Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Safety and Security

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. The Importance of Safety Safety: protection of an individual ’ s physical well-being and health. Security: protection of an individual ’ s or business ’ property or assets.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Legal Liability Reasonable Care: a legal concept identifying the amount of care a reasonably prudent person would exercise in a specific situation. Damages: the actual amount of losses or costs incurred due to the wrongful act of a liable party.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Legal Liability Compensatory Damages: a monetary amount intended to compensate injured parties for actual losses or damage they have incurred. Punitive Damages: a monetary amount assessed to punish liable parties and to serve as an example to the liable party as well as others not to commit the wrongful act in the future.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Hotel Responsibilities for Guest Safety To demonstrate reasonable care, a hotel must address: 1. The hotel’s facility 2. The hotel’s staff 3. Policies and procedures implemented by the hotel

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Facility Threat Analysis: a systematic procedure designed to identify and eliminate identifiable safety risks. Insurer: the entity providing insurance coverage to a business.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Facility Steps in demonstrating commitment to reasonable care/guest safety: Identifying and removing threats to safety Informing guests about existing safety threats Prohibiting behavior that creates safety threats

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Staff Training Safety and Security Committee: an interdepartmental task force consisting of hotel managers, supervisors, and hourly employees responsible for monitoring and refining a hotel’s safety and security efforts. OSHA: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration—responsible for developing and enforcing regulations to help assure safe and healthful working conditions.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Policies and Procedures Will vary by operation based upon: Hotel size Location Layout Guest amenities offered Standardized, written policies are still important to ensure employee/guest safety.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Safety Resources  Internal Resources: Recodable Locks Recodable Locking System: a hotel guest room locking system designed so that when guests insert their “key” (typically an electromagnetic card) into the guest room lock for the first time, the lock is immediately recoded, canceling entry authorization for the previous guest’s key. Keycards: the electromagnetic card used in a recodable locking system.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Safety Resources  Internal Resources: Alarm Systems Internal Alarm: a warning system that notifies an area within the hotel if the alarm is activated. Contact Alarm: a warning system that notifies (contacts) an external entity such as the fire or police department if the alarm is activated.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Safety Resources  Internal Resources: Surveillance Systems— VCR versus CCTV Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV): a camera and monitor system that displays, in real time, the activity within the camera’s field of vision—several cameras and screens may be monitored in a single location. Emergency Plan: a document describing a hotel’s pre-determined, intended response to a safety/security threat it may encounter.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Safety Resources  External Resources: Local Law Enforcement

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Safety Resources  External Resources: Property Insurers Worker’s Compensation: an insurance program designed to assist individuals who are victims of a work-related injury or illness. Premiums: the price one pays for insurance. Claim (Insurance): a demand for compensation as the result of loss, injury, or damage.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Special Safety-Related Threats Swimming Pools Spas Exercise Facilities Parking Areas Incident Report: a document prepared to record the details of an accident, injury, or disturbance and the hotel’s response to it.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Protecting Property from Security Threats  Internal Threats To Cash Embezzlement: the theft of a company’s financial assets by an employee. Bond(ing): purchasing an insurance policy to protect against the possibility that an employee will steal.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved.  Internal Threats To Other Assets Time Company Property Services Protecting Property from Security Threats

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Protecting Property from Security Threats The best ways to prevent theft of property:  Carefully screen employees prior to hiring  Use recodable locks, inventory systems, and other security measures  Ensure that all staff are aware of the penalty for theft  Treat all proven cases of similar theft in a similar manner

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Protecting Property from Security Threats  External Threats To Cash Robbery is a time to protect staff, not cash assets! To Other Assets—guest theft Furniture Art Towels/Robes Ash Trays

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Area-Specific Threats  Front Office  Housekeeping  Food and Beverage  Sales and Marketing  Maintenance Sign-in, Sign-out Program: an arrangement in which individuals taking responsibility for hotel assets must document their responsibility by placing their signature/date/time on a form developed to identify who last had possession of, and responsibility for, the asset.

Hayes/Ninemeier: Foundations of Lodging Management. (C) 2006 Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. Hotel Crisis Management Plans Regardless of location, potential emergencies include:  Fires  Bomb threats  Robberies  Explosions  Power Blackouts Depending on location, other emergencies could include:  Earthquakes  Hurricanes  Floods  Tornados Hotels and the Terrorism Threat