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| Date | Friday, August 07, 2009 |
| Name | Gustavo Cavaliere |
| Company | The Feedback Company Organization |
| Position | CEO |
| Comments |
Luxury Hotel Insecurity - Is time to ACT!
Jakarta, July 2009; two other Luxury Hotel properties had been hit by a terrorist attack. These time a Ritz Carlton, and again, a JW Marriott property raises the insecurity and vulnerability issues that are common to most Luxury Hotels in the world. In the Middle East and South East Asia, Hotel Managers and Corporative Directors still claim that is impossible to prevent terrorist attacks like this or the ones performed at Mumbai`s Taj and Oberoi Hotels last year. I disagree. The previous statement may well be valid if all the feasible and realistic preventions were taken by the Hotel Management, and this is very far to happen. There has been a major increase in the number of inquiries we have gotten for security evaluations and training post these terror attacks, all of which have taken a keen interest on how to secure themselves. However, such a reaction is not surprising in anyway, as this always happens a few days after a terror attack in any city. This trend lasts for a few days, after which it sadly dies down. The actual attitude of Hotel Directors and managers tends to make them believe that nothing bad will ever happen to their property, forgetting that if an attack takes place to the next door Hotel, in the same area or city will also have a vast financial repercussion for the company and definitely affect their future business. As a reminder, A recent study of more than 500 meeting planners said that security is the #1 issue when booking an event, and they were discussing the idea of staying at 3 star properties instead of 5 star properties when staying overseas with the idea that it would be safer to travelers. This is the last thing you want to hear. Investment or Expense For most Hoteliers, Security is the stepchild of the Hotel. Hotel corporations spend millions of dollars in gadgets, cameras and the latest technology. Others are crammed with security personnel, many of them disguised as guest, easily recognizable. Hotel security is divided into many parts and this makes it necessary for there to be a combination of man, technology and innovative training to effectively combat threats of all kinds. Managers should bear in mind that the approach to security needs to be solution-based, and not to purchase some gadgets or new expensive product. Bad management practices could lead to major disasters, and this is already a proven fact in the Mumbai and Jakarta terrorist attacks. For many Hotel Corporations, security is an expense and not an investment. Today Hotel Directors claim that because of the current international economic debacle they have to cut their budget and can`t splurge 2.000 dollars to benefit the security of the property lowering their vulnerability. I would like to ask the owners and shareholders of JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton Corporations if they are willing to pay the high price again and again, adding more guests and personnel deaths to the statistics when they could actually minimize their risk. Now they also have their property destroyed, their brand exposed and future loss of revenues. What a deal! If you're a highly visible property, you have a much greater chance of being attacked, regardless of the location. Hoteliers have to evaluate that and make a decision. You can purchase the latest technology, but will be useless or a true and valid hotel expense if you do not take conscience and are aware that all your previous security norms and protocols have to be set to one side and completely different criteria formulated, even for hotels in locations which are supposedly "less" at risk. Those hotels that do not change may soon find that they have lost all their business to the competitors who invest in convincing security measures and enhancements. Guests are expecting the hotel industry to react to the perceived increased risk of staying in a Luxury Hotel. We can always stretch our Security force out to each and every staff member. We have to think outside the box and train all our staff with New and updated Training Techniques. Prevention and awareness are the key words and to do this, you do not need to stretch your budget and id definitely the best investment you can do as a Luxury Hotel owner or manager. The wise ones are investing in training programs to enhance employee awareness; the others only have bad excuses. Would you have a black and white TV`s in your sumptuous Hotel rooms? Don`t think so. Then why Hoteliers still run obsolete security protocols? What you need is properly trained staff to get you thru, innovative inspection techniques. and be more diligent about what you are facing. The recent world events have put us all on higher security alert. No one wants to see their people victims in a disaster or their company name on the front page. The authorities can only do so much. The rest is up to us. Being aware of the vulnerabilities of a property might be the best defense against problems. Once again I raise my bet. I will personally inspect any Luxury Hotel Property in the world without the cost of professional fees or airfare reimbursement. Our compromise is to provide a service that makes the world a better place, regardless of any economic issue. ¿What new excuse or objection do you have now to avoid being responsible and manage a safer property? The choice is still yours. ¿Could you see the invisible? Gustavo Cavaliere CEO - Executive Director The Feedback Company www.thefeedbackcompany.org gcc@thefeedbackcompany.org Gustavo Cavaliere is the CEO and executive director of The Feedback Company. It specializes in assisting luxury hotels, airlines, cruises and resort management Companies recognize their vulnerability. www.thefeedbackcompany.org |
