Services — Lodging and Hospitality Security

Perhaps no industry in recent years has suffered more from increased crime and its frequently associated "negligent security litigation" than have the lodging and hospitality industries.

Guests, tenants and customers assaulted, robbed, raped, and sometimes even murdered! Many times the latter crimes result both in negative publicity potential impacting profits, plus lawsuits that increasingly end up with million-dollar-plus verdicts or settlements, and loss of time and money defending.

With extensive experience in the areas of motel security (including lounges serving liquor), plus security for a regional restaurant chain and its related operations, Ralph Witherspoon utilizes his expertise to help hotel, motel, apartment and resort management companies.

Services frequently include:

• Property security survey, assessment or audit
• Physical security improvement recommendations
• Policies and procedures independent review/development
• Crime foreseeability assessments (litigation avoidance)
• Staff and in-house security training (litigation avoidance)
• Obtaining "quality" contract security guard services

 

We have also developed a specialty dealing with bar and nightclub security.

 

Success Story

A major (over 800-person capacity) nightclub hired us to conduct an assessment of its operations. While many things were being done right, including the use of two exceptional doormen for screening and exterior crowd control, two serious problems were identified: inadequate training and communications for servers and floormen (bouncers); and inadequate lighting and observation of the hallway leading to one of the women's restrooms. Three days after our inspection and our providing a verbal report on these conditions to management but before our written report was submitted, a woman was sexually assaulted in an alcove off that restroom hallway. Fortunately, as an interim step initiated by management, floormen were making increased patrols in the area and were able to intervene before significant harm occurred. It could have been a costly lawsuit, negative publicity, increased government and Alcohol Beverage Control oversight … but it wasn't!

Other Examples of Our Work

• During a hotel survey, a maintenance employee was discovered stealing a large (institutional sized) bag of potato chips worth a few dollars. Follow-up to determine the extent of the problem revealed that the employee and his wife (both kleptomaniacs) had over $18,000 stolen hotel food and equipment in their home. Background screening for new applicants was promptly implemented.
• We helped a client engaged in rehabilitating large distressed apartment properties implement electronic and physical security measures on one property, while helping set up armed contract security officers working in a "community policing" mode. Crime on the 30-building property was reduced over 90% in the first year.

 

Click here to read related articles:
Hotel, Motel, Resort, Casino Security

Apartment / Multi-Tenant Dwelling Security

Security: Taverns and Nightclubs

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