Here's an interesting article from Hotel Interactive today.


The travel and hospitality industry was perhaps one of the hardest hit after the September 11th attacks. Suffering loss of revenue with cancellations and lowered occupancy, the lodging Industry grossed $16.1 billion in pretax profits following September 11th - 33 percent less than in 2000, according to a Smith Travel research study,

Despite having a newly appointed director of Homeland Security and a color coded system of monitoring potential security threats, the scare remained grave and occupancy in hotels across the country dropped drastically. In 2002, the industry grossed $14.2 billion in pretax profits, according to the Smith Research study, with the total industry revenue declining to $102.6 billion from $103.5 billion.

The United States has been fortunate in thwarting subsequent potential terrorist attacks, but know the threats are still all too real. Two of the most brutal attacks were at vulnerable targets in the travel and hospitality industry - the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in August 2003 where 12 people died and 149 were injured and at a heavily traversed railway in Spain with 202 fatalities on March 11th, 2004.

Improving and maintaining the highest levels of safety and security is of utmost importance to the survival of the hospitality industry.

Two-thirds of international visitors and 62 percent of domestic visitors who were visiting Southern California in late 2003 put safety and security at the top of their list in choosing hotel accommodations, says forecaster Marvin J. Cetron, PH.D., in his report "Hospitality in the Age of Terror."

The hospitality industry has responded in recent years by installing electronic locks with a secondary lock and door viewers in guestrooms to insure safety and security, according to Frederic E. Prassack, the Peabody director of security and safety and the American Hotel and Lodging Association's loss prevention committee chairman, "The hospitality industry has been focused on guest and employee security and safety for many years."

However, hoteliers still need to be aware of a few particular areas of vulnerability. The lobby, usually a large open space with multiple entrances where hundreds of people (depending on the size of the property) move in and out throughout a day can be a risk. "Depending on the size and business volume of the hotel, some properties have opted to secure their perimeter doors during certain hours to attain maximum security," says Prassack.

Loading docks, garages, and monitoring delivery vehicles are of additional concern. Prassack recommends prohibiting unauthorized vehicles from parking near the building (i.e taxicabs, limousines, busses). Front door valet parking and driveways make it easy for a driver in a "suspicious" vehicle to get very close to the hotel entrance. During "code orange" and "code red" statuses of alert, he suggests suspending the practice of front door valet parking altogether.

Bob Ogren, chief engineer and director of operations at the flagship Radisson Hotel in downtown Minneapolis has overseen and implemented standard operating procedures for safety and security prior to 9-11 and continues to do so. With 360 rooms and banquet facilities catering to a mid-market businessman, the Radisson in downtown Minneapolis typically has two types of guests; the Sunday to Friday business traveler and the weekend tourist.

He has what he calls his "HEAT" team, a hotel emergency action team, comprised of 14 personnel who are trained as "first responders" who can stabilize a person until emergency authorities arrive. Escape routes and evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency or security threat are in place and personnel are aware of the protocol.

As part of their ongoing pro-active approach to security, weekly operations meetings are held in which Ogren's security staff along with the rest of the hotel staff, including managers on duty discuss safety and security procedures and operations on how to prepare.

Monthly meetings with chief engineers representing each Radisson Hotel in the United States take place via conference calls where security issues are addressed. Potential new risks and threats are discussed and a revised preparedness operational system is implemented.

Since 9-11 Ogren has incorporated the potential for chemical and biological terrorist threats into his security measures and has executed the necessary strategies to circumvent them. "There's been a heightened "awareness since 9-11," he says, and a "watch system" implemented. "A cooperative 'handshake' approach to working together on the larger threat issue has developed amidst the participating local fire and police departments," he says. Communication networks throughout the city are far superior between emergency personnel and the security department at the hotel than they were before 9-11.

Mike Waldrip, director of operations at the Holiday Inn in Athens, Georgia has heeded the new security memos he receives from the corporate offices. He has restricted parking in areas where guest rooms are situated above and when the alert level is raised he has hired additional security staff. Once a week he receives pertinent data via e-mail which he reviews with his staff of seven department managers and front desk personnel. He says all of the staff are trained to handle emergencies in case of tornado, fire, and bomb threats.

"Our function is to identify a threat and bring in the experts," he says. They are minutes from a hospital and rely upon the local fire and police who respond immediately. The hotel has 300 rooms and an average occupancy rate of 60%. They often hold businesses seminars and because of the nearby University, have ex-presidents and dignitaries staying with them, who are key note speakers at graduation. He says since 9-11, the staff has been trained to look for anything unusual or out of the ordinary and to identify any particular vulnerable areas. There is a "wireless cloud" through which they have an instant connection to the internet.

Although some hotels have added security cameras to their lobbies and installed electronic locks, security in the age of technology can present even greater risks.

Hotels and wireless internet connections need firewalls, according to the Department of Homeland Security. In an article on its ready.gov website, "Common Sense Guide to Cyber Security for Small Businesses," a broadband security expert told CNN that despite offering secure broadband connections at their hotels, security managers are not as informed as they need to be in order to ask the appropriate questions of their providers to insure cyber security. Many laptops have a default setting that enables a person to share files with other computers. Unless this is shut off, hackers can easily get in when a traveler logs on to a wireless network. Personal firewalls can be used as a deterrent. These are software-based, and simple versions can be downloaded free off line.

The Radisson Hotel building is hard-wired and an impenetrable wireless internet system with firewalls in place for guests who wish to use laptops, which is entirely separate from the operating system at the hotel, according to Ogren.

At the state-of the art Borgata, in Atlantic City, more than 2,000 video cameras watch the 125,000 square foot casino floor, 70,000 square feet of event space, a 50,000 square foot spa, a 7,100 car parking lot, employee areas, and access routes to more than 2,000 guests, according to Cetron's "Hospitality in the Age of Terror."

"The safety and security of our guests and team members is always a top priority," says Kathy Shepard, VP of Corporate Communications at the Hilton Hotels Corporation.

Without interfering with your guests' privacy, hoteliers need to find the balance between inconvenience and vulnerability in their security systems.

"Taking good care of our guests and anticipating their needs in these uncertain times is number one," says Carolyn Hergert, director of Corporate Communications at InterContinental Hotel Groups (IHG) . IHG has provided all of its hotels with an emergency plan. "We remain vigilant and will strive to make guests feel comfortable and secure," Hergert says.