What Do the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks Say About Hotel Safety?
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
Luxury hotels have long been thought of as the safest places in India. Shielded from life on the developing country’s streets, patrons of these four and five star establishments got to taste the privileged life, even if they did not enjoy such an existence back home. But last months’s terrorist attacks on three luxury hotels in Mumbai changed the way people viewed such upscale accommodations. In recent years, a number of luxury hotels have been targeted by similar attacks. In Jakarta and Pakistan, hotels have been attacked by suicide bombers and gunmen. The Mumbai attacks were, by far, the most co-coordinated and bloody to date.
September 11th changed the airline industry’s approach to security. Will a similar response come from hotelier’s in the wake of the Mumbai attacks?
When attacks were rumored, the management at the Taj Mahal Hotel decided to increase security as a precaution. This still did nothing to stop the gunmen who entered the hotel on their killing spree.
Some security measures are already in place in areas where hotels have become targets in the past. At the Grand Hyatt in Jakarta, all vehicles are thoroughly checked before being allowed to drive to the hotel entrance. Guests have to pass through a metal detector and their baggage is subject to search each time they enter. In Pakistan, paramilitary soldiers staff security checkpoints at the entrances to some upscale hotels.
In these countries, and now in India also, it is easy to explain the tight security. Attacks have taken place before and armed guards and security checkpoints are a necessity. Even if it is an inconvenience, customers put up with it because they can then rest easy inside the hotel without fearing for their safety.
However, countries with hotels that could possibly become targets are not as willing to accept such strict measures. This includes many hotels in the US. Little more can be done in terms of prevention. But response tactics by hotel security and first responders can be streamlined to maximize their efficiency.