Why should a hotel spend extra, on a security manager. What benefits can such a role bring to a hotel, in a leisure industry based around customer service and care, writes Jamie Hamill.
After 13 years being involved in this field I believe such professionals are a must. They will protect the hotel against contingencies that would disrupt their operations and affect the hotel’s profit. You would think that such a role would be essential, in reality however most hotels opt for a quick fix. I hope this article gets the attention of a few general managers, as in my opinion a few bouncers dressed differently does not count. Security has evolved somewhat this decade. The hotels I have had the privilege of working with did need some time and persuasion of the general management to change things., but they did and it was definitely for the better, as time has told.
At the end of my time in Belfast hotels, the management and I had set a completely new operating systems for the hotel to function, set up valuable relationships with the local emergency services. We had managed the dead weight out of the business, employed better operators and trained them to the standards we set. We ensured they could evacuate and search the hotel in a fire or bomb threat, give primary medical care to casualities, control and restrain aggressive patrons, and complete reporting forms , which we designed for use at the end of each incident. We constructed the rules for admittance then controlled entry professionally, we explained to customers who were turned away the reasons why, we treated them with the respect we would expect in their position and I still feel this is key to managing conflict before it becomes physical.
So to go back to the initial question what should a hotel expect from a professional security manager, what do they get for their money? They would get a full risk assessment, and a prioritisation of these risks. They would then have procedures put in place to protect life and property. This would be done by managing the assessment of the physical security, implementing new assets, eg burglar-proof windows, improved lighting. Making best use of monitored cctv.
Organising emergency contingency plans for Fire protection/arson/bomb/ evacuation
Recruit professional operators, provide them with inhouse training
Provide medical operations and training.
Control entry diplomatically
Cover all aspects of the use of force/arrests, search, evicition of guests, employee theft and sabotage, advise on relevant important legislation updates, eg Private Security Industry Act 2001
Limit credit card fraud
Secure car parking against theft and damage to vehicles
Provide anti-surveillance for guests, work along with visiting close protection teams
Liaise with local police/fire and ambulance
Keep records for liability claims against the premises
Carry out continual risk analysis.
This is quite a mouthful but to leave out some of the above would simply be to the business’ peril. Theft is a very high threat within hotels, not only are there opportunist thieves who lift a mobile telephone , an executive’s laptop or a handbag, there are active professionals who target hotels and will spot a weakness in your security systems with ease. Keys and entry to staff locations, offices, etc should always be restricted without exception, I would go as far as saying that the general workforce should not have access to areas where the safes and CCTV hard drives are stored. If someone knows your camera capabilities they can plan around it, tempting if you’re just there one day a week or for the summer, or indeed if personal issues exist such as debt. In Northern Ireland and mainland Britain many hotels became targets of serious terrorist threat from all sides.
The terrorists-gangsters demanded protection money from the hotels to operate the business, they bombed various hotel s throughout the 30 years, most famously the Europa Hotel, nine times, making it the most bombed hotel in the world at the time. A very legitimate terrorist threat still exists towards hotels , especially those who have high profile patrons.
Long ago front of house staff in Belfast hotels had security drills down to a tee. Once a coded bomb warning was authenticated and police informed the hotel management the security teams began evacuating the bars, restaurants, and hotel rooms, they controlled access points not permitting any entry, while other team members carried out secondary searches of the toilets and rooms. Mostly the residents and patrons were standing patiently waiting to get back in when the police, fire and bomb disposal arrived on scene. Looking back on it now, it was a very brave thing for an operator to do, to be among the last men in a building ensuring no drunk is sleeping in the toilet when at any minute it could go up, but I honestly don’t think many guys thought of that.
Today Belfast is a changed city, but hotel security around the world can always be scrutinised, I’ve just returned from Kurdistan where the major hotels near Erbil airport have blast walls to protect them from IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and small arms fire. Security details with AK47s search and demand identification on the perimeter before allowing you to walk through metal detectors. Similarly when travelling through Jordan, establishments like the Queen Aliya Hotel had similar physical secuiry. Upon entry your luggage was scanned and then physically searched in front of guests as a matter of procedure before you checked in. This is a good hint in case any of you intend to visit and usually pack embarrassing underwear.
The very high daily threat level in the Middle East demands these operations. In the UK and Ireland this is clearly not required, a balance must be struck between providing a secure site and maintaining the appeal of a leisure based unit which has customer care and satisfaction as key. This is a massive subject area and I have only just scratched the surface, but I hope it will generate discussion from the readers and perhaps even change the opinion of a few general managers out there. As you can clearly see it is not an add-on to someones role, the security of a hotel is a full time job if it’s to be done correctly.
About the writer
Recently he helped put in a conflict management scheme at the Odyssey Pavilion, the multi-nightclub arena in Belfast. A security manager and trainer, he is a senior consultant with STO, Sentinel Training and Operations, based in Northern Ireland. Visit;
