THE MANAGEMENT
MUST TAKE CARE THAT THE SAFETY AND SECURITY SYSTEMS COVER THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
1.
Guest:
Protection from crimes such as murder, abduction and health hazards from
outsiders, hotel staff, pests, food poisoning etc.
2.
Staff:
Providing staff lockers, insurances, health schemes, provident funds etc.
Protective clothing, shoes, fire fighting drills, supply of clean drinking
water use of aqua guards, sanitized wash rooms etc.
3.
Guest
luggage: Secure luggage store rooms and proper equipment such as luggage
trolley and bell hop trolley should be provided.
4.
Hotel
Equipments: Lifts, Boilers, Kitchen equipment, furniture fitting and building
etc. must be protected and for these the Safety and Security should cover up
fire safety equipment, bomb threat security system, water floods security
system, earthquake security system , safe vault safety and security system etc.
5.
Protection
of raw materials, goods, provisions and groceries etc. For this the safety and
security system should cover proper storage and pest control systems, apart
from the application of total material management system.
6.
Protection
of Funds:
§ Only one person
should have access to each cash bank and each bank should be in a separate
drawer.
§ All transactions
should be recorded immediately.
§ The cashier
should close the cash register drawer after each transaction.
§ Cashiers should
complete transaction in process before changing currency into different
denominations for the guests. Each change request should be handled as a new
transaction to avoid confusion.
§ A supervisor or
a member of the accounting division should occasionally conduct an unscheduled
audit of front office cash registers.
§ The hotels
should have a policy that states where employees should place
cash during a transaction.
TYPES OF
SECURITY:
1.
Physical
aspect
2.
Safety
and Security of persons
3.
Safety
and Security of systems
1) PHYSICAL
ASPECT IS DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS A) INTERNAL B) EXTERNAL
1.
a) Internal security
·
Against
theft
·
Fire
safety
·
Proper
lighting
·
Safeguarding
assets
·
Track
unwanted guests
1.
b) External Security
§ Proper lighting
outside the building
§ Proper fencing
of the building
§ Fencing of pool
area to avoid accidents in the night
§ Manning of
service gates to restrict entry
§ Fixing of closed
circuit TV cameras
2) SECURITY
ASPECTS OF PERSONS
1.
a) Staff
§ Effective
recruitment and selection
§ Identification
of staff
§ Key control
§ Red tag system
§ Training
§ Locker
inspection
b) Guests:
§ Check scanty
baggage guests
§ Guests suspected
of taking away hotel property should be charged according to hotel policy
§ Guest room
security:
i) Provide wide
angle door viewer, dead bolt locks, night torch, chains on doors etc
ii) Employees
should be trained to not give any information about in-house guests to
outsiders.
iii)While
issuing a duplicate card key ask for identification if in doubt of the guest.
iv) House
keeping staff should never leave keys expose on unattended carts in corridors
3) SECURITY
ASPECTS OF SYSTEMS
The term system implies
the operations of the hotel eg: all the equipment used for operation,
procedures laid down for operations and policies to be followed. Systems
procedures and policies if followed properly shall safeguard the assets and
increase life span of equipment as well as avoid any breakdown maintenance
This would mean
the following:
§ Fix duties and
responsibilities: Fix duties of staff members so that they don’t interfere with
others’ work.
§ Make surprise
checks
§ Staff who have
access to liquid assets should be made to sign a bond so that in case of theft
the concerned person can easily be caught
§ Hiring of some
independent security company to check the security system of the hotel
§ Record of all
losses and missing items immediately
§ Inventory
control should be proper
§ Auditing should
be done on a regular basis
§ Proper system
for cash disbursements should be made
10 IMPORTANT
SAFETY AND SECURITY MEASURES NECESSARY IN HOTELS:
1.
Key
Card Locks: Guest room locking systems these days include punch and magnetic
key cards which have locks with flash memory and other functions. The system
can directly be linked with PMS.
2.
Security
Guards: Trained security guards working 24-hours every day to provide the best
in safety and security for the guests.
3.
Security
Cameras: Security cameras with digital technology, intelligent access central
system, software interface with CCTV for matching undesirable visitors and
criminals, along with metal detectors, and spy cameras and use of biometric
readers like hand key reader or face recognition system etc.
4.
