Security’s balancing act

Hotels can face up to security challenges without burning a big hole in the pocket

The recent terror attacks on hotels displays the vulnerability the industry faces today. The safety and security of guests have become a paramount task for hoteliers, who are faced with challenges to not only make their place safe, but also hospitable to stay in. The urgent need to upgrade security systems has also added substantially to a hotelier’s capital expenditure. Though most hoteliers accept that there can’t be any cost-cutting in security, the biggest challenge for them is to find a middle way that balances out both the critical aspects— security and cost.

One needs to have a holistic approach towards security rather than just buying all the latest equipments The best way to reduce costs is by involving a professional security consultant from the designing stage itself, who will help assess your threat perceptions, and plan accordingly.

“There is a need to look at hotel security comprehensively and not as a knee jerk reaction. Today the security market is vendor driven; this pushes up costs without actually adding value or providing credible security,” says Colonel Naresh Shekhawat, a security expert. Each property first needs to draw up a security plan based upon the threat perceptions, ground factors like layout, the size of the property, the number of ingress and egress points, footfalls, movement pattern, sensitivity of visitors, vulnerabilities and existing set up, which will dictate the way ahead, adds Shekhawat.

Ramesh Iyer, executive director, Top Security, also agrees that the security planning should start preferably at the design and architecture stage of the hotel itself. “Careful thought should be given to glass panes used in the building, location of parking lots, designing of the entry and exit points, and the type and thickness of the walls”. He says it is important to have a good building management system which will centrally control the access, fire alarm, and intrusion systems, utilities like the electrical and air conditioning. The security process should be properly designed in such a way that access is limited to only those people who need to be in a particular area.

Pramoda Karkal, vice president and managing director, India, Building Efficiency, Johnson Controls thinks one can aspire to be 100% secure, but success comes only if you have a holistic approach to security. Effective building design, trained physical response, and effective state back up are requisites to achieve optimum security.
“Hoteliers, like all businesses, are looking at safety and security as critical business needs, more so after 26/11. Value is the watchword. It is important for hotels to guarantee the safety and security of its guests. Considering the financial bottle necks, hotels can consider implementing security solutions in a scalable manner over a given time frame,” adds Karkal.

Man over machine
A good mix of man and machine will help you get optimum result from your security system. Many security experts still prefer man over machine as this not only keeps your cost low but also gives better results. However, there are many things that man can’t do and require help from machines.

Security experts say that one should watch against getting swayed by latest technology, because any machine is only as good as the man behind it. “Moreover, instead of looking at ‘best practices’ one must look at ‘best fit’ or an optimum balance between people, process, technology and facility”, says Colonel SM Kumar, head, Special Intervention Group, Mahindra Special Services Group. It is important to go for the right selection of equipment after doing a through security assessment.

The most important facet in a successful security structure is the security staff. It is thus imperative that they are trained, motivated, and consequently, responsive. The most expensive equipment can be laid redundant for want of trained manpower. It can also turn faulty if not handled properly, but most importantly, it would probably lull you into thinking that you are safe, when in actual fact you are not.

“One thus needs to bear in mind that today, terrorists strike almost at will, so merely going on a spending spree to buying everything that is available in the market is no solution. The areas where manpower could be preferred to machine is in doing profiling of the guests, this generally would be done at the porch/lobby and main gate. The trained human mind can do a quick profiling which is difficult for the machine (video analytics),” says Shekhawat.

Iyer thinks that manpower and technology have to work in tandem. Even in developed countries like the USA or UK where the technology usage is very high, the manpower to technology usage is 60:40. In India the ratio is 90:10 in favour of manpower. “All monitoring of reports and viewing of deviations through technology have to be done by manpower only, as also the basic manning of the gate and parking lots, and frisking,” Iyer suggests.

Technological edge
One should opt for technology which may have a little extra initial cost burden on hoteliers, but will give optimum results in the long run. Thanks to the latest technology available in the market today, hotels can now opt for some smart products such as IP-based surveillance, electronic key cards, elevator access control systems, scanners, sensors, and explosive detectors, besides others. By shelling out just a little more while buying electronic room locks, hotels can opt for an elevator access control system as part of their package. “The cost burden may be high if you are upgrading from manual keys to an electronic system. But if it is from swipe cards or old electronic locks to a more advanced touch-less electronic room locks, the cost is much lower. And, with a little extra cost, you can have elevator access control system as well,” says Ashish Kapoor, business head, hospitality, Hafele India. The company is among the few in India who offer elevator access control systems along with electronic touch-less room locks. “Internationally it’s been used extensively, but in India, especially after 26/11, hotels have decided to wake up and opt for this product. An elevator is the biggest access point to any part of the hotel and it needs to be well controlled,” he adds.

