A RESEARCH ON SAFETY AND SECURITY ISSUES FACED BY HOTELS GLOBALLY

Introduction

The housekeeping department is the far-most revenue-making department for every lodging property, the housekeeping department is responsible for the security and safety of the guests as well as the housekeeping staff. The purpose of this report is to discuss the role of housekeepers in averting safety and security risks related to the hotel environment.

This report contains three parts, first part debates the safety and security threats and how these threats impact the hotel business. The second part discusses the measure which can be used by housekeeping staff to minizine the security and safety risks for the guests and staff. The third part discusses the strategies which can be utilized to ensure the readiness of an establishment against safety and security threats.

It is crucial to understand and evaluate the security and safety threats faced by the hoteliers so that they can identify the issues before it happens and preventive measures can be taken in order to maximize the profit of the organization.?

Safety and security threats faced by hotels and their impacts on the hotel business

Natural disasters

The overwater villas, which are bordered by the ocean and attract tourists, are also the most vulnerable to mother nature's wrath. These far-flung islands are unprepared in the event of a natural catastrophe. Natural disasters such as floods, wave surges, and tsunamis pose a significant threat to island resorts.

If a tsunami or any other type of disaster warning is issued, island resorts must move quickly to evacuate as many people as possible. However, island resorts may suffer direct and indirect losses as a result of their evacuation, including missed production and salaries. In the worst-case scenario, the entire property may be destroyed.

Personal safety and theft

Theft and robbery are two of the most common dangers that visitors and employees face. Ensuring the safety and security of the property, its guests, and its personnel should be the top priority for hotel owners and managers.

The effects of theft and robbery in the hospitality industry have an effect on the social community, tourist destinations, and individuals. The consequence of these sorts of crimes on a tourist location is a poor image, which in turn leads to changes in tourist behavior and sentiments, as well as their decision about whether or not to visit or return to a location where criminal occurrences take place.

A Fiery movement

Wood and kadjan are the materials that are used in resort construction the most frequently. Since these are the kind of materials that are considered to be particularly combustible, this means that once a fire begins, it can spread very quickly.

As a consequence of this, a sizeable portion of the property may sustain damage; as a result, both guests and employees may need to be relocated, and the resort may need to be shut down temporarily while repairs are carried out. Because of this, hundreds of employees will be out of work, and the cost to fix the damage will be in the millions of dollars. Cancellations of bookings, reimbursements, and other related matters. As a result, there would be anarchy within the corporation.

Before a new resort can obtain its operating license, it is required to have comprehensive fire emergency plans, as well as disaster management measures such as alarm systems, extinguishers, and evacuation plans. Seventy-five percent of the resort's employees are also required to be trained in firefighting, and the resort must conduct regular fire drills.

Terrorism

The last thing vacationers want to do is stress about being noisy when they're away from home. As a result, people will travel to those locations where there are fewer risks involved. It is important for tourist sites to make investments in cutting-edge technology in order to give visitors a completely safe and secure atmosphere.

Terrorists make use of a variety of techniques, such as targeting and planning attacks in advance, as well as organizing and preparing weapons, and forming a local network by bringing together all of the locals and engaging with visitors. Access is also easier on these isolated islands, which are bordered on all sides by the sea. Terrorists from other nations have used these techniques in the past (Olojede, TDaramolaT & TOlufemi, T2016).

It's possible that a single incident like this might bring a whole industry to a halt and do damage to the economy. This is demonstrated clearly in the neighboring country of Sri Lanka, where the tourism industry is still recovering from the recurrent attacks on tourists.

Measures to be taken by the housekeeping staff in reducing safety and security risks for the guests, staff, and hotel

Hazardous chemicals used in the deep cleaning of hotels may pose a high safety risk to the various stakeholders of a hotel. For guests, there is the risk of exposure when the cleaning agents are used in the room that the guests are occupying. To minimize this risk, housekeeping staff play various roles one of which is to schedule the deep cleaning times of rooms according to when the rooms are unoccupied. The staff faces a safety risk in this manner, such that the staff has to handle hazardous chemicals in deep cleaning procedures. To minimize this risk, According to OSHA

“In order to ensure chemical safety in the workplace, information about the identities and hazards of the chemicals must be available and understandable to workers” this will help the housekeeping staff to identify chemicals and handle them accordingly, ensuring maximum safety (Wahl, 2000). The main risk that a hotel may face is having a hazardous substance leak or contamination in the hotel. This could lead to severe implications which could even cause the hotel to halt operations, shut down entirely and even face severe fines and lawsuits. To prevent such risks, the housekeeping staff has to handle and store any hazardous chemicals employed by the hotel in appropriate locations.

A Major and often very common security risk that hotels face Is the risk related to anti-social behavior, either from a staff member, guest or visitor. When guests face anti-social behavior from either of the aforementioned parties, oftentimes a housekeeping staff is most likely to be nearest when such situations transpire. hence, proper procedures for the housekeeping staff to handle such situations can help to control such situations as soon as possible. Furthermore, in situations where the staff face such anti-social behavior which could be physically threatening, staff can be taught basic self-defense skills to quickly handle such situations and to secure their safety. For a hotel, one of the main risks it could face by anti-social behavior is the guest’s dissatisfaction when the peace and serenity of the hotel atmosphere are tarnished. This could then lead to bad guest feedback and thus a significant drop in business (Alashwali, Szalachowski & Martin, 2020). Hence, housekeeping staff being given speech and negotiation training to counter such situations can help to de-escalate such situations before a large scene is created, which would safeguard the hotel’s serene atmosphere.