Fire
Alarms: Smoke detectors and fire alarms in each guest room and throughout the
entire complex that is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days per week that pinpoints
the exact point of the alarm allowing our security staff to respond immediately
to the area of any alarm condition.
5.
Emergency
Power: Provision for emergency power in case of a power cut to provide
uninterrupted guest service.
6.
Emergency
Manual: Hotels maintain an emergency manual, detailing exits and help in the
event of a variety of emergencies.
7.
Employee
Photo ID: For added security, some hotels have employees wearing a photo ID
nametag allowing quick identification.
8.
In-Room
Safes: In addition to the safety deposit boxes offered by most hotels at the
front desks, Some hotels provide in-room guest safes capable of holding a
lap-top computer that use the guest’s own credit card as the key.
9.
Guest
elevators
10.
Defibrillation
Units: A life saving device in case of heart attacks, defibrillation units are
starting to be deployed among police and emergency personnel across the nation.
BOMB THREAT
SECURITY:
PRECAUTIONS AND
MEASURES THAT MAY BE TAKEN IN THE ABOVE CASE:
§ Security nets
and body searches for guests not known to the staff.
§ Banqueting
suites and other non-public areas should be security checked and locked after
use.
§ Goods received
and bags should be checked and kept tidy.
§ If a bomb threat
is received via telephone, the telephonist should note carefully what exactly
is said, the time of the call received the accent of the caller and background
noise if any. After the alert the GM should stay put in the lobby where he can
be reached easily.
§ Duties and
responsibility of staff during an emergency should be well-defined.
§ The hotel should
work closely with the police to keep them updated.
§ Chamber maids
and HK supervisors should be trained to conduct security checks in the guest
rooms.
SAFETY AND
SECURITY MEASURES FOR WOMEN HOTEL GUESTS
§ Mirrored walls
of the guestroom floor elevators so that you can see who is walking behind you.
§ Well-lit public
areas such as lobby, bars etc.
§ Valet parking
services to avoid the need of a woman to enter the parking lot.
§ Assigning rooms
closer to the elevator.
§ If a woman traveller is
not assigned a room on the special executive floor , hotels most often on
request, upgrade her accommodation to that floor without an increase in room
rate. The floor is staffed almost 24 hours a day with a concierge.
SAFETY ISSUES
It is the
management’s duty to ensure “safety” in several areas, such as:
§ The structure
itself
§ Installations
and fixtures (check electrical, plumbing, air-conditioning and other
installations)
§ Public and work
areas (e.g. slippery floors, hazardous obstacles in traffic areas),
safety of furniture, equipment, appliances, and utensils.
This is followed
by:
§ Health safety
(nontoxic cleaning material and detergents used)
§ Good quality air
(what we breathe, dependent upon the type of equipment, installations and
fixtures used, and regular repairs and maintenance)
§ Food safety (a
whole world in itself including sanitation, food quality, food spoilage,
correct handling procedures, allowable and recommended temperatures, etc.), and
checking and control procedures.
§ An important
“preventive measure” is eliminating the possibility of communicating contagious
diseases. Even if local regulations do not require it, it is recommended to
send food and beverage handlers for a regular medical checkup. Another
preventive measure is the formulation and implementation of policies and
procedures related to employee accidents which may present a threat to food
sanitation.
§ Culinary staff
who cut themselves accidentally at work, as often happens while slicing food
products, have to immediately stop handling food, and report to their Executive
Chef and to the person in charge of First Aid in their company (Security or
Human Resources Department) for preliminary treatment and handling.
Healing and precautionary measures are taken before they are allowed back
at their job.
§ There are also
some basic “dress” requirements for staff involved in food and beverage
preparations: e.g. Chefs’ hats (to prevent hair and whatever hair
contains to fall into the food), discreet earrings (non-dangling) or no
earrings for women, and long hair neatly and securely tied in a bun at the back
of the head.
§ Of no lesser
importance is the safety of work tools and work procedures covering all areas,
such as stable ladders, secure shelving, safety shoes, well-fitting work
garments, clearly written and complete safety procedures and guidelines from
management, safety training, and safety installations and equipment, e.g. fire
fighting units, regular maintenance schedules for safety equipment and
installations, wider traffic areas (to prevent accidents), adequate staffing,
and last but not least, continuous effective training in work procedures.
