The Dynamics Of Hotel Security

Putting in place a robust security system in hospitality properties requires enormous amount of planning, investment in the latest equipments and technologies, quite a bit of staff training and a very high level of alertness on the part of the staff and the management of the hospitality properties.

- Jyotismita Sharma

Hotels can easily become soft targets for terrorists, and India, which has been recording a high rate of economic growth for more than a decade now, is hardly an exception. as seeking attention appears to be one of the primary goals of terrorist organisations, they tend to target hotels visited by high-profile domestic and foreign guests. The horrors of the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 in which the iconic hotels — The Taj Mahal palace, Mumbai and The Oberoi, Mumbai & Trident, Nariman point – were the sites chosen for the attack, are still fresh in our memories. Having a tight security system in a hotel has therefore become more important than ever.

“Security measures are extremely important to the functioning of the hotel and security is always the first priority towards guest service in the hospitality industry,” said Mau Chaudhuri, General manager, royal Sarovar portico, Siliguri, West Bengal.

But safeguarding guests from any aggression is just one of the many dimensions of hotel’s safety and security measures. Hotels need to have adequate arrangements to protect their own staff and property as well.

“The guest, who comes to a particular hotel, comes with an understanding that she/he and her/his belongings both will be safe and secure during her/his stay at the hotel. at the same time, it is also quite important that the hotel’s staff and assets are also protected and stay secure. Hence it is very important to have a proper safety and security system in place to protect guests, staff, hotel’s physical resources and assets such as equipments, appliances, and gardens of the hotel, and also the belongings of the guests,” Mau explained.