Hotel Security: The Missing Amenity
December 2004
The Internet reminds us that the world is
shrinking and, as it does, there are many wonderful things in it to discover.
Unfortunately, in a post-September 11 world, American businesses and citizens
are targets—both at home and especially abroad. When looking for a hotel for
your family or your employees, security concerns need to be at the forefront,
certainly ahead of concierge and fitness services. Assessing your hotel security
beforehand can help to ensure your safe return afterward.
by David
Nicastro
Secure Source,
Inc.
I am still constantly delighted by the seemingly infinite ways technology
brings the world home. Take, for example, the task of finding a good hotel room.
Gone are the days of blindly booking a room and hoping that the hotel won't
turn out to be some ancient, crumbling structure located in an impossible corner
of the city and occupied by some 800-legged critter that doesn't appear in my
field guide to the world's insects.
To these days, I bid adieu, and gladly I leap into the fascinating World
of the Wide Web, where the only blinding thing is the speed at which information
appears on my desktop. Thanks to the Internet, the simple act of typing the
name of a city results in a list of hotels—complete with photographs and ranked
by stars—to instantly appear before my eyes.
Gone is the mystery about what the hotel—and, in some lucky cases, the actual
room—will look like. And that's just the beginning of the list of amenities
available for me to consider online. What time is checkout? Does the hotel have
a fitness facility? Is it equipped with a cardiovascular machine? How about
a cleaning service? Does the restaurant serve Thai food for dinner?
The last time I looked to book a hotel, I was amazed to discover that I could
take a power yoga course to occupy my free time, or I could spend the day at
the camel racetrack, which was conveniently located just 10.5 kilometers from
the hotel. Camel racing indeed.
The New World Reality
At the very least, the Internet reminds us that the world is shrinking, and
as it does, there are many wonderful things in it to discover. And it is good
to be reminded of the benefits other cultures of the world have to offer. This
is particularly important now because our position, as U.S. citizens, in this
increasingly smaller world is changing, too. Unfortunately, for a new and seemingly
growing population of some societies, the United States, with all of its wealth
and cultural exports, has become the enemy. Accordingly, U.S. citizens, at home
and especially abroad, are targets.
As the war in Iraq drags on, and we struggle to understand and counteract
our new enemies, some people may be tempted to unplug their computers and pretend
that the world really isn't closing in. Of course, this approach is impractical.
It has been 3 years since the events of September 11 announced the arrival of
this new and still uncertain era. One by one, some businesses are beginning
to act globally again. Others are still reluctant, frozen in their stateside
tracks by grainy, videotaped images of civilians being beheaded.
While I empathize with the voice of reluctance, I believe it is time for
us to accept the facts of our new reality and leap gladly into this new era.
Yes, U.S. citizens have become a target for an increasing number of adversaries,
making travel to a growing number of countries increasingly unsafe. Some of
these countries have always required a heightened level of security for American
visitors, but now a raised level of awareness is required in places where security
was not previously a priority concern. Many of my clients have already recognized
this and have asked us for assistance.
Assessing Hotel Security
Hotel security is one area in particular where business leaders are seeking
guidance. Specifically, they want to know whether there is an easy way to rank
a hotel based on security.
Anyone who has ever taken a close look at the amenities listed on these travel
websites will understand the dilemma. Among all those wonderful amenities each
hotel has to offer, hotel security is often not included on the list. When it is mentioned, it is simply included on the
list, right there along with the swimming pool and concierge. As a security
professional, I know that simply reporting that hotel security is present isn't
enough to tell me whether the place can be considered reasonably safe.
When we assess the security of hotels our clients book during business trips
or vacations, we first examine the political and social situation in the country
to determine the overall risk level our clients will face. This examination
relies on a combination of public and private intelligence, including interviews
with on-the-ground security experts in the designated countries. Once that phase
is complete, we answer a lengthy list of questions about the hotels and other
destinations included on the itinerary. The list includes questions like:
-
Is the hotel located near any government buildings or other structures
that are considered targets?
Has the hotel been the target of any attacks or other incidents?
-
What is the crime profile of the neighborhood in which the hotel is located?
-
Does the hotel have a director of security?
-
What specific security measures are in place at the hotel 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week?
In general, our goal is to look at a hotel's location and determine what
safety concerns—crime, political upheaval, and even weather conditions—are present
on a national and local basis. In addition to our contacts at home, we tap our
resources abroad to gather specific information about particular hotels and
their reputations at home.
Invariably, comprehensive security travels assessments always turn up information
clients don't expect. For example, I can't count the number of times clients
select a hotel because they've heard that various high-ranking U.S. government
officials prefer stay there. In most cases, the clients are stunned to hear
that the known presence of government officials is precisely the reason why
they should not stay at a particular hotel.
Companies should always gather the security information their employees need
to make them fully aware of the surroundings they'll be visiting when traveling
on business. Since these employees are leaving loved ones behind for the company,
this is the least the company can do to ensure their safe return.
Unlike corporations, most regular people don't have the financial resources
available to buy a private travel assessment when they go abroad—at least not
at the moment. The good news is that they don't have to travel abroad in total
darkness. If a travel website doesn't provide any information about security
at the hotel you want to stay at, make use of that other great technological
advancement of recent years—e-mail—and contact the hotel yourself. Ask them
to provide you with answers to specific questions about what type of security
is in place at the hotel. In addition, free information about safety concerns
is available on a country-by-country basis from the U.S. Department of
State and other government websites.
Conclusion
As the head of a security company, I am often asked, "how much security is
enough?" Of course, nobody is ever entirely safe from danger, whether they travel
frequently or never leave home. That's why I call my answer "The Goldilocks
Solution" or, alternatively, "just enough" security. To me, enough security
is "just enough." to anticipate reasonable safety concerns, but not too much
so as to create a state of paranoia.
As U.S. citizens, we can no longer pretend we are living in a fantasy world
where we are the welcomed ambassadors of the world's policeman. At the same
time, we don't have to let fear prevent us from gladly leaping into the modern
era. If we did, we'd never get to choose whether to attend power yoga class
or spend the day at the camel races.
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