A R T I C L E —

Hotel and Motel Security

by Ralph Witherspoon, CPP, CSC

From the earliest times, thieves and robbers often subjected travelers to attacks. Outside of walled cities and castles travelers could usually find shelter and protection only in wayside inns. From this practice grew the principle that innkeepers were responsible for providing their guests not only food and lodging, but also security and protection against criminal attack.

 

While the duty of innkeepers to protect their guests is somewhat different today than it once was, lodgings, including gaming casinos often with attached or integrated hotels, still owe a responsibility to their guests and other invitees. And guests continue to be at risk today! Criminals often look at lodgings as attractive targets filled with unsuspecting potential victims, most of whom will leave town soon after being robbed or otherwise victimized.

 

While some cities, counties and states may require specific security measures at lodging properties, in those jurisdictions not having such requirements, the legal responsibility owed to their guests by lodging management requires the operator to "exercise reasonable care" in identifying potential crime risks, and to take reasonable measures to prevent those crimes, or to warn guests against them. In general, the greater the likelihood of future crime or injury, the greater the innkeeper's responsibility to defend or warn against it.

 

Foreseeability

Determining what crime is "reasonably foreseeable" requires a thorough review of the facts in each particular instance. Some states use the "prior similar crimes" test, which analyzes previous crimes on the property. How similar the crimes must be and how recent their prior occurrence are matters usually determined by the judge in each case, often based on prior court decisions in that state.

 

Other states use the "totality of the circumstances" standard, which examines other factors in addition to any prior similar crimes on the property. Such factors can include:

• Nature and operation of the facility: For example, gaming casinos by their nature invite guests to bring large amounts of cash. Security for a roadside inn has some different considerations than a resort facility that attracts more affluent vacationers, typically to a larger, more spread-out property.
• Location of the lodging facility: Some cities have higher crime rates than others, and within most all cities some areas have higher crime rates than the average for that city. Being located in or near one of those "high crime" cities or areas may increase the crime risk to a specific lodging property.
• Actual past crimes on the property: These are frequently one of the best means of predicting future crimes, since what has occurred already is likely to recur if changes in security or other conditions haven't been made. The issue then becomes how many past crimes, and how recent, e.g. a robbery five years ago deosn't have the same weight as two robberies in the last six months.
• Security problems created by the facility's design or layout, for example, "blind spots," where criminals may loiter or hide, and broken lines of sight that reduce visibility by staff and guests. Both problems may increase specific crime risks.
• Alcoholic beverage service on the property: Alcohol not only tends to reduce inhibitions, but it also reduces alertness and wariness — a situation many criminals like to exploit.
• Crimes at similar nearby properties. While properties generally compete against each other for business, they should be cooperating in the common fight against crime. The type of crime that occurs on one property usually occurs or impacts all similar nearby properties.

 

Many other factors may also be applicable to assessing crime foreseeability, and many are specific to a given property and its unique operation or to its surrounding area. A professional security consultant can help identify them.

 

Reasonable Care Security

Almost any lodging facility, depending on its location and the nature of its operation, should utilize some or all of the following security measures:

• Screening and background checks of employees: This is a basic step for all lodging security. Many lodging employees have some access to guestrooms, guests and their belongings, or to confidential information about the guests or about facility security. If the staff is untrustworthy, most other security measures will fail.
• Adequate doors and locking hardware — the most basic of precautions. If the guest room door, its frame and its hardware are insufficient to resist moderate force — guests are at risk. Doors should be solid-core wood or metal. Likewise, providing appropriate locking devices is crucial. The standard, especially in larger lodgings, is evolving toward the use of electronic locks that can (and should) be changed immediately when a guest departs or when a key (card) is reported lost. Where traditional metal keys are used, an effective key control and monitoring program is essential. All guestroom entry doors should be equipped with a minimum of two locks, one of them a dead bolt, and should be self-closing and self-locking. Entry doors should be equipped with a wide-angle peephole viewer in the door. A window adjacent to the door that permits viewing of visitors before opening the door will also serve the same purpose. Sliding balcony-type doors should be equipped with secondary locking devices, such as a "charley bar" and a through-the-door pin to prevent lifting the door from its track.
• Appropriate levels of lighting for all areas of risk, including parking lots and garages. Many criminals prefer to commit their crimes in darkness, thus avoiding detection, possible identification, and incarceration. See related article: Parking Lot and Garage Security.
• Appropriate lines of sight. Shrubs, which often provide concealment or interfere with lines of sight, should be not higher than 18 inches above ground. Tree branches should be trimmed so that they hang not lower than eight feet above the ground. Doing so enhances employees' ability to see, and guests are more able to perceive potential dangers at a distance.
• Appropriate security equipment, such as cameras and alarms. Depending on their size, layout, staffing and crime risk, properties may utilize security equipment to supplement manpower. Management should not only select and install appropriate equipment for the tasks, but it must also maintain it and promptly repair it if it fails.
  Note: Dummy cameras or false or misleading signage about cameras or monitoring should never be used.
• Appropriate staffing for security duties. In small properties, a night clerk monitoring the lobby and front desk may be all that is necessary, although some "high-risk" locations may require bullet-resistant materials for the clerk's protection, depending on the risk of armed robbery or sexual assault. In larger or more spread-out properties, or those with certain crime histories, or which have specific risks such as bar or casino operations, patrols by in-house or contract security officers may be required to monitor activities. By their observable, uniformed presence, such officers may also act to deter some criminal offenders.
• Appropriate training for staff. Security is the responsibility of all staff members; however, they can't properly perform that duty unless they are trained and made individually responsible for it. This is especially true of those who have specific daily security duties, such as managers and supervisors, front-desk clerks, bellhops and security personnel. But maids, maintenance personnel, servers and others should have clear reporting or other security duties spelled out in their job descriptions. It is important that such duties be spelled out not only in the individual's job description, but, most importantly, also in their performance evaluation. That which is monitored and graded tends to get done!
• Appropriate record-keeping. Maintaining records reflecting adherence to security procedures is critical for management to detect deviations from procedures, make corrections, and defend against future claims of negligent security. As one federal agency is fond of saying about training, "If it wasn't documented, it didn't occur." Security incidents should always be documented so that management can review the issues and take appropriate corrective actions.
• Periodic risk assessments by management. To know its risks and effectively plan to manage them, management of any facility should periodically assess not only its own crime experience, but also that of similar nearby lodgings (or casinos, or resorts), and any actual or potential changes impacting its operation. For example, is the property attracting more female business travelers or airline flight crews, either of which may be attractive targets for thieves or sexual predators? Or, is the property planning to host a jewelry trade show, or is it hosting increasing numbers of foreign visitors who may be unfamiliar with the local area, its customs, language, and its crime? All these factors and more can change the crime risk for a lodging facility.

 

This article cannot hope to cover all aspects of retail lodging security. It was written to provide the reader with a starting point in assessing crime risks to his or her lodging property. It also provides an overview of those basic security measures needed to counter such risks and reduce potential liabilities.

 

Readers desiring additional information on these or related subjects should contact a qualified professional security consultant and/or their attorney.

 

 

Disclaimer:

Based on what the author believes are generally accepted security principles as of the date of its writing, and on data gathered from what are believed to be reliable sources, this article is written for general information purposes only and is not intended to be, and should not be used as, a primary source for making security decisions. Each situation is or can be unique. The author is not an attorney, is not engaged in the practice of law, and is not rendering legal advice. Readers requiring advice about specific security problems or concerns should consult directly with a security professional. The author of this article shall have no liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss, liability, or damage alleged to have been caused by the use or application of any information in this article, nor information contained on this or any linked or related web site.

Back to top