Changes in Security Management after September 11
1.Research how September 11 2001 Impacted Security on accommodation Properties in Australia.
2.a.Outline what changes transpired in the management of security of accommodation properties since September 11.
b.Discuss how these changes have or haven’t improved the safety and security of guests, employees and hotel facilities.
c.Include in your response how today in-house versus Contract Security can be advantageous or disadvantageous for an accommodation property.
3.Identify and describe in detail four major Security Issues currently facing hotels today.
4. Recommend basic security requirements that could be implemented to ensure the security issues discussed above are able to be monitored. (Industry examples MUST be included to support your recommendations)
5.Explain how the Security Department within hotels can ensure that these requirements will be met.
There has been an increase in the terrorist attacks in the recent past but none of them has impacted the way 9/11 did on global basis. 9/11 has gone down in the history books as the darkest day the world has ever witnessed. Terrorism causes economic fallout with absolute shutdown of the alerted communities, failure of the work days, enormous hotel and flight annulments. The correlation that exists between tourism and terrorism is irrefutable in this modern era because of the industry’s strength and for reasons certain sites attract a lot of public attention and can be ideal targets for causing greater disruption (Bac, Bugnar & Mester, 2015). Hotels have been the natural targets for terrorists, the impact of attacks on such locations are apparent and far-reaching. Australian is the 59th most impacted country by terrorism. The ranking of Australia might not be a worrying factor, but there is an indispensable development that should cause apprehension.
Due to the amplitude the 19 terrorists caused in USA on 9/11, it made a strong impact not only on the American hotel industry but also across the globe, like Australia. Following September 11, there was a drop in the occupancy rates at Australians hotels and continued its impact in the following five months. Across the country, the majority vacationer destinations like the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney experienced more sustainable from the consequences of the attacks. This was also true for places that have been hosting higher volumes of business tourists, for reasons like decrease in turnout at conventions and conferences along with cancellations. The attack took its toll on the international travelers who decided not to visit anywhere, seeing a drop of 11 per cent.
Improved Safety and Security of Guests and Employees
Hotel security has become tighter following the terrorist attacks across USA on 9/11. The hotel sector has changed their perception related to the susceptibility of this segment to such attacks. The security measures have gone up by few notches and the arrangements have been quite impressive. The instructions about fire protection have become convincing and their practical suggestion in crawling at the time of fire in avoidance of getting suffocated from smoke (Baker, 2014). Only installations of the security surveillance systems would not serve the hotel sectors, awareness among the staffs of the hotels needs to be generated through way of exhaustive training. Much less attention were given towards negligible details, though hotels spare no expense when it comes to offer world-class interiors, however spending on security surveillance has always been taken in as extra burden (Webster & Ivanov, 2014). Security has been beefed up to a greater extent in the hotel industry.
These changes have to an extent improved the safety and security of guests along with employees. Identity details have been a must in the hotels where employee identity details are being deposited in local police satiations for verification (George & Booyens, 2014). A lot of checking goes in before the guests are finally allowed to stay at the hotel. Cameras are being installed at important places to monitor the movement of the guests at public places. Contracted security staffs are being positioned outside and within the hotel 24 hours and seven days a week.
For in-house security, the hotels conduct their work from within their system, without much dependence from the outer world. It does so by engaging its own people and own time. In case of contract staffs it is the employee working under a particular employer on contract basis. when In doing so the hotels save costs on the training of the employees as they only need to hire a trainer and assign him in offering training to their employees at their place. It also helps in avoiding disturbances at the workplace (Tarlow, 2014). Employees for being in-house can train and fiddle with their time accordingly. Going out for training would disrupt the overall process. However, not always the training goal is achieved as employees might not be that serious for the training being conducted within same office (Scott, Laws & Prideaux, 2013). Innovation is another thing that might be left out while going with in-house staffs.
