As the Holiday’s approach, most of you reading this article will be on the road away from your own families, residing in a hotel somewhere around the world, while protecting others that are visiting family or taking vacations.? During this holiday season, your protectee may also be staying in a hotel or rental home during their travels and the advance of their lodging is one of the many things you should do in preparation of their overall operational security measures.? It is widely known that there are few absolutes in Executive Protection.?? One exception is the best practice of completing a Protective Advance which significantly decreases the likelihood of a negative incident impacting your established security plan.? ?One of the largest pieces of any Protective Advance is the “Remain Over Night” or “RON” as it is referred to within the industry.? The term RON is usually identified with the hotel or other location, outside of the protectee’s permanent residence, which he or she resides temporarily. ???Protectees often have several residences, and the term “RON” is often interchangeable with whatever location they lay their head.? When you consider the time your protectee will be at various locations while travelling, the RON consumes much of it and your security planning for the RON should consider this.?
Your advance typically begins once you receive the trip notification or “line by line” schedule for your protectee notifying you of the impending visit.? ?During your pre-advance, you have many things you “should” do, but one of the first steps is to identify the RON location in the schedule and confirm reservations for all parties including travelling security. ?It is often helpful for the advance team lead to be included on the personal reservation for the protectee to ensure they can access the suite prior to the arrival of the protectee in district.? Hotels have strict rules on key access to rooms and without being on the protectee’s reservation, it is often difficult to enter the room for TSCM sweeps or to prepare the room for the protectee in advance.? Additionally, in the United States and Europe, many hotels have strict guidelines on check-in times.? Ensure that your protectee can have access to the room at the scheduled time of their arrival to prevent delay.? Along those lines, many professional EP teams routinely complete the check-in process for the protectee in advance of their arrival to prevent time in the lobby or delay getting to their suite.? We are in the business of protection and allowing your protectee to move directly to the suite limits access by potential threat actors, paparazzi, or others who could be waiting for their arrival in the lobby.??This practice also saves your Protectee significant time. When scheduling EP personnel for a visit, plan for the Detail Lead to have a room on the same floor as the protectee and immediately accessible in the event of an emergency or security incident.? This room does not have to be next door, but it shouldn’t be so far away it prevents hearing a potential security concern in the hallway.? Additionally, the EP advance agent should secure an extra room key for the protectee’s suite (in addition to the ones given to the protectee) to be provided to the Detail Lead for emergency access to the suite if needed.?
When completing pre-advance planning, it is critical for the advance agent to contact the Hotel Security Manager and Building Engineer to schedule a meeting to discuss site security and physical hotel features that may negatively impact your visit.? These meetings usually occur in person once the advance team/agent arrives at the RON.? The purpose for the meeting is to establish a baseline for the physical security features and site safety measures in place at an RON.? The information you receive from these?meetings supports your security planning in preparation of your protectee’s visit.? During this meeting you should:
MEETING WITH THE HOTEL/RON SECURITY MANAGER
- Exchange 24-hour contact information with the Hotel Security Manager.
- Share any BOLO information for threats to the Protectee with the Hotel Security and ask for RON specific BOLO’s if any.
- Understand that Hotel Security Managers often coordinate your visit details and needs with non-security Hotel Staff and Management.
- Identify available hotel security resources and staffing numbers and hours of availability.
- What are the specific duties of the hotel security staff?
- Is hotel security armed and if so, how?
- Does the hotel contract with local law enforcement to supplement security?
- Identify the location of the central camera office or security operations center and determine if camera coverage is recorded to include elevators and other public spaces.
- How long are videos archived?
- What areas do the cameras cover and can they be turned off?
- Identify local police and law enforcement support and response time to hotel.? Time and Distance.
- Identify how to alert police and emergency services via telephone (911 numbers vary worldwide)
- Identify local fire department support and response time to hotel. Time and Distance
- How are fire alarms investigated by the hotel security staff?
- Are fire alarms investigated before an alarm enunciates or are they automatic?
- Do fire alarms alert only the areas where the sensors detect the alarm, the floors above and below the alarm or all areas of the hotel?
- What do fire alarms sound like when they do enunciate?
- Who monitors the fire control panel in the hotel and where is it located?
- Identify local emergency medical support and response time to hotel. Time and Distance.
- Determine response time to your predetermined and advanced Level 1 Trauma Center from the RON.? Time and Distance.
- Does the RON have additional medical equipment, services, and staff available if needed and where?
- Are there other VIP’s or security personnel in the hotel and is their security armed? Has your visit been communicated to them?
- Are there any major events scheduled at the hotel for the duration of your stay?
- Are there any local holidays or events that may impact your visit?
- Are there any internal security or local crime concerns you should be aware of?
- Do all exterior doors lock and are they monitored by any means?
- Is there a security fence surrounding the hotel property perimeter and how is it constructed?
- Is there exterior lighting for all parking areas and access entranceways?
- Can the hotel provide secure parking for your motorcade vehicles on property?
- Are parking areas secure and how?
- Are there landscape, bollards or physical barriers that prevent vehicles from striking the building’s exterior and what is the standoff for those physical features?
- Has there been any hotel staff dismissals or other incidents that could negatively impact your visit?
MEETING WITH THE HOTEL/RON BUILDING ENGINEER
- Identify the Fire safety features of the hotel (portable extinguishers, pull stations, fire safety panel locations and AED’s)
- Is the fire safety system heat activated or smoke activated or both?? Is it monitored 24/7?
