“ IF AN INTRUDER BREACHES THE EXTERIOR BY FORCE OR GUILE , HOW FAR CAN THEY GET BEFORE ENCOUNTERING A PHYSICAL , TECHNOLOGICAL OR HUMAN OBSTACLE ?”
TECHNOLOGY
“ IF AN INTRUDER BREACHES THE EXTERIOR BY FORCE OR GUILE , HOW FAR CAN THEY GET BEFORE ENCOUNTERING A PHYSICAL , TECHNOLOGICAL OR HUMAN OBSTACLE ?”
— MICHAEL O ’ ROURKE , FOUNDER , ADVANCED OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS
Beyond physical security , Shore Hotel restricts elevator access to those with key cards . While this may not keep out “ tailgaters ” entirely , De Boer says , adding cameras and camera angles to the security arsenal helps monitor the comings and goings of guests .
O ’ Rourke agrees that restricting elevator access is a good idea for hotels , but only if the hotel has restricted or monitored other ways into a hotel .
“ What will a hotel that offers unrestricted access to side entrances and stairways gain by limiting who can use the elevator ?” O ’ Rourke asks . “ When I conduct a hotel security assessment , I want to determine how secure are the elevators — and the guest entrances , and the stairs , and the delivery entrances , etc . You get the idea . If an intruder breaches the exterior by force or guile , how far can they get before encountering a physical , technological or human obstacle ?”
Cameras are another good addition to the security toolbox , but only if there are people watching the screens . “ Too many hotels do not have human eyeballs monitoring the cameras , making them mere evidence collectors for investigators after the fact ,” O ’ Rourke suggests . their office space ,” De Boer explains . Those keys don ’ t have markings identifying them with the hotel .
In guest rooms , a call accounting software alerts hotel security when a 911 call has been placed from a room phone . At the front desk , scanners verify driver ’ s licenses and passports to prevent fraud . “ With the demographics of this area , you have your professionals ,” De Boer says of people attempting to fake identities during a hotel stay .
But he stresses the importance of staff training and awareness . “ We do two drills a year , but we have constant email reminders ,” he says . “ A lot of it is situational so as events occur around the world , we remind our staff to stay vigilant .”
O ’ Rourke says staff training should be tailored to the employee ’ s position . “ Housekeepers , for example , would become more alert and learn what to do if they encounter dangerous objects or suspicious circumstances in the rooms they maintain . Front-of-the-house staff would learn how terrorists conduct pre-attack surveillance , and what to do if they observe it ,” he says . “ Those working near delivery entrances and staff-only spaces would understand how to properly react to an unauthorized person in their area . Existing security officers would learn how to train the staff , conduct drills and document the critical lessons learned .”
In focusing on intelligence ( what ’ s going on at the property and nearby ) and planning for a variety of events or incidents , hotels will see a tangible payoff , O ’ Rourke says . “ Typically , reports of theft and lost personal property decline . Meanwhile , overall safety and security is improved while the guest experience is often enhanced by more attentive staff .” O ’ Rourke believes that hotels can be vigilant without turning off guests . “ The very nature of a hotel ’ s warm , inviting atmosphere makes it the definition of a soft target ,” he says . “ By training your employees , adding technology and barriers to fill gaps , creating plans and holding drills , you can force bad actors to look elsewhere for a softer target .”
MONITORING ACCESS Employee ID badges at the Shore Hotel are RFID keys that can work on many places in the hotel . But because supermarkets in Los Angeles carry RFID key-making kiosks , Shore Hotel also issues limited-access badges . “ Employees leave their master key , and they take home a limited-access key to get them into the building and clock in or get to
48 hotelsmag . com July / August 2018