Safe & secure

By Marni Andrews

Hotel security is perhaps one of the industry’s most important, yet least discussed, issues. Some of the biggest topics are privacy vs. security, the sometimes delicate balance between security and hospitality, and providing good security at reasonable cost.

“Hotel security is vitally important to innkeepers, whether large hotels or small inns. [And] it’s not just physical security of the premises; equally important is data security. Today’s hackers and scam artists are sophisticated data thieves,” says Bruce Gravel, president, Ontario Accommodation Association (OAA).
 
As the world has become more focused on security, properties need to realize that travellers are expecting higher levels of security, explains Larry Cechet, president, Select Hospitality Systems, which supplies electronic lock systems and electronic in-room safes.

“Properties need to realize that the least expensive system is sometimes not the best choice. As systems get more sophisticated, so do the people trying to compromise them,” he says.

Paul O’Hara is operations manager for Guardian Safe Company Ltd., which provides a full range of safes and vaults to the industry. He says the lodging industry is in a slump and that to lure back travellers, they need to be convinced that their security is uppermost in hoteliers’ minds.

Larger chains can afford high tech surveillance systems, alarm systems and on-duty security guards, however they are not generally feasible for the average independent, though those systems plus safes are the best defense against theft, says O’Hara. He suggests placing “Security & Alarm” notices throughout a property as well as notices of electronic surveillance as a deterrent to thieves, whether the systems are installed or not.
 
“Train staff to be alert. If someone claims to have lost or misplaced a key, under no circumstances should staff let him/her into a room,” says O’Hara. “The cheapest and most cost-effective solution for any hotel is safety deposit boxes because there should always be a front desk attendant for them. In-room safes are more of a convenience to guests but should also be seriously considered.”

Chuck Lodhia is vice-president of JM Hospitality Inc., which owns and operates two Comfort Inns and a Homewood Suites by Hilton in Ontario. Another Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton is currently under construction. For security purposes, he recommends that electronic key locking systems, security cameras, safes (either in room or at the front desk) and staff training be provided by every hotel.

“The biggest issue in my opinion is finding that right budget to provide the best of security,” he says. “Proper training of staff is essential; I highly recommend this even if it means bringing in an expert. A clever thief can fool staff into providing an opportunity to commit crime.”

To no surprise, technology is playing an increasingly important role through electronic key locking systems, security cameras, digital safes and RFID (radio frequency identification) monitoring and locking systems.

“Technology has supported loss prevention and, as the future unfolds, enormous opportunities lie ahead,” says Tony Elenis, president and CEO of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA). “One of the most critical components of a successful program is the rekeying of a property.”

The advent of electronic locks has obviously been a major breakthrough in the evolution of hotel security, says Roger White, executive vice-president, Travelodge Canada, with 100 locations across the country.

“They allow our guests to feel confident that they and their belongings are safe and will not be compromised by previous guests who have stayed in the same guestroom. Additionally, electronic locks enable management to monitor access to guestrooms.”

White says that many Travelodge locations are also employing secure access floors to enhance security. Such floors can be accessed via the elevator only when an enabled room key is inserted into a security reader.

Saflok’s Messenger Zigbee is the hospitality industry’s first online bidirectional wireless access control system to operate at 2.4GHz, which is globally license-free. Messenger Zigbee can transmit and receive data at a much longer range than Bluetooth technology and can support large-scale properties with thousands of communication nodes, according to Kerry Hirschy, senior vice-president of sales marketing for Kaba Lodging Systems.

Some of the smart room interoperability features available with Zigbee are the ability to preset an in-room environment each time the lock recognizes a staff key; this could allow for, example, the television to be locked off, the drapes opened and the lights switched on as housekeeping enters a room.

The Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites in Halifax, which opened in May, is using Kaba Ilco’s RFID-operated contactless electronic locks on its 119 guestroom doors, business centre and common areas.
 
General manager Cheryl Ann Grigg said that she wanted a state-of-the-art locking system. She includes the RFID encoders and readers—and not having to swipe keycards—on her list of most useful features. The keycards do not have to be inserted a particular way and are not susceptible to demagnetizing.

Grigg also likes the easy programming and auditing of locks. An audit trail that specifies the date/time a lock was accessed is recorded on employee keycards. Management can track employee movements by auditing staff keycards, while locks can be audited via staff smartcards.

Kaba Ilco vice-president of sales John Sarrouf says that the 790 lock in use at The Holiday Inn Express is a cost-effective solution targeted to the mid-tier market.

