1. Chapter 9:
Safety and Property Security

2. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Hotels are not required to ensure guest safety.
However, must exercise reasonable care for guest and
employee safety.
Hotel may be held wholly or partially liable for resulting
loss or injury if it is found that a hotel has exhibited an
absence of reasonable care for guest safety.
Personal Safety:
Legal Liability & Guest Safety
Protection of an individual’s physical well-being and healthSafety
Protection of an individual or of business’ property or assetsSecurity
Hotels are not required to ensure guest safety.

3. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Facility Engineering & Maintenance
Local law enforcement officials can provide no-cost safety
and security training for employees.
Training employees to 1) ensure guest safety, 2) work
safely, and 3) assist hotel’s security efforts.
Employee safety training is an ongoing process
Reinforces
that:
Guest safety and hotel security is the responsibility of every
manager, supervisor, & employee of the hotel.
Personal Safety: Staffing for Security
Operation of Safety & Security Committee
Employee safety training
Local law enforcement

4. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Reduce chance for guests to be victimized in their rooms
by someone who had rented the same room on a prior night
Help reduce the incident of employee theft from rooms
Personal Safety: Safety Resources
Recodable locks
Surveillance systems
Use of VCR
- Recording activity at front desk, in parking areas, and near cashiers
Use of CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television)
-In a multiple-entry property where management desires to monitor
activity outside each entrance

5. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Internal
alarms
Alarm systems
Notify (contact) an external entity such as fire
or police departments if alarm is activated
Contact
alarms
Personal Safety: Safety Resources
Serve to deter criminal or mischief activity
Notify an area within the hotel if alarm is activated
Protect storage areas, hotel facilities (pools, spa, and
exercise areas), and hotel and perimeter
Both federal law and local building codes mandate hotel fire alarms

6. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Fire / power outages / severely inclement weather /
robbery / death or injury to a guest or employee / bomb
threat / intense negative publicity by the media
Personal Safety: Safety Resources
Emergency Plans: the identification of a threat to the safety and
security of the hotel & hotel’s planned response to the threat
Response to events in most hotels’ emergency plans
An emergency plan must be a written document, including:
Type of crisis
Who should be told when the crisis occurs
What should be done and who should do it in the crisis
Who should be informed of the results or impact of the
crisis when it is over
Where practical, hotels should practice implementation of their plan !

7. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Figure 9.3 lists ten key practices for parking lot safety
Figure 9.2 lists ten key practices for spa safety
Figure 9.1 lists ten key practices for swimming pool safety
Swimming pools
Personal Safety: Special Safety Issues
Spas
Parking lots
Always remember how to improve guest safety and minimize the
legal liability of the hotel!

8. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
All hotels should document their safety and security related
efforts!
Personal Safety: Documenting Safety Efforts
Prepare & complete MOD checklists for each critical area
of hotel
- Appropriate frequency, content and number of checklist
should be determined
Incident reports listing the “who, what, where, and how”
should be filed and maintained
Document minutes from safety and security committee
meetings, general staff meeting’s notes relevant to safety
issues, records of employee training related to safety and
security, and safety seminars attended by employees

9. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Provide a safe workplace for employees by complying with
OSHA safety and health standards
Personal Safety:
Occupational Safety & Health Administration
OSHA regulations ensure businesses:
Provide workers with only tools and equipment that meet OSHA
specifications for health and safety
Establish training programs for employees who operate
dangerous equipment
Report to OSHA within 48 hrs of any worksite accident that
results in fatality or requires hospitalization of five or more
employees
Maintain the “OSHA Log 200” (an on-site record of work-
related injuries or illness) and submit it to OSHA once per year

10. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Display OSHA notices regarding employee rights and safety in
prominent places within the hotel
OSHA regulations ensure businesses (continued…)
Provide all employees access to the Material Safety Data Sheets
that provide information about the dangerous chemicals they may
be handling during work
Personal Safety:
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration
Offer no-cost hepatitis B vaccinations for employees who may
have come into contact with blood or body fluids
Compliance with OSHA standards
Results in
Fewer accidents lower insurance costs healthier workforce

11. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Hotels bond those employees in a position to embezzle funds
Property Security: Threats to Asset Security
- Internal Threats
Methods of fraud related to cashiering
Charging guests for items not purchased, then keeping the
overcharge
Changing totals on credit card charges after the guest has left or
imprinting additional credit card charges and pocketing the cash
difference
Misadding legitimate charges to create a higher-than-appropriate
total with the intent of keeping the overcharge
Voiding legitimate sales as “mistakes” and keeping the cash
amount of the legitimate sale
Facility Engineering & Maintenance 9
Charging higher-than-appropriate prices for hotel goods or
services, recording the proper price, then keeping the overcharge

12. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Property Security: Threats to Asset Security
- Internal Threats (continued….)
Time
Should have strong controls in place regarding time
cards.
Three noncash assets most subject to employee theft:
Company
property
Carefully screen employees prior to hiring
Reduce theft opportunities by using effective security
Treat all proven cases of similar theft in a similar
manner
Services
Monitor long-distance telephone bills generated by
each administrative telephone extension number

13. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Property Security: Threats to Asset Security
- External Threats
Cash
Robbery is not the occasion to attempt the protection of
cash assets.
Robbery is the time to protect staff !
During a robbery, complying with robber’s demands and
observing the robber should be the employee’s sole
concern.
If no contact alarm is installed in the cashier’s cash drawer,
an employee who is robbed should, at the earliest safe
opportunity, contact local law enforcement officials as well
as others indicated in the robbery section of the hotel’s
emergency plan.

14. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Other assets: security-conscious manager:
Property Security: Threats to Asset Security
External Threats (continued….)
Hang all artwork in lobbies & guest rooms with lock-down
style hangers
Avoid placing valuable decorations & décor pieces in areas
where they can be easily taken by guests
Train room attendants to alert management if excessive
amounts of in-room items go missing from stay-over rooms
Bolt televisions securely to guestroom furniture
Train all employees to be alert regarding loss of hotel
property & to report any suspicious activity

15. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Guest-theft of housekeeping supplies
Theft from guest rooms by room attendants or other
employees
- best policy is to report the incident to local law enforcement
Largest area of security concern is fraudulent selling of
rooms
Use housekeeping discrepancy report to detect room revenue
fraud
Front Office
Property Security: Threats to Asset Security
Department-Specific Threats to Asset Security
Housekeeping

16. Hotel Operations Management, 1/e
Employee theft of hand tools and supplies
Implementing a sign-in/sign-out program for tools
Misstating mileage traveled, clients entertained, or sales trips
taken
Hotel suppliers such as silverware and glassware taken by guests
Employees accepting kickbacks from vendors or by purchasing,
then stealing, food and beverage items intended for the hotel
Food & Beverage
Property Security: Threats to Asset Security
Department-Specific Threats to Asset Security
Sales & Marketing
Maintenance & Engineering