When guests arrive at your hotel they want to feel safe and sound. They want to be able to let their guard down and relax like they would in the comfort of their own home. Wherever your hotel is located, you should have some level of security. Depending on the location, you may need to offer extra layers of protection or tighten your existing security measures.
In an area where there has been major political upheaval or unrest, hoteliers have been forced to take extra steps to improve the feeling of security for their guests. The Boston Marathon bombings in 2013 saw hotels making last-minute arrangements for the security like restricting access to guest, not accepting checked baggage and training the staff to handle such a situation.
Even if it is not a day-to-day security measure that is in place, you should always have an emergency plan that quickly tightens security.
When looking at your general security, ask yourself these questions:
– Do my guests feel comfortable?
– Have there been any incidents of theft?
– Who has been the perpetrator of these incidents?
– Have there been any other acts of crime within your property or its surrounding area?
– What security measures do you already have in place?
-What measures need to be taken to halt any crime surrounding your property?
Once you know the answers to these questions, you will be able to come up with a comprehensive plan that puts into effect the necessary protective measures without making guests feel like there are bars on the windows or that they have something to fear. The process starts by vetting guests, requiring them to have proper ID at check-in and ensuring the quality of your staff. From there, it is all about controlling who walks through the doors of your hotel. You want your guests to feel safe, secure and confident when they are in your hotel.
Tips to strengthen security:
A hotel’s lobby provides a public space for people to visit, inquire or check-in/check-out on a daily basis. Not only should a hotel protect their guests but also themselves. A few useful recommendations:
– Get surveillance cameras installed in your property. Some feel that cameras restrict one’s privacy but for safety purpose, they are very essential. Install cameras on the room floors, elevators, lobby and other public outlets of your hotel.
– Train your staff members to report suspicious behavior. They should be habituated with the safety manuals. Provide regular trainings on emergency and evacuation.
– Hire adequate security personnels to monitor visitors. Place them on shifts so that round-the-clock monitoring is done. Instruct your security to not let strangers enter the property at odd hours.
– Ensure that you have a strong threat assessment process in place. Make sure there is a security personnel present at every access point.
– Make sure the areas like parking lots, grounds, restaurants are well-lit and regularly monitored to avoid any robbery or theft.
– Assign rooms that are easily accessible to the main areas to female guests.
– Instruct your guests to lock the room door to prevent strangers from entering.
-Tell your guests to report unusual behavior.
Apart from this, one should also be secure of the data. Crucial data like credit card details, passport details, guest details, social security numbers, reports and financial details should be kept secure. Use a property management system that complies to data security guidelines and has multiple features that secure your files during system crash or natural calamities.
Hotelogix offers a highly secure, cost-effective and simple to use system on cloud that ensures your data remains under strong room security. Try now.