A Critical Examination of Safety and Security Concerns in Hospitality Industry

A Critical Examination of Safety and Security Concerns in Hospitality Industry

Abstract of A Critical Examination of Safety and Security Concerns in Hospitality Industry

The hotels have become second home for leisure travelers and second office for business travelers. With rising acts of terrorism on board, the tourists and travelers have become skeptical about security issues within the hotel premises and often safety quotient of the property. The current issue looks into the safety-security issues haunting the thought process of guests and the modern options and approach that hotels have to gain the confidence of their guests.

Chapter One of A Critical Examination of Safety and Security Concerns in Hospitality Industry

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Hospitality means providing service to others, as well as demonstrating consistent excellence and quality. It should also mean profitably providing value at any price level, while demonstrating your own unique points of distinction. Most of all, hospitality should be a “place”, where people can still be exceptional individuals and they can extend their own personality and style (Hogan, 2008). The hospitality industry is part of a huge group of companies known as travel and tourism industry, which provides the necessary or desirable goods and services to travelers. The hospitality and tourism industries are the largest and fastest-growing industries in the world (Walker, 2010).

Frequent terrorisms incidents, natural disasters like Asian tsunami, hurricane and forest fire warn hospitality suppliers and buyers to be prepared for just any imaginable crisis. Security is not limited to only a single aspect it is been classified into various types. Even Taylor (2002) stated that safety involves preventing employees and customers within the hotel property from potential death and injury, such as from accidental slips, falls, cuts, burns and so forth, as well as preventing related property damage. To improve safety, many hotel companies have installed electronic locks, fire sprinklers, smoke detectors, and closed circuit televisions (Okumus, 2005).

The security of assets, the safety of the personnel who keep them running, and the well-being of the guests becomes increasingly important as insecurity threat spreads around the globe.

In today’s world of proliferating terrorism and heightened security concerns, security department in the hotel industry are faced with a grim, new reality.

Hotels are increasingly vulnerable to attack by radical groups who use terror as their strategy of choice. Attacks against hotels in the Northern part of Nigeria should provide hoteliers as serious warning that no region is immune and no hotel is completely safe (Natasa 2010). The only way to prevent or reduce insecurity threats is for the security department in the hotels to be alert all the time and play their roles with full responsibilities.

The roles and responsibilities of the security department is to make sure that guest and employees are safe and properties are prevented from damage pro-active safety and security planning is an essential role in their operations. From guests’ and personnels’ safety to facility damage and serious liability issues, hotels face new and difficult challenges that must be addressed today to minimize vulnerability in the face of the unthinkable.

The number of terrorist attacks against hotels throughout the world over the last few years has underscored the need to assess each location and provide security solutions for both facilities and the people who populate them. These security solutions are tools meant for security department that with help facilitate the activities of the security personnel. And the tools are CCTV, walkie-talkie, metal detector device chemical/bomb detectors etc. Every security department in hotel should base on current intelligence and provides a thorough evaluation of the locality, and reliable, practical solutions to close vulnerability gaps, protect assets personnel and guest of hospitality establishment.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Every hotel has a unique profile which means equally unique vulnerabilities. The security department must use the latest intelligence relating to the current strategic and operational threats of insecurity and applies this knowledge to address risks and vulnerabilities. The roles and responsibilities of the security department includes a comprehensive analysis of the risks and vulnerabilities of both the building and the human processes including such issues as facility access procedures, communications emergency response policies, and engaged in existing security training programs.

However the security A department in Nike Lake Resorts Every must understand and acknowledge full responsibility for security and safety of guest employees and properties. This can only be addressed when proper measures are put in place such as manpower development security tool and equipments like cutlass and guns.

The major problems in securing live and properties ia to know how to apply security measures, qualify personnel and equipment.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The project aimed at presenting a study on the roles and responsibilities of security department in safeguarding guests, employees, structure and content using Nike Lake Resort Enugu as a case study. Therefore, the specific objectives are as follows:

1.  To examine the roles and responsibilities of security department in Nike Lake Resort Enugu.

2.  To know whether the security department is capable of safeguarding guests, employees, structure and content in Nike Lake Resort Enugu.

3.  To find out various security gadgets available in Nike Lake Resort Enugu.

4.  To find out security challenges faced by the security department of Nike Lake Resort Enugu and to proffer solutions.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.  What are the roles and responsibilities of security department in Nike Lake Resort Enugu.

2.  Is the security department capable of safeguarding guest, employees, structure and content in Nike Lake Resort Enugu?

3.  What are the various security gadgets available in Nike Lake Resort Enugu?

4.  What are the security challenges faced by the security department and what are the solutions?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This work reveals and provides both knowledge and some experiences regarding the special requirements of a professional assessment of the roles and responsibilities of security department in hotels. It also provides practical and intelligence-led solutions. It also, reveal that ththotel’s security department first responsibility is to its customers and that its security plans must be transparent and unobtrusive.

This work will be of benefits to Nike Lake Resorts because it will expose both the management and security department to current security measures that can be applied in the Hotel management. Hence this will led to optimum trust from guests employees and other state others when the issue of security measures for other industries since security is the responsibilities of everyone.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study presents the roles and responsibilities of security department in safeguarding guests, employees, structure and content the scope of the study is limited to Nike Lake Resort  Enugu. The study will also cover issues on security department and looking into the roles and responsibilities of the security department in the Hotel industry which will include internal and external security measures. The work also covers the psychological effects of safety and security on guest and conclude with a propose conceptual frameworks to provide safety and security in the Hotel industry.

LIMITATION OS THE STUDY

In course of conduction this study there were some hindrances like not having enough materials to study, also the study is faced with time constraint as it has an effect on my study time in the framework of my school assignments and quizzes. Distribution and retrieval of questionnaire was also a big constraint inadequate finding was another source of limitation. This is because it took the researcher several months to go the area of study. Lack of good response from the respondents is also of problem as some of the staff are either say or do not want to respond for security reasons.