Over the course of the last 25 years our CEO, Claire Sandbrook, has travelled extensively across the UK and then to India and the US. In her travels she has always been acutely aware of her own security and that of her colleagues who have travelled with her.
So, an article caught her eye today in Security Magazine which touched on this subject and which you can find at http://bit.ly/2zh48nt.
The bottom line is that when travelling for work or pleasure you have to be even more aware of your surroundings and your personal safety than when you are tucked up under your own roof. You could say that this was obvious, but some people do like to consume more alcohol than they might when they are on the company’s entertainment budget and as a result their normal routine might slip.
Here are a few tips from Claire which she has implemented over the years, so she gets home safe to her family:
Tip 1: Always have your phone with you and always have your charger – whether it’s a plug in the wall or a charger in the car your phone is your #1 device to keep in touch with your nearest and dearest and the office
HOTELIERS: Do you make it easy for your guests to charge their phones, buy leads and chargers or even provide complimentary services?
Tip 2: Never drink and drive – EVER! Organize your transport from a reliable source – and wear your seat belt – we are big fans of the UBER app – so you can always have transport and you’ve always got funds for the cab ride home as its linked to your payment card
HOTELIERS: Do you make it easy for guests to book reliable transport and keep an eye on guests who may be drinking too much at the bar?
Tip 3: Stay in a reputable place – if you are paying to stay somewhere check out the reviews online and make sure previous guests have given the place a good review for its security – and never stay on the 1st or 2nd floors – go up far enough so people are discouraged from trying to get to your room
HOTELIERS: Do you offer guests the option to stay on higher floors?
Tip 4: Lock your hotel room door and put on the safety chain when you are in your room on your own – use the advice in the attached article and put the DO NOT DISTURB sign out on the door
HOTELIERS: Do you have safety chains as standard on all room doors?
Tip 5: Only sleep with the window open if safe to do so
HOTELIERS: Have you fitted devices to windows so they can only be opened so far?
Tip 6: Check out your route to leave your room in the event of fire – in her 25 years, Claire has suffered a couple of evacuations due to the fire alarm going off – and so its best to know what to do if this happens – including having something close by to slip on if you have to leave your room
HOTELIERS: How good is your fire alarm system and are your staff trained on how to extinguish a fire using all available equipment?
Tip 7: If you are caught in your room in an earthquake – the first thing to do is not to panic – instead turn on the hotel TV and follow any instructions coming from the inhouse TEAM. Claire was caught up in an earthquake in Delhi, India – but did the British thing of keeping calm and the tremors passed in a few moments
HOTELIERS: Are you in an earthquake zone? What steps do you take in the event of an occurrence to reassure guests and take steps to protect them?
Tip 8: If you do have to evacuate always take a bottle of water with you and have your bag with your passport and credit card handy
HOTELIERS: Do you supply complimentary bottles of water in the room?
Tip 9: If you get caught up in an active shooter situation take this additional advice issued by the US Department of Homeland Security – see this is in a handy pocket card format which can be issued to all members of an organization.
HOTELIERS: How well trained are your staff to spot an Active Shooter before an incident kicks off – and if one does happen how well trained are your staff to follow a clear procedure to minimize the impact of such an event?
Tip 10: And finally if you have to come down a chute on an aircraft – which Claire did many years ago – leave everything behind and GO!
HOTELIERS: Nothing you can do on this one – it’s an airline issue
And for those of our readers who are hoteliers or who are in the hospitality sector, please take a moment to think how you measure up against these routine requirements for your guests, and employees. For more insight on how to develop your plan to provide a first class security environment please feel free to reach out to the Shergroup TEAM of consultants – check us out on www.shergroup.com – we will be pleased to help.