Hoteliers strive to provide memorable guest experiences. While that means clean rooms, an aesthetically pleasing environment, great amenities, and courteous staff, hoteliers must dig deeper into proactively creating and maintaining a safe and secure environment.
Liability issues are a major concern for hoteliers. To avoid liability claims caused by negligence, keeping employees and guests away and protected from potential hazards must be a top priority. When employees or guests suffer loss resulting from theft of personal property or experience physical harm or death caused by injuries or accidents, a hotel’s reputation and bottom-line profitability may never recover from costly litigation and soaring insurance premiums. With such a huge amount of responsibility, cutting corners with security and safety measures or complacency is never an option.
A comprehensive master security plan with security technology solutions is necessary to keep the physical building and grounds as safe and secure as possible. Electronic key control is a cost-effective security technology solution that has been used in hotel properties for decades. Key control systems inform security administrators about where all facility keys are located, who has them out, and when they are due for return. Let’s examine three reasons why key control security technology can prevent hotel liability issues:
1Key Control Maximizes Accountability
Key control systems provide security checkpoints and information among assigned and authorized users of facility keys with an instant audit trail. Only authorized individuals can access their assigned and pre-programmed keys, which must be returned at the end of work shifts. When keys are overdue, or when an invalid user code is used, alarms and email prompts will alert hotel administrators. When keys are secured and managed and when employees are accountable and responsible for their actions, liability risk reduces because of the key control system’s capability to restrict access to areas of the hotel property, such as mechanical rooms, guestrooms, storage areas, and computer server rooms where crime and injuries may occur.
2Key Control Communicates Actual-Time Information
The best security technology solutions for hotels provide, communicate, and connect information instantly interdepartmentally. Key control systems, when integrated with access control and other security systems, provide an immediate big picture of crucial actual-time information of what is happening on site. At all times, merged security systems provide the movement of people and activities within the building and grounds. Unified key control and access control security systems collect critical data and information that pay dividends in safety and security by preventing or mitigating security breach episodes that can be potentially dangerous or life-threatening to hotel guests and employees. For instance, if a key has not been returned, the interoperable systems will communicate with each other and deny individuals egress from the building until the keys are returned.
3Key Control Mitigates Risk and Manages Assets
Minimizing and eliminating risk of insider and outsider threats requires security managers to “never leave any stone unturned” to potential vulnerabilities and add appropriate and creative security solutions. Insider and outsider threats are part of the security team’s challenges, which involve data breaches, vandalism, terrorism, room invasions, arson, and theft. To prevent access to sensitive items like cash trays, computer hardware, or safes, multi-factor authentication can be programmed into the key control system so certain keys or key sets will not be released until two or three successful logins are completed with credentials verified. Potential liabilities are also reduced when assets, such as personal data and people, are protected from harm by restricting access to the sensitive and private areas of hotels.
Key control systems are a go-to security solution that maximizes accountability, safety, security, and compliance for hotel and hospitality establishments around the world.
Sponsored by Morse Watchmans.