In-house Versus Contract Security for Accommodation Properties
Unlike in-house staffs, contract staff can bring in different knowledge from the previous assignments of his; he does not get involved into in-house politics and is only result-oriented. However, for purposes of security, the hoteliers not always put their beliefs on third parties, leaving the critical data in their hands. Thos data related to security must be secure. Computer security needs to be integral, confidential and available all the time. Both in-house and contact have their own advantages and disadvantages. It is for the hoteliers to understand what their requirement is and work accordingly (Riley, 2014).
a. Fraud:
Fraud related to credit card is a big issue. Criminals on global basis try to hack into the network of hotels in an effort in stealing the identities of guests including the details of credit card (Baker, 2014). Theft of identity and fraud related to credit card is new form of pick pocketing but on a larger platform.
b. Loss of competitive advantage after major security incident:
The worst case-scenario for hotels after the key security incidents is the significant loss in business after the property is being shut down temporarily. The costs of recovery after security incident are at times much higher than security investment and risk management.
c. Physical crime:
Crimes vary from country to country. On an international level there has been a general rise in such crimes as identified by security experts. The physical crime arrays from specialized burglaries to temporary drug laps within hotel rooms. Night holdups are a regular affair within the industry for less security. Terrorism is another factor that is globally challenging.
d. Silent invasions: Cyber crime attacks
Cyber crime is stated to be the second highest risk that the tourism industry is being exposed to. Hotels regularly have to deal with such attacks like phishing and presently with APT’s (Advanced Persistent Threats) (Pratt & Tarlow, 2014). APT’s are taken in as the most dangerous of the cyber attacks bypassing the defenses in position. Hotel Wi-Fi’s are always open to hackers, putting relevant data related to guests at risk.
It is important in making sure that the contractors and employees are very well-trained regarding the ways keys of rooms are distributed. Electronic locks of keys that are being re-keyed among the guests are the safest.
Every hotel needs to make security their top priority. IDs of employees are needed to be checked everytime. Compliance coming with security has the ability in benefiting the entire set up. It is about bring to everyone’s concern the importance of safety and security in hotels.
For cyber crimes hoteliers need to execute intrusion recognition, management of security and services related to intelligence threat. The outbound and inbound communication should be implemented in flagging the data-stealing malware in actual time and preventing relevant information from leaving (Webster & Ivanov, 2014).
It is important to review the conditions of hotel on regular basis along with monitoring all the preventive measures are being put into best effects.
The security department should take into consideration all the relevant details and approaches in preventing theft among the employees, implementation of efficient management, policies related to operations like checking on spots of lockers and rooms, efficient management and control during work rotation, policies related to the detection of criminal minutes and control of the people entering the hotel and exiting the same (Goldman & Neubauer-Shani, 2017). There should be existence of managerial and operational plans and policies related to the security of the public areas and guest rooms. Effective training and weekly meeting should be a regular affair in hotels where issues needs to be discussed along with hiring a security expert who would brief the hotel about major security issues and solutions.
References:
Bac, D. P., Bugnar, N. G., & Mester, L. E. (2015). Terrorism and its Impacts on the Tourism Industry. Revista Român? de Geografie Politic?, XVII no, 1, 5-11.
Baker, D. M. A. (2014). The effects of terrorism on the travel and tourism industry. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 2(1), 9.
George, R., & Booyens, I. (2014, December). Township tourism demand: tourists’ perceptions of safety and security. In Urban Forum (Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 449-467). Springer Netherlands.
Goldman, O. S., & Neubauer-Shani, M. (2017). Does international tourism affect transnational terrorism?. Journal of Travel Research, 56(4), 451-467.
Pratt, C., & Tarlow, P. (2014). The Cultural Tourism Product, Meeting of Cultures: Safety, Security and Planning Guidelines. International Journal of Safety and Security in Tourism and Hospitality, 1(8), 29.
Riley, M. (2014). Human resource management in the hospitality and tourism industry. Routledge.
Scott, N., Laws, E., & Prideaux, B. (Eds.). (2013). Safety and security in tourism: Recovery marketing after crises. Routledge.
Tarlow, P. E. (2014). Tourism Security. Butterworth-Heinemann..
Webster, C., & Ivanov, S. (2014). Transforming competitiveness into economic benefits: Does tourism stimulate economic growth in more competitive destinations?. Tourism Management, 40, 137-140.
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