Hotel Security

The hotel industry has always been known for its promise of a great stay and exceptional service but recently many hotels now have to promise safety and security for its guests. After past events, which include the attacks on September 11th and the most recent attack on hotels the Mumbai attacks, many hotels are looking for new and improved ways to help keep their employees and guests safe. Many hotels are now implementing a new system of security that will hopefully make the guest feel safe while they are staying at the hotel.
One of the most recent attacks on two hotels was in Mumbai on November 8th 2008 at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, and the Oberio Trident. Both hotels were bombed and immediately taken over by terrorists which turned into a hostage situation. It was one of the worst attacks on hotels in history that resulted in 167 people losing their lives and nearly 300 being wounded. The total costs of the damage were INR 5 billion and almost took a full year to repair. After the attacks in Mumbai Jimmy Chin, chairman of the security committee for the Hotel Association of New York City, said he was compiling guidelines and recommendations that will be sent soon to the association's 242 member hotels. ''It's not that we expect anything tomorrow, because there is no specific threat against New York City hotels,'' Mr. Chin said. ''But this is all precautionary.''
So how can these hotels have a good security system? Hotels are very tricky by nature to completely secure because of the massive amount of guests and employees that circulate through the establishment on a daily basis. “ You don’t want it to look like an army camp; you want the guest to have a good experience,” says Joe Mclnerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, “ the security apparatus has to be extremely sophisticated.” Much of the security operation must be done out of the sight because if the guests saw all the security they will start to question their own...