As a hotel owner, staff and guest safety must be among your top priorities—both for guest experience and to adhere to specific state regulations.
But in order to truly plan a comprehensive hotel safety strategy, you need to consider all potential threats in advance. Hospitality is an ever-changing playing field, with new trends and regulations popping up every year. Thankfully, that future also comes with plenty of technological advancements to help you react quickly to dangerous scenarios.
Let’s explore three crucial steps that can ensure your hotel safety and security procedures align with new compliance policies.
Step 1: Know the key elements of hotel safety and security procedures.
Some hotel owners fear robust security leads to a decline in guest service and satisfaction. While your security program shouldn’t compromise guests’ experiences, they must still feel at ease on the property. With the right tools and best practices, you can find a good balance between your hotel security procedures and guest safety and satisfaction.
Hotel security breaks into three categories: the property itself, staff and guests, and assets. You must attack each from a different angle while ensuring your strategies don’t compromise each other. Let’s unpack some best practices in each category and how you can leverage them today.
Property Safety
Your building’s safety strategy further branches into a range of categories, including:
This is by no means an exhaustive list of potential security concerns—but they are the most prominent considerations. Carefully survey your plan for handling each aspect in detail.
Consider creating an inventory of all the locks in your building—doors, windows, secondary entrances—everything. Ensure that all guest rooms are equipped with window locks, slide-and-chain door locks, and deadbolts.
This is also true for your back-of-house doors! Keeping these access points discreet and out of guests’ sight is best.
Parking is another central safety area that hotel owners must consider. Are your private parking spaces well-lit? Are there any trees or bushes blocking visibility or building entrances? Furthermore, can staff easily identify and describe access points of your building and grounds to emergency services? Assume they’re new hires—and thus relying on signs and maps—be sure to provide these.
Staff and Guest Safety
New Jersey became the first state in 2019 to mandate panic buttons in every room after an incident in Atlantic City. These panic buttons, or duress alert systems, are meant for your staff in case something happens while they’re servicing a room. If your hotel isn’t equipped with such alarms, consider the most effective way to implement them—especially if your state is considering something similar to the New Jersey mandates.
Will your current security staff provide top-notch coverage for the next five years? Ten years? If you don’t have in-house security staff, would it be more cost-effective to hire a third-party contractor? In either case, meet with your security staff regularly to ensure they’re up-to-date on all licenses and registrations. It also helps to review security protocols for various issues, including unattended vehicles, trespassers, use of force, and suspicious packages.