10 Jan Why do we need a global set of hotel security standards?
GSA’s CEO, Dave Wood, explains the story of Global Secure Accreditation and why he believes a change was needed in the industry.
Why was Global Secure Accreditation set up?
Every hotel is required to have an audit for food standards, for health and safety standards, and for fire hazards. Yet there is no requirement to have a security audit. With years of experience in security, counterterrorism and policing, we have witnessed the unfortunate outcomes of poor security policies. We knew a radical change was needed in the industry to implement independent and consistent standards of hotel security.
Regardless of whether a hotel has been accredited or not, there is no certainty that an attack or security breach will not happen. Threats to hotels are changing, and in a world of increasing uncertainty it is important to give guests and staff the peace of mind that their accommodation is as safe as it can be and if there is a serious incident the hotel has procedures in place to minimise harm.
How can you tell if a hotel has good security policies?
Many hotels already have good security practices in place. However, at GSA we recognised that there was no transparent way for guests to determine which hotels have good security standards and those which fall short. A five-star hotel does not necessarily have five-star security.
Our partnership with government-approved standards organisation, Skills for Justice (SFJ) Awards, means our standards are regulated and remain totally independent. SFJ supervises the whole assessment process to ensure our hotel security accreditation is a trusted assurance system, delivered to a consistent standard globally.
What is a risk-based security assessment?
Our assessments are risk-based, meaning we look at the level of risk in each situation. Why is this approach effective? It allows us to be flexible to suit the needs of each individual property and its staff and guests, depending on the risks. For example, a hotel in Libya would have different risks to a boutique hotel in Dorset.
We work collaboratively with the industry to help demonstrate where good security exists. In circumstances where improvements can be made, we work with the hotels to help them meet the highest level of security standards.
