Hotel Security Strategies: Protecting People, Property, and Operations

Security Strategy

The safety officer or consultant designs the security strategy. Based on the security policy set by the board of directors, organizational challenges, and perceived threats from both external and internal environments, they determine long-term goals and objectives, adopt courses of action, and allocate necessary resources. This strategy is a precursor to developing a comprehensive safety program. Ultimately, formulating a strategy is the conviction that operational safety is achievable—a justified belief that a feared event will not occur in the foreseeable future.

Bellacicco's Definition

Bellacicco defined a problem as the gap between the initial state (S0) and the desired end state (S1), characterized by different courses of action. Decision-making, according to Bellacicco, is the activity of choosing the best option to move from S0 to S1. A decision concludes the process of identifying and assessing options to bridge the gap between these states. Therefore, a decision is selecting the best among all identified options.

Security Administration

This phase comprises two steps:

1. Implementation: Implementing the chosen course of action involves challenges such as communication between decision-makers, planners, and executors, as well as navigating the political process of negotiation and compromise. Utilizing appropriate procedures, formats, and models can mitigate these difficulties. However, mere implementation isn't enough to guarantee safety, especially when facing adversaries. Changes in an adversary's perception of the context necessitate restarting the process with updated information.
2. Evaluation: Temporarily suspending activities due to new security measures allows for evaluating their effectiveness. Without agreed-upon criteria, methods of evaluation, and comparison, successful problem-solving in security is challenging.

Hotel Security Principles

A hotel is a tourist company offering services and operating facilities aimed at business and leisure. Each element—company, facilities, and services—presents unique security considerations.

Business Functions

• Preventing disruptions to conferences.
• Addressing internal threats, such as service disruptions (water, telephone, electricity, food, or worker shortages).
• Protecting critical infrastructure (pumps, elevators, utility poles).

Interconnected Hazards

Each element—company, facilities, and services—has inherent hazards. Damage to one can trigger a domino effect, impacting the others.

Areas of Protection

• Company: Trade, technical/production, financial, accounting, managerial.
• Services: Accommodation, catering, meetings, relaxation/entertainment, shopping, transportation.
• Facilities: Architecture, energy supplies, communications, telecommunications, waste management.

Security and Safety

Security and safety for services and facilities must address both intentional acts (e.g., food poisoning, structural sabotage) and accidents (e.g., air conditioning failure leading to foodborne illness, building collapse due to an earthquake).

Contextual Factors

A hotel's location (e.g., desert, city), region (e.g., Spain, Iraq), category, and clientele influence its security needs. The approach to security will vary significantly, as will the nature and purpose of potential threats and attacks.