• Hotel security is a major concern for hotel managers.hotel image by Gon?¡ìalo Carreira from Fotolia.com
  
  Hotels and resorts are a service industry. There is nothing more important in any service industry then keeping the customer happy and the guests safe. No other service industry has the burden of keeping patrons safe as much as the tourist industry, because no other service industry has customers at such a disadvantage. Hotel guests routinely leave their rooms with valuables inside. They can become vulnerable when sleeping or showering, or injured as a result of the hotel's negligence. So there are a lot of things to think about from the point of view of management, and security is one of the major concerns.
  
  

Safety from Terrorists

• When travelers think of hotel security, if they think of it at all, they most likely think about whether their valuables are safe in an unattended room. Guests also need to feel safe while moving around within the confines of their rooms, in and around the hotel premises and in the immediate vicinity of their destination. Unless they are staying in a country where hotel terrorist attacks are not all that unusual, they almost never think that the hotel in which they are staying may become a target for a terrorist attack. But in 2007 the Center for Hospitality Research at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration issued a report in 2007 called the "The Safety and Security of U.S. Hotels: A Post-September 11 Report." In it, Professors Cathy Enz and Masako Taylor reported that U.S. hotels are "standing pat" with procedures that were in place prior to 9/11. One-third of the hotel managers surveyed had done nothing to change their security procedures as a result of the attacks of September 11th. A follow-up survey showed that the hotels that did revise and strengthen their policies were upscale, luxury and high-ed resorts, airport hotels and urban properties.
  
  Some of the new policies put in place include the installation of high-security entrance devices, explosive vapor detectors, and in some foreign hotels, bomb-sniffing dogs who randomly check guests and luggage. But two hotels in Jakarta were bombed in July of 2009 by suicide bombers who checked in as paying guests. They used their own hotel rooms as a "command post" and lab to assemble their bombs.
  
  

Safety from Violence

• Security cameras are a good deterrent to crime.two cameras image by Vadimone from Fotolia.com
  
  Duos Technologies, Inc. is a company dedicated to keeping hotel visitors safe. Their Vice President is Charles Goslin. Goslin released a paper in 2008 that discuss hotel's "best practices" for security. They begin with standard perimeter security equipment: cameras. He wrote:
  
  "Perimeter security is usually considered the outermost ring of "security in depth," which follows a deterrence-through-design methodology that includes fences or walls, bollards, barriers, cameras, height detectors at the gates, and lighting. The deterrent element of this design is presumed to be
  
  frustration or intimidation of the trivial (petty criminal looking for an easy way in), and delay of the serious (professional criminal, or terrorist infiltrator with an agenda)."
  
  But cameras in and around the building, though a possible deterrent, can do little to stop a violent attack. They can only look on helplessly and record the incident for future prosecution. The addition of a security force who may be watching a bank of monitors, however, can enhance security as the "smart cameras" can alert an officer when something is amiss. An officer can see any activity taking place beneath the camera, and take immediate action in real time.
  
  

Security in the Room

• Women traveling alone on business have an expectation of protection from hotel crime.woman image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
  
  Hotels are supposed to be a welcoming place. And for the most part, they are. But with all that welcoming freedom comes the fine line hotel managers walk when trying to keep their guests safe. Trends in hotel management have caused managers to look at their guest's needs a little more. For example, the last few decades has shown a rise in the number of women traveling alone on business. The need to keep them safe is uppermost in the manager's mind. So, in addition to cameras, many hotels have begun to use additional guest-door inside locks and train employees to be aware of any safety and security measures in place. There are no actual government regulations, and so hotels must self-regulate, but guests should do the same.
  
  

Staying Secure

• Additional locks should always be used when inside a hotel room.lock image by cherie from Fotolia.com
  
  In an article published by Travel and Leisure, writer Barbara Benham reports that guests should be asking several standard questions when booking a hotel room. Taking on the responsibility for their own welfare is the best way a hotel guest can insure his own safety. Ask, for example, if there is a full-time security officer on staff, if guests are required to show a government-issued ID when registering, if access to room floors are restricted to hotel guests and if so, how? Other questions include those about the staff: have there been background checks on all the staffers who have access to the guest and/or rooms and have they received training in security measures? Taking responsibility for one's own safety is ultimately the best way to ensure your hotel stay is a safe one.