1. 10 Safety Mistakes Hotel Managers Make
And How to Avoid Them
.
By: Diana S. Barber, Esq., July 2004
Every hotel and motel manager makes mistakes; that’s
just part of being human. All mistakes are costly; but
some have a greater financial impact than others do. The
following list cites potentially costly security gaps most
hoteliers are not aware of or haven’t focused on - and
should.
1. Never cut back on security personnel. In these times
of cost containment and budget controls, security is the
one area of your budget that should never be cut. The
financial impact of reducing or eliminating your security
staff would be tremendous should a guest or employee be
injured or damage to property occur. In addition,
eliminating or reducing security personnel sends the
wrong message to staff members, namely that their safety
is not of the highest importance to your business and that
you are not watching them as closely.
2. Have an evacuation route posted in your meeting
room space. Meeting rooms serve as gathering places for
large groups of people who will most likely panic in the
event of an emergency such as a hurricane, earthquake,
bomb threat and so on. In the event of a crisis, will your
group function attendees know where to go and what to
do? Have evacuation routes posted in meeting rooms for
group attendees to see, and ask your sales and catering
personnel to have detailed discussions with the meeting
planners about evacuation procedures.
3. Increase lighting throughout your property. Look
for physical areas on or around the property that do not
have adequate lighting or are not secure, and address these
issues immediately. Check your parking lots for areas
where lighting needs improvement. Ask your local law
enforcement agency to do a security audit on your
property. Don’t wait until someone falls or is injured to
protect your guests, employees and your business.
4. Continuously train employees. When it rains or
snows and a guest slips and falls on your property, do
your employees know the proper steps to take to protect
the injured guest, not to make casual comments admitting
liability and how to handle the situation? Who is
responsible for their training? Make it your objective to
ensure that your employees receive adequate training on
procedures for handling guest injuries. Initial training and
continuous ongoing training are critical. One hour of
training is not enough. Keep detailed records of the
procedures and training which can be used in your efforts

2. to convince a litigious opposing party, and a judge, of
your due diligence in safety training.
5. Comply with Occupational Safety and Health
Administration standards. Make sure all OSHA
requirements and standards are met. If you are not sure
that you have all the latest information, take an updated
course on compliance efforts. The Internet has many
resources for OSHA compliance courses available for
hotels and motels. Visually inspect to see that all
necessary notices and posters are current and displayed
appropriately, and not stuck behind other notices on the
bulletin board.
6. Keep back-up data off property. Keep a copy of all
property operations data stored off-site in a safe and
secure location. Do not rely on someone’s personal
computer to house your employment, financial and guest
data. It is imperative to have access to guest records at all
times - especially in the event of an emergency.
7. Install phones in fitness centers. All exercise or
fitness rooms need to have a phone available to all guests
that will dial immediately to the front desk. A security
camera should also be installed so that injuries and
problems that occur within the fitness facility can be
immediately detected and addressed. If security cameras
are used, written procedures for their use must be in
place. Also: Are the cameras staffed with trained
professionals viewing the scene? How often is the
videotape reused? Are the cameras in good working order
or are they simply mounted as a decoy to provide a false
sense of security to guests and employees?
8. Perform background checks on employees before
hiring. All managers, front desk personnel and security
officers must have their background history checked to
eliminate or minimize any unknown and undesirable
discoveries once employed. An Internet search can assist
in accomplishing this task very quickly. Check driving
records on employees hired to transfer guests to and from
the airport or surrounding areas. Select the best
employees now and avoid future trouble.
9. Check detection devices regularly. Are sprinkler
systems and smoke detectors working and in place, on all
floors, in guestrooms and in all public spaces? Is an
emergency lighting system in place along with an
emergency generator? When was the last time you had
these items checked? What is your back up plan if these
devices should fail? All such items need to be tested and
certified on a monthly basis and the inspections need to be
properly documented in writing.
10. Check on emergency equipment
periodically. Does your property have automatic external

3. defibrillators and oxygen tanks on site and are they in
working order? Have employees been trained to use these
devices? Make sure you conduct monthly inspections on
these types of equipment, and have at least one CPR-
trained employee on staff at all times.
These are but a few of the safety precautions being
overlooked by many hotel and motels around the country.
Preventative measures are always preferred over litigation
strategies. Your guests and employees expect and want an
injury-free experience and work environment.
Implementing these steps, and reviewing them on a
continuous basis, will go a long way in protecting your
business.
Diana S. Barber, Esq. is the founder of LodgeLaw, A
Division of Barber Law Associates, a law firm
specializing in hospitality law. She also teaches at Cecil
B. Day Hospitality School at Georgia State University and
is a member of Georgia Hospitality & Travel Association.
For more information, Ms. Barber can be reached at
(770) 813-9363,www.lodge-
law.com or diana.barber@lodge-law.com.