Business Security Information

It seems no matter where I go I run into security issues.  It was no different recently when I took a trip to another state and stayed in a hotel.  The hotel belongs to a national chain and is located in a major city in Ohio.  Obviously, just because a hotel is well-known and located where you think security would be evaluated more closely does not mean this is always the case.  This article is mainly geared towards those who own a hotel or travel a lot for their job.

From the pictures, you can see I stayed in a ground level room.  The window could open all the way and had no exterior screen.  This type of setup will allow someone to easily enter the room from the outside if the window is open or left unlocked.  Also, the type of lock on the window could be opened from the outside by a knowledgeable criminal.  In most hotels where I have stayed in ground level rooms, the window is equipped with an interior window stop where the window can only be opened 5 or 6 inches to prevent a criminal from easily entering the room.  Upper level rooms that have windows that can open all the way are also a liability risk due to the fact a child or even an adult can open the window and fall out.  The hotel had three stories so a fall from either of the upper floors could ruin someone’s day.  The picture I took of the door leading to the adjoining room does not show the complete picture, but basically the door had a deadbolt lock that did not function properly which resulted in the door being secured with the night latch, which is located right above the deadbolt lock.  This does not provide much security for a door that leads from one hotel room to another.

Another issue I noted as I checked in and walked around the hotel is that a surveillance camera covered the check-in area, but there were no surveillance cameras covering the rest of the hotel or any exterior areas of the hotel such as the parking area.  With the front desk employee being the only person on-duty during the evening and night time hours, there is no way other areas of the hotel could be monitored without the front desk being left unattended.  It is beneficial to have security cameras which address not only the security issues but also the liability issues that come with this type of business.  With adequate surveillance cameras, the front desk employee could easily monitor the hotel from the front desk during their shift.

The next issue also shines a light on the importance of surveillance cameras in this type of operation.  All the exterior doors other than the front entrance were equipped with access control which could only be opened with the use of a room card/access card.  Most hotels have this type of setup to prevent unwanted people from entering the hotel premises.  The one exterior door I used to enter the hotel after check-in stayed open for a good 30 seconds or more before it finally latched and would prevent someone from the outside entering the hotel unnoticed.  I tried the door a few times, and it allowed me to almost make it to my room before it was actually closed.  No door setup is perfect, and if someone was right behind you when you entered the building, the door would not prevent them from entering.  The amount of time it takes to close the door greatly affects who enters the hotel.

These are a few things to think about if you own a hotel or are staying at one.  From a general observation standpoint, it appears the hotel had adequate security.  In reality, security is in the details. Lack of attention to these details may result in a crime occurring or accidents happening.  There are many other security issues related to hotel security, but these few are some of the most obvious.

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