Particularly in mid- to high-end hotels, the latest technology is the key to providing guestroom comfort and security, says Laura Cignana, vice-president of Canadian sales for VingCard, Elsafe and TimeLox.

She says that RFID locking technology meets the highest standards in security. Signature RFID by VingCard features Near Field Communications (NFC) cell phone compatibility, which allows hotel guests to use their next-generation NFC-compliant cell phones to open their guestroom doors. Prior to arrival at the hotel, the guest receives a booking confirmation number, room number and encrypted room key access code which allows them to skip the check-in line upon arrival and go straight to their room.

Toronto’s 1,590-room Delta Chelsea hotel is using TimeLox’s wireless DC-Online technology to establish two-way communication from stand-alone electronic locks to the property’s host security system. The system eliminates the need to travel to a guestroom to reprogram a lock or retrieve an audit trail and can identify locks with low batteries. 

The ProxiGuard Tour System is another piece of technology that utilizes RFID. ProxiGuard ensures that a security guard checks assigned points of a building, says Vernon Lalonde of Allied Industrial Supplies Limited in Halifax. The information is stored on a chip carried by the guard. The data is then downloaded to a computer.

“These guard tour systems help the owner of the property manage better rates with insurance companies. The system keeps the guards honest,” explains Lalonde.

Staff training is essential

Staff need to be trained on how to use technology, says Cechet. Not enough money is spent on training on a regular basis and staff often do not understand the importance of these systems in today’s world.

Elenis agrees that training is essential in enhancing hotel security. He is seeing a focus on protecting guest information and privacy since identity theft has become so prevalent.

“The hospitality industry has not been immune. Registration cards and credit cards contain valuable guest information. Verifying guest names before connecting a call or opening a guestroom door for a guest by a staff member is a preventative measure that alleviates security issues,” he says.

White of Travelodge agrees that security of guest information has become a major challenge in the industry.

“We work to continually update our computer systems and property management technology to ensure guest data is secure,” he explains.

“Hire the right person to facilitate the training,” advises Mark Crooks, security and guest service manager for Toronto’s Le Meridien King Edward Hotel. “The essential tool in enhancing hotel security is the training of staff about awareness. Asking a stranger in your lobby if he/she requires assistance is a security prevention technique that can work very well.”

Theft, fraud biggest issues

Julian Kearney, director of security for the 605-room Hilton Toronto, says that theft and fraud are the biggest issues he sees.

“We work hard to deter theft from guests, while most of the fraud we deal with is credit card related,” says Kearney. “We have a high, high success rate against potential theft.”
Since he joined the hotel three years ago, the security approach has changed to one that is proactive rather than reactive. Kearney suggests being proactive by increasing security presence but at the same time being passive so that the efforts are not too noticeable by guests.

At the end of the day, responsibility for hotel safety and security does lie partially with guests as well. Packing common sense along with a change of clothing is not a bad idea.
   
“The biggest issue with hotel security is generally the guest who forgets to follow the same security practices they would at home. When travelling, we find that guests often drop their guard as they enter ‘vacation mode,’” says David Blades, vice-president of operations, for Days Inns Canada, with more than 8,100 rooms across the country.

Blades recommends placing educational literature about security into guestrooms and putting up signage in parking lots advising guests not to leave valuables in their cars. Functioning, visible cameras and in-room safes are other effective security methods, according to Blades.

Kiosks for secure check-in

Michael Cameron, executive assistant manager, rooms division, with the 355-room Hyatt Regency Calgary, says that the hotel’s two self-service check-in kiosks have an added security benefit beyond efficiency. Guests using the NCR Xpress Hotel kiosks can completely eliminate paper trails and ensure against identity theft by having their folio emailed instead of being printed.

Paul Gautier, national director of retail channels for NCR in Canada, agrees. He says that in a recent study of North American consumers commissioned by NCR, 65 per cent of respondents said that they preferred self-service kiosks when travelling because of the “heightened privacy” in regard to financial transactions.

Then again, a hotel can provide security tools but they still may not be used. The Crowne Plaza in Pensacola, Florida discovered this when a guest called front desk in distress about a microwave that she could not open. A valet explained to her that there were no microwaves in the rooms. After the guest checked out, the “microwave” turned out to be the in-room safe with a bag of unpopped microwave popcorn locked inside. The guest had been too embarrassed to report her mistake.