When re-opening, think of 'safety' beyond the threat of COVID-19
With some semblance of a recovery from the forced closure of hotels due to the pandemic looming ahead, it is time for hotels to cast their attention beyond the COVD-19 related safety protocols and consider other areas that may possibly face threats.
Long before the coronavirus came along, there was several risk mitigating procedures that hotels put in place in the event things went wrong - some mandated by law, others as ‘best practices’. For instance, when there was an outbreak of fire in a hotel, staff in almost every hotel knew exactly what they are supposed to do and what their roles are. This should extend to all types of safety issues.
Then there were blueprints for staff to work with in the event of an incident or crisis, to the extent that they covered business continuity in a worst case scenario or calamity – be it internal or external, local or national. The instructions were explicit in all aspects, and staff in the better run organisations, were regularly trained, with periodic situational exercises (e.g. Fire rehearsal including evacuation, etc), so that they instinctively knew when and how to go into immediate action, in an emergency.
Globally, a huge majority of hotels have remained closed for over twelve months, owing to COVID-19. No doubt, safety and hygiene measures to combat the threat of the virus will be at the top of everyone’s’ list, when they re-open. And so it should.
However, failing to carry out due diligence on other safety aspects that can hugely impact on both guests and staff should not be neglected. It’s important for hoteliers to look beyond the COVID-related protocols in-place and re-visit the other areas of their operations. Security for instance, is one that needs particular attention at a time when everyone’s focus is on who is wearing / not wearing a mask? Keeping that safe distance and so on…
During the time many in the hospitality industry were busy planning on how and when to re-open their doors, those in the unsavory business of infiltrating security systems, launching cyber attacks, entering guest rooms to rob or cause harm, have been equally busy - stealthily planning their next moves to surprise and steal. To be ahead of these threats to security, hotels have to adopt a proactive approach – looking afresh to discover cracks and weak points to prevent any undesirable activity from occurring.
Long before COVID-19, customers expected any hotel they patronized, to be clean, hygienic and a safe place to be in. That was a given – no question about it. The pandemic only heightened that expectation to unprecedented levels. So, hotels that keep screaming “We are safe to stay at” must be aware that the message can now be a double edged sword. Should anything happen, which remotely has nothing to do with COVID, e.g. a guest belonging is stolen or an accident occurs due to operator negligence, litigation can hit the property owners harder than a coconut falling on one’s head.
It’s the nature of people in hotels to open their doors to hospitality. Do not be lulled though into letting fraudsters and unauthorized people get past your doors. Constantly be alert and proactive, to mitigate that challenge, by bubble-wrapping your property within an impenetrable safety and security net.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier
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