Hafele’s technology offers a single key card for accessing both guest room as well as elevator, which ensures that only guests holding pre-programmed key cards can use these facilities. The cards can be programmed to allow flexible access to various floors which helps hotels keep track of traffic, and can help solve theft cases as well.

IP-based surveillance provider Axis Communications’ country manager Prakash Prabhu says advancements in technology have come to the aid of cost-sensitive customers. “Today, IP-based surveillance has reduced the cost of installing and managing a security system in several ways. A recent study showed that an IP-based system offers a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than a similarly sized analog-based surveillance system.”

Prabhu thinks cameras with built-in intelligence lower the resource requirement at the central station, and allow for better scalability and management. They also help in lowering bandwidth and storage utilisation. Also, IP-based networks and wireless options are far less expensive alternatives than the traditional coaxial and fiber cabling for an analog CCTV system. The management and equipment costs are also lower, since back-end applications and storage run on industry standard, open systems-based servers, not on proprietary hardware such as a DVR in the case of an analog CCTV system.

Dipayan Kar, business manager, Ekay Technologies says, “The best bet for hoteliers in today’s scenario, is to augment their existing security rather than replace. The ideal solution would be to secure the right periphery for your hotels, and keep trouble mongers out. This can be done by implementing peripheral surveillance (IP based), vehicle scanning, automated gates, metal detectors, baggage scanners, and fire detection and fighting solutions.”

Kar says there are a variety of products which fit the solutions, but one should go for those which are sturdy and can withstand all the rigours of rough handling, weather, power surge, and so on.

Collective measures
It’s important to take some collective measures, now, as a terrorist strike in any hotel affects the revenue inflow for the entire tourism industry. Hoteliers have understood that security is something which requires collective efforts from all the stake holders. “Various organisations in Mumbai today have taken the collaborative route. They have created an ‘Area Security Committee’, which meets up regularly to discuss area specific security issues. Support from civil administration, and law and order agencies is also ensured, by approaching them as a body,” says Kumar. Depending on the geography of the region, this can also offer the hotels deeper layers of security, where each acts as the other’s eyes and ears for ‘early warning’, he adds. Joint efforts towards strengthening security would surely help at all stages of security operations. Iyer suggests that smaller hotels and restaurants in a given locality can collectively pool in resources to appoint a complete security solution provider, and their cost can be shared.

Further, hotels in close physical proximity to each other can employ control measures like bollards/ road blocker and CCTV at a shared cost. “The control room feed can also be shared which is available to first responders, in case of a Taj-like scenario where the complete hotel was in control of terrorists. The reaction capability can also be shared by these hotels,” says Shekhawat.

“Another area which can be participative is sharing of information of suspected guests, and establishments within a particular vicinity should form a cluster. Such clusters can then form joint security plans; this would allow sharing of costs and resources, and optimal utilisation of services,” he adds.

The recent terrorist attacks to hotels have created great deal of awareness among the hoteliers about security, but that has not completely translated into larger spends for security systems. Kapoor says that though hoteliers are more aware now than before, they are still not ready to put in money for the latest technology which is going to pay them long-term returns. “You can’t just have three guards at the front gate and two at the X-ray counter and call that security. Security has to be seen as an investment. Not even ten per cent hoteliers are using elevator access control systems as of now,” he adds.

Kar dissents; he thinks thinks hoteliers are now opening up their purses to spending the requisite amount for optimum security. Although it’s the big hotels who are more proactive in taking these measures, while the smaller category hotels are finding it tough to deal with this extra burden of cost for their properties. Prabhu thinks sectors like tourism and hospitality need to view security as a strategic imperative, and invest to make their hotels full-proof and free from vulnerability, to ensure their guests are protected from threats.

However, hotels can’t be converted into fortresses, and no security system can offer full-proof security. Better preparedness though networking with your peers, and a greater awareness among your staff, can help you avoid any incident which a machine can’t foresee.

Identify the costs
Yashwant Patil, director, Samarth Security Systems, who provides security solution to hotels and other establishments, has outlined some measures to keep costs low:

Hiring the security equipments instead of buying them
Identifying and exploring the possibilities of using available space for advertising, other than suppliers
Devising policy for supplier to use space for advertising
While selecting product of foreign company, there should be criteria of post sales service and spare part services
Preference should be given to indigenous product of local supplier, since the prices can negotiated
While entering into a joint venture with international brand, the negotiation should be prepared in such way that it will benefit company in cutting down the cost on security

Set to roll
Dipayan Kar suggests some of the brands which are future-ready and can be integrated to most other related solutions.