One of the main risks faced by hotels is fire disasters. Fire poses a huge risk to the hotel industry. It is mainly created due to flammable liquids. It is crucial to keep everyone safe during fire accidents. Apart from causing costly damages, the main reason for fire safety is to prevent injuries to the guests and employees. When guests are faced with such a situation it will lead to a bad reputation for the hotel. To minimize the risks housekeeping staff plays an important role in taking safety measures (Griffiths, 2014). A key step to prevent fire is tidiness, the housekeeping staffs need to make sure that guest’s rooms are well-cleaned to avoid items that could burn such as cigarette buds and combustible items should be used in the work area only when they are needed and need to be stored in the assigned storage area. This eliminates the potentially flammable materials. Moreover, the staff should be trained to use the equipment and should be familiar with the hotel policies in order to reduce the risks of any accidents that may occur. In addition to this fire safety training can be provided to the staff, the staff should know how to help themselves and the guests in such situations. Hotel fires can spread fast and cause damage to the infrastructure. This will be led to a complete shutdown of the hotel. So, it is important to take safety measures to prevent such disasters.

Strategies that can be used to ensure the readiness of an establishment against safety and security threats

Hoteliers use several strategies to cope with safety and security threats that may arise in their hotels. Safety here refers to the matters such as disasters like fire prevention, tsunami, terrorism, etc. which may damage the hotel property or situations which may injure the hotel employees or customers. While safety and security refer to providing an environment, which is free from fear, anxiety, and doubt involving ourselves as well as the protection and defense against the loss or theft of guests, employees, and property.?

Training

Proper training regarding safety and security measures is crucial in maintaining the safety and security of the hotels. Staff should be properly trained about hotel policies and procedures. In addition, housekeeping staff should be trained about the cleaning equipment, and cleaning chemicals in order to reduce the safety threats which may occur while in the cleaning process.

Training the staff is a complicated and time-consuming and costly process. (Tarakbaeva, 2020) However, training employees about the hotel emergency evacuation plans, hotel building or hotel island security, how to use the fire extinguishers, and fire horses, hotel key lock systems, and the procedures for protecting guests’ information is a crucial element in employee training.?

CCTV Cameras

One of the most efficient ways to keep the hotel safe and monitor any activities is to install security cameras. Cameras should be installed at all doors, hallways, and common areas (Kelly, 2010) Security cameras can help to keep an eye on everything going on in the hotel so any potential dangers can be identified and stopped before it happens. In the case that a problem arises, there can also be crucial evidence to supply to the police, ensuring that the criminal is apprehended.

Security Officers

Security personnel can give the hotel an added layer of protection. They are well-trained to spot suspicious activity and apprehend criminals in the act. Security officers stationed at the hotel's entrances and/or throughout the property will prevent criminals and ensure that any problems are resolved quickly.

Contemporary Door Lock System

Theft thrives in old, outdated locks. When locks are upgraded to the most up-to-date technologies available, it would assure thorough audit procedures such as in-out logs. In addition, it identifies by whose card the doors are opened, what time doors are opened, and how long it is kept for opening, hence, updating to such a lock system would dramatically reduce the likelihood of theft. ?Automatic deadbolts and systems without master keys all help to reduce the likelihood of threats or theft.

Security Risk Assessments

A security risk assessment is one of the most effective strategies to keep the hotel safe. A security firm can do a risk assessment to discover any security flaws on the property and give recommendations on how to address them (Mansour Ghazi, 2014) A security risk assessment is a wonderful start to consider in improving the safety and security of the establishment and it will help to build an improvement plan.

Conclusion

The modern challenges relating to security and safety that hotel owners and managers confront have been highlighted in this paper. This report also discusses the safety and security precautions taken by the hotel's housekeeping team in an effort to protect both hotel guests and employees as well as the hotel itself from potential dangers. In addition, information regarding the tactics that hotel owners and managers can take to guarantee that their employees are prepared to deal with any potential threats to their safety and security.

References

Kelly, L., 2010. Where security feeds value (how information security can improve profitability).?Strategic Direction, 26(11).

Mansour Ghazi, K., 2014. Safety and Security Measures in Egyptian Hotels.?Journal of Hotel & Business Management, 04(01).

Tarakbaeva, R., 2020. Ways to improve the innovative activity of the hotel “Terra”.?Bulletin of "Turan" University, (4), pp.160-164.

Wahl, G. (2000). The HazCom Training Program.?Chemical Health And Safety,?7(5), 51-52. doi: 10.1016/s1074-9098(00)00139-8

Alashwali, E., Szalachowski, P., & Martin, A. (2020). Exploring HTTPS security inconsistencies: A cross-regional perspective.?Computers & Security,?97, 101975. doi: 10.1016/j.cose.2020.101975

Griffiths, H. (2014). Hotel Rooms and Bodily Fluids in Two Recent Productions of Measure for Measure, Or, Why Barnardine is Still Important.?Shakespeare Bulletin,?32(4), 559-583. doi: 10.1353/shb.2014.0069

Olojede, O., Daramola, O., & Olufemi, B. (2016). Metropolitan transport safety and security: An African experience.?Journal Of Transportation Safety & Security,?9(4), 383-402. doi: 10.1080/19439962.2016.1230164