§ All of this
necessitates comprehensive planning, the creation of clear policies and work
procedures, organization, implementation, training of supervisors and
employees, supervision and control.
FIRE IN HOTEL:
Fires in the
hotel may result in the injury and loss of life of both the guests and the
staff.
MAIN CAUSES OF
FIRE ARE:
1.
i)
Smoking:
-Smoke only
where allowed.
-Put out
cigarettes in the right place.
-Sufficient ash
trays should be provided in eating places and in rooms, but away
from curtains and draperies.
-Educate the
guests about fire possibilities due to smoking.
1.
ii)
Defective wiring, faulty appliances and motor and worn out insulation. Such
hazards should be immediately reported to the concerned person and such
equipment should be immediately repaired
iii) Laundry
Areas: Care should be taken to see that none of the electrical equipment is
left on after use
iv)Gas leaks:
Precautions should be taken against this especially in kitchen areas.
1.
v)
Combustible waste: Combustible material should never be left near the boiler
room
1.
vi)
Kitchen: All equipment such as chimneys, exhausts, ventilators, grills, hoods
etc. which collect a lot of fume vapor and catch fire easily should be cleaned
regularly.
vii) Elevator
shafts: These require constant check and inspection. Cigarette butts can ignite
the debris and oils that gather at the bottom of elevator shafts.
TYPES OF FIRE AND
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS:
Hotel personnel
are trained about the fire protection procedure and the types of fire. They
must be able to recognize the various type Air contains O2 which is necessary
for combustion. Fire has been classified in 5 categories depending on how they
can be extinguished-
Class A Fire- It
is the fire of wood, paper, linen and similar dry materials. They are
extinguished by cooling and quenching effect of water. The water reduces the
temperature of burning substances below their combustion temperature. These are
the most frequent and easiest to extinguish when there is an ample water supply
and when water can be directed on the combustible material .Keeping the other
combustible material wet will limit the spreading of fire
Class B Fire-These
include fires of oil, gasoline, grease and other petroleum product. These fires
are extinguished by blanketing the source of burning substances and eliminating
the supply of OPetroleum products is lighter than water and will float on water
and continue to burn and spread by means of flowing water to other section of
the building, hence water is never used for this category.
Class C
Fire-These are the fires of pressurized gases. For e.g. L.P.G., most of the
gases are lighter than air but L.P.G. is heavier than air. Water is not to be
used for this class of fire.
Class D
Fire-These are fire of metals having low burning temperature for e. g. Na, Mg
etc. This class of fire does not exist in the hotel.
Class E
Fire-These are electrical fire. The fire extinguishing agent must not conduct
electrical energy which could spread the fire. Electrical fires are usually
blanketed and cooled down. Water is a good cooling agent but it also conducts
electricity, so it is not used to control or extinguish this class of fire.
Electrical fire is usually caused by a part of circuit overheating or by short
circuit. Controlling the sizes of electrical fuses and circuit breaker will
often minimize this class of fire.
THERE ARE 2
SYSTEMS OF FIRE PROTECTION
1.
Portable fire extinguisher.
2.
Stationary fire fighting system.
1.
PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER
Soda acid fire
extinguisher- It is used for class A fire. The extinguishing agent is H2O.The
fire extinguisher is a cylinder type of pan in which a rubber or flexible hose
is attached to the top. When it is desired to use the extinguisher, it is
carried to the fire and inverted. A small bottle of acid usually H2SO4 is
spilled when the cylinder is inverted or turn upside down. Powdered sodas,
bicarbonate of soda (Baking Soda) is mixed with H2O when the tank is charge or
fills with water. The chemical reaction of acid and soda water creates a
pressure which forces the water out of the cylinder or tank. The hose is used
to direct the flow of water to the fire. It has 2 disadvantages:-
-It must be kept
away from freezing
-Acid causes
corrogen problem which reduce the life of the tank or cylinder. The corrogen
problem has been minimized by replacing the acid with CO2 cartridge. Upon the
cylinder inversion the cartridge opens and releases CO2 gas under high
pressure. The high pressure gas than forces the water out of cylinder.
