grade is your thing.

I dont see an issue with checking your phone. Everybody is on their phones.

In any case a girl cant really tell if you are in the lobby.

Hotels know that escorts are in their rooms but unless there is some reasonable suspicion they aren't going to call security or police. It would be bad PR and an embarrassment if out of pure suspicion they bother sonebody and accuse them of prostitution.

It is pretty difficult for a manger to say something and accuse -- if they are wrong they themselves would be screwed.

So long as both sides are smart it's fine. Ladies just make sure there is some music on so there arent sex sounds coming out of your room all day. No TV though, big turn off and distraction.

Mllions of people come and go into hotels every day, many many are alone, and many are on the phone.
If you act normal and don't call attention to yourself, no one will pay attention to you.

--Several comments.  First, it really depends on the hotel.  To me, one quality that makes a hotel good for hobbying is a big, crowded lobby. So, providers, look for those!  

--Another factor is having hotel room doors that do not open into a big atrium. There is one chain that has that -- and you can see from the atrium who is going in and out of every door in the hotel.  I do not feel safe in those places.  

--third, as this was mentioned above, it'd be REALLY helpful if providers gave directions to the elevator, so we don't end up walking around like doofuses (doofi?) in the lobby  

--and fourth, it would even better if providers answered their door basically immediately when the client knocks. There is nothing worse -- and this has happened to me -- to have a provider take their time answering the door and have a family walking down the hall and you JUST KNOW that the door is going to open as the family walks past.  Not a good idea. And why send the person up if the provider is not ready.  

--Lastly, having providers that are not late makes the whole process easier.

soooo much easier.

This thread really opened up some great discussion. We ought to create a list of guidelines.  

I'm going to be proactive about asking some of these questions, if answers are not provided beforehand--
where are the elevators?  

can provider be ready to answer the door w/o a knock?

if there is an issue, can you let me know asap--that is, the guy she's with now can't come, so we have to extend the appt half an hour--don't tell me that when I'm walking up to the hotel

any events going on where I can blend in?

Some things are out of one's control, esp. when you're booking on an expedia or something. But once you get the lay of the land, share that.

I've had such great intel, and it helps.

If you come spinning into the lobby like Prince, with bottomless trousers, carrying a six-foot bouquet and yelling, "Party like it's 1999!" you'll attract attention. At least it did the last time I tried it