- Are the fire alarm sensors in all rooms and public areas?
- Do all rooms, hallways and public areas have sprinkler systems?
- How does the fire alarm system enunciate? Audibly, Visually, or both?
- What do elevators do when a fire alarm is activated and are they accessible?
- Are the stairwells vacuum sealed for fire safety and can all stairwell levels be accessed during a fire?
- Are stairwells clearly marked/identified?
- Where do stairwells lead? (EP must walk this route in all cases and check all necessary exit doors)
- Do guest room doors close automatically and lock?
- If power fails, does it affect the room’s locks?
- Do all guest room doors have view ports for hallways?
- Do all guest room doors have additional locking mechanisms to secure the door from the inside?
- How is access gained to hotel rooms? (Key cards, digital codes, keys, phone apps)
- Who maintains master keys for all rooms in the hotel?
- Can keys be issued by the front desk staff for rooms while the occupant is in the suite?
- Request elevator inspection dates and maintenance records if needed.
- Request last Health Inspection date for on premises kitchen or restaurant.
- Can elevators be held with a key under operator control?
- Are freight elevators available as an alternative secure option?
- Are all elevators operational and is there a delay for elevators when called?
- Do elevators have emergency communications systems inside them?
- Request operational information on the emergency generator operations for the hotel to include:
- Does the generator activate automatically following a loss of power and how long will it run?
- What is the transfer time for generator operation?
- What percentage of the hotels’ electrical power operates under generator power?
- Do all elevators and lighting work under generator power alone or just a percentage?
- Does emergency power support hallway and stairwell emergency lighting?
- Where is the generator located and is it secure?
- How is it fueled and is that fuel source secure?
- How much fuel is stored on-site and how long will that fuel last once activated?
- When was the generator last tested or used?
- Where are the environmental air handlers for the hotel and does all air for the hotel transfer through them?
- Where is the primary potable water source ingress for the hotel and is it secure?
- Are there any operational features of this hotel that create a safety hazard or that the EP team should be aware of?
While each RON advance creates unique challenges, they all have components that are necessary.? One such component is the “Site Walkthrough.” You can complete a walkthrough with hotel security, however, I personally prefer to do this prior to meeting with hotel security and provide observed details later during that meeting.? During a RON walkthrough I follow the protectee’s scheduled movements within the site from the start to finish.? I begin at the RON entrance, or the motorcade “drop” location I have selected and begin with the following steps working outside in:
- Identify the most secure arrival/departure area for your protectee during the duration of your stay and have plans for alternates.
- Ensure any personal greetings of your protectee are known and take place inside the hotel rather than curbside near the limousine.
- Identify a proposed location on the property for secure motorcade parking.
- Identify a location for placement of an emergency motorcade during the visit.? An emergency motorcade is one or two soft vehicles located in a different location than your primary motorcade and used when your primary motorcade has been compromised or is unusable based on a security incident.
- Walk the exact route your protectee would take to their suite.? This route is dependent on the logistical steps you took to eliminate check-in.?
- Walk the emergency egress route fully from the suite to your planned secure location or emergency transportation source.?In addition to the RON physical security and safety measures, there are Suite specific security items that should be addressed on every RON advance:
- Will the suite have food or drink amenities put in place by hotel staff? If so, escort staff into the room following any sweep and screen these amenities to ensure suitability.
- Are suite deliveries managed and do they come to EP rather than the protectee?
- What are the line of site considerations for the Suite’s windows and balcony?
- Does the suite have balcony access, and does this access connect to adjacent suites?
- Does the balcony door lock, and how?
- Does the suite have a connecting room with a door and does that door secure? Who is in the adjacent room?
- Does the suite’s windows open and if so, can they be secured?
- Schedule room cleaning and services when the Protectee is not present in the suite.
- Control the security of all baggage on arrival through departure.? Communicate logistics for luggage to Protectee for departure.
- Identify and communicate hotel amenities to include Wi-Fi access, dining, room service, bars, entertainment, spa, gym, laundry service, business center and times for each.? Provide this information to the Protectee or Staff.
? Prior to arrival of the Protectee:
- Set suite’s room temperature and environmental controls to desired levels.
- Shut and secure all windows and lower shades/close drapes prior to arrival of protectee.
- Ensure desired amenities are in place.
- Turn on suite lights.
- Secure balcony and all entrance doors.
- Secure the room.
As you can see there are considerable steps that should be completed during the protective advance process specifically for RON locations.? The RON advance is part of the larger protective advance process and an industry “Best Practice” when completing security planning and logistics in preparation of a protective visit.? If you are interested in learning more detailed information about the RON Advance and other protective advance responsibilities, consider The Executive Protection Advance and Logistics Guidebook - 2023 | EP Board (
ep-board.org
)
or follow the Board of Executive Protection Professionals (BEPP).?
About the Author: Kevin Dye is a retired U.S. Secret Service supervisory special agent with over 28 years of international managerial protective detail experience and over 34 years of combined federal government service.? Mr. Dye served on the prestigious U.S. Secret Service Presidential Protective Division Detail during two Presidential administrations and has provided personal protective coverage for numerous Heads of State and major Presidential Candidates during his lengthy career. ?Mr. Dye is currently the Senior Manager of Executive Protection at the Procter and Gamble Company and a member of the Board of Executive Protection Professionals (BEPP).