CaCl2 fire
extinguisher-It is also used on class A fire. . CaCl2 is a salt which when
added to water form brine which has very low freezing temperature. CO2
cartridge is used as pressure agent to force H2O and CaCl2 out of the cylinder
to the fire. These extinguishers are used where freezing is a potential hazard
Foam type
extinguisher-It is used on class B type of fire. The extinguisher is charged
with special chemical (Al2SiO4), the chemical spread on the burning material
and the solution, blanket the fire by excluding O2.
CO2 fire
extinguisher- It is used on C, D and E class of fire. The CO2 types spray a
chemical fog towards the fire. The fog quickly excludes the O2 from the burning
material and blanket the combustible material.
D.C.P. extinguisher-
It can be used on C, D and E class of fire. The most common extinguishing agent
is sodium bicarbonate or plain baking soda. The extinguisher is charged with
the dry chemical and a small tank of CO2 gas. The CO2 gas exerts pressure on
dry chemical and forces it out of a nozzle directly to the fire. The powder
strict the fire and the heat from the fire breaks down the chemical which
releases CO2 gas on a large scale which helps in extinguishing the fire.
2.
STATIONARY FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM
Automatic
sprinklers-It is generally mounted just below the ceiling height with a
temperature detector or smoke detector, attached with each sprinkler. The
temperature from the fire melts the fusible link on the detector, which opens a
water valve. The water is then sprayed on the ceiling and falls on the floor,
extinguishing the fire. If the fire area should spread, more sprinklers are
automatically opened, thus confining the fire to a small area. The temperature
detector can be purchased for different activating temperature. The high
temperature detectors are often used in kitchens.
Fire Hose
System-It is a semi portable system. In this system the fire hose box is
permanently located but the flexible hose can be moved to various distances
throughout the building. The hose used to fight fire within a building should
be of linen type. The linen allows some water seepage through it which will
prevent its burning when in use.
HANDLING
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
Apart from fire
and bomb threat etc. the front office staff at some point of time have to
handle a lot of unusual situations also. Some such situations may be death and
illness of guests, theft in hotels etc and many others.
1) DEATH OF A
GUEST IN THE HOTEL :
Once the
information comes to the front desk it should directly be reported to the front
office manager.
The front office
manager will then report it to the GM or resident manager
The security
manager should also be informed immediately
The police is
informed and the hotel doctor is summoned who will check and confirm the death
Meanwhile the
hotel will locate the residential address of the deceased and will inform the
relatives.
Once the police
complete all formalities and activities and gives the permission, the dead body
is fully covered and then removed from the room on a stretcher. For this
purpose the service elevator and not the guest elevator is used
A death
certificate is obtained from the doctor
A report should
be prepared as to who informed of the death, time,, room number and date of
death. In case there is any luggage of the deceased in the room a list should
be prepared and the luggage should be kept in the luggage room and the person
performing this activity should sign this report
The guest room
is locked and sealed.
After obtaining
clearance from the police the room is opened and thoroughly disinfected and
spring cleaned and only after permission of the police and subsequent
permission of the GM or resident manager the room should be sold.
SOME IMPORTANT
FACTS TO BE KEPT IN MIND ARE:
Do not enter the
room alone always take the lobby manager and security officer with you
In case you are
aware that the deceased was under the treatment of a specific doctor, the same
should be called instead of the hotel doctor. His physician will also be
helpful in knowing and notifying the incident to the relatives and people known
to him
Do not disturb
the body or touch anything before the arrival of the police as this may be a
murder or suicide case.
2) HANDLING
ACCIDENT CASES:
§ A knowledge of
first aid would come very handy in such situations. In general the following
points should be taken care of
§ Remove the
person who has met with accident from the site of accident {as early as
possible and take him to a more comfortable area, use a stretcher in case the
need be.
§ Call the doctor
and if possible give him the details of accident and gravity of the accident.
§ Take someone
along with you to the site of the accident as you may need help
§ Keep alert you
must serve the victim immediately by providing first aid
§ Try to protect
your establishment from any false allegations
§ Prepare a full
report of the whole accident giving details of the date and time who reported
the incident, room no., site of the accident etc. Also make your comments as to
the reason of the accident and how could it have been prevented and what action
is to be taken to avoid the same in the future.
THE ACCIDENT
BOOK:
§ An accident book
is usually maintained in all organizations and the receptionist should record
all details of accidents which have occurred to employees whilst carrying out
their daily activities.
