Whether you’re establishing security-minded customer service protocols or installing a specialized, all-encompassing hotel and hospitality security system, keeping your guests safe and comfortable is of the utmost importance within the hotel industry. These days, both business and recreational travelers expect (and deserve) a safe and secure place to rest after a hard day’s work or an exciting adventure.
Here are 7 ways to improve your hotel’s security.
1. Encourage Friendly, Security-Minded Hotel Customer Service
Prevention is perhaps the best and most affordable way to improve your hotel and hospitality security. Make sure that your front desk and supporting staff use a “customer-first” approach to customer service. Valets should always request identification before retrieving stored luggage or handing over the keys to a new Tesla. Front desk personnel should likewise request identification when providing replacement access cards to guests who have misplaced their cards or who have accidentally locked them into their room. Employees should also be on the alert for individuals who don’t seem as though they belong on the property or who are acting suspiciously.
2. Staff Smart
Make sure that all of your employees and subcontractors undergo routine drug screenings and criminal background checks. As part of your employee training process, be sure to let them know what safety protocols are in place.
3. Remind Guests to Stay Smart and Be Safe
As a best practice, remind guests to use internal locks such as the lock bar, chain, and internal deadbolt when turning in for the evening. Room safes or hotel safes should also be recommended to guests for storing valuables. When opening a hotel door, guests should always use the peephole to see who is requesting access to their room.
4. Control After-Hours Hotel Access
Security Magazine recommends posting security personnel at front entrances and other access points, noting that “Security personnel are able to report suspicious activity, conduct property tours and protect guests and guest information from outsiders. This effort shouldn’t end when the sun goes down and foot traffic in the lobby slows. An around-the-clock security presence is a strong deterrent to unwanted activity and a clear signal to guests that your property is secure. Also ensure that your up-to-date surveillance system is tracking all of the hotel’s public areas, including the parking lot, gym, restaurants, loading dock, etc.”
5. Find the Right Access Control System
Finding the right access control system is an important component to any hotel and hospitality security system. Maintaining an “open-door policy” is a great way to make guests feel welcome and comfortable at your establishment; however, to defend against unwanted intrusion or to make sure that the neighborhood kids aren’t making the most of the pool, smart access controls make it easy for guests to get where they need to go, without the risk of unauthorized trespassers.
While we’re on the subject of access controls, it’s worth mentioning that Security Magazine also recommends that hoteliers work with a commercial security provider to make sure that their guest’s access keys aren’t vulnerable to hackers and other criminals.
If your locks are outdated and do not track which employees are entering a room at any given time, you may want to consider updating your system to a tracking system. This type of system is especially effective in deterring employee theft — when an employee knows their activity is being monitored, they’re much less likely to commit an offense.
6. Install Security Cameras and Video Analytics
If your hotel currently has a CCTV system but no one is monitoring it, it’s not doing your establishment a whole lot of good. Step up your security game with HD security cameras and video analytics. These systems can even help detect pre-defined threats and search video recordings for security concerns, thus freeing security personnel for more pressing matters.
7. Light Up the Perimeter
Help foster a safe environment by keeping outdoor areas and parking lots well illuminated. For more on lighting, check out our post, Securing the Physical Perimeter: What You Need to Know about Lighting, Intrusion Detection, and Access Points.”
Ready to take your hotel and hospitality security systems to the next level? Contact Herring Technology to request a free security consultation.