§ The book must be
kept in a place easily accessible by any injured person or a person bonafide
§ Particulars of
an accident may be entered here in either by the injured person himself or by a
person acting on his behalf
§ The accident
book when filled up should be preserved for a period of three years after the
date of the last entry
§ Every employer
is required to take steps to investigate the circumstances of the accident recorded
and if there happens to be any discrepancy between the circumstances found by
him and the entry made, he is required to record the circumstances so found.
3) SITUATION OF
THEFT:
Theft is divided
into four categories:
1.
Theft
by employees of the hotel can be avoided by:
Work business
and personal references should be checked before the employee is hired.
A detailed
record of all employees who enter the guest room such as chamber maids bellboys
room boys maintenance etc
All hotel keys
should be returned to the department concerned and no employee should be
allowed to take keys out of the hotel’s premises.
1.
DAMAGE OF HOTEL PROPERTY BY THE GUEST CAN BE AVOIDED
BY:
The hotel staff
should identify the main cause for the damage.
If the damage is
appears to be done intentionally the hotel can ask the guest to pay
compensation for the same. For this it is necessary that the front desk is well
versed with the cost of the damaged item.
III. Theft of
hotel property by the guest:
Can be avoided
by taking the following steps:
§ Installing
automatic locks on the guest room doors
§ Appointing a
security officer who would walk and take rounds at regular intervals
§ Inform guests to
use the safe vault of the hotel and not to keep valuables in the guest room
§ Keep a watch on
walk in as their likelihood of being a thief is more as compared to a guest who
has undergone a process of making a reservation in the hotel
§ Avoid giving
room numbers of resident guests to visitors or over the telephone callers.
§ In case the
guest loses his key and asks housekeeping to open the room door for them, HK
should direct them to front desk
§ Master key
should be kept under strict supervision and control
1.
THEFT BY OUTSIDE VISITORS CAN BE AVOIDED BY:
§ being aware of
suspicious persons
§ regular and
irregular schedule of vigil and security rounds
§ Stagger lunch
and rest periods of employees so as to keep one person on duty on each floor at
all times
§ Instruct eh
telephone operator not to connect calls to the guest room incase the request is
made by the caller by room number. The receptionist should insist on knowing
the name of the guest who the caller wishes to speak to.
§ Guest should be
informed to keep the balcony door closed to avoid anyone entering the rooms
from the balcony
§ Closed circuit
televisions should be used
4) SITUATION OF
ILLNESS AND EPIDEMICS:
The receptionist
may be called for assistance during sickness of a guest.
Patient should
be advised to consult the house physician but in case the guest has his own
physician the same should be called.
Housekeeping
needs to be notified about the sickness and instructions if any
If the case of
serious sickness, the guest should be moved to a nursing home
During epidemics
all precautionary measures especially in food and beverage service area should
be followed.
5) HANDLING A
DRUNK GUEST :
The guest should
be removed from the lobby as early as possible but being careful not to
irritate/offend him.
Preferably taken
to the back office or to his room.
If he behaves
unruly, the hotel security must be called.
Safe deposit
facility in the hotel for security of guests’ valuables:
It is the
responsibility of management to develop and maintain proper safe deposit
procedures for its property.
If this facility
is available for guests, notices regarding it should be put up in various
conspicuous/noticeable places in the hotel and also should be mentioned to the
guest.
Safe deposit
boxes should be located in an area, in vicinity of the front desk and which has
limited access. Unauthorized guests or personnel should not be permitted inside
the area.
Front office
staff should be well-versed with the procedures regarding safe deposit boxes.
Strict control should be maintained for the storage and issue of safe deposit keys.
At any point of
time there should be only one key issued for each safe even if more than one
person is using the safe.
Two keys are
required to open a safe deposit box: one being the guest’s key and the other
being the control key/guard key put in by the cashier/safe deposit attendant.
After the
verification f the identity of the guest, the safe deposit attendant/cashier
should accompany the guest to the safe deposit area where in clear sight should
make use of the control key and the guest’s key to open the safe.
Sometimes the
hotel may not be able to meet the demand for individual safe box; in that case
a large box containing the belongings of more than one guest is used. Each
guest’s belongings are put in an envelope which is sealed. The key to this box
is stored in a secure place and a log is maintained which records an entry each
time the key is used to open the box