A VIEW ON INTERNATIONAL HOTEL SECURITY
On the 17th July 2009, two bombs exploded in the Ritz-Carlton and J.W. Marriott hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing 9 people. A further unexploded bomb was apparently discovered in a hotel room of the J.W. Marriott, timed to detonate before the intended secondary device that actually exploded in a lobby-level function room. This was the fifth significant terrorist attack in Indonesia since the Bali bombings in 2002, including an earlier attack on the J.W. Marriott Hotel in 2003, where 12 people were killed.
The facts of what actually happened are still emerging, but it appears that one or more suspects may have been guests at the J.W. Marriott hotel since June 2009. It is also strongly suggested that the suicide bomber in the J.W. Marriott hotel came down into the lobby, was spoken to by hotel security and actually accompanied to a lounge, where he detonated the improvised explosive device (IED) contained in his backpack, killing himself and five others. Minutes later, another suicide-terrorist detonated a second IED in a restaurant at the adjacent Ritz-Carlton hotel, killing himself and two other victims, bringing the death toll to nine - including six foreigners.
Terrorist Targeting of Hotels
The twin bombings in Jakarta highlight the specific tactical trend of targeting luxury hotels in terrorist attacks. In recent years we have experienced a shift in iconic terrorist targets from international airliners during the 1970s to embassies during the mid-1980s, each provoking a major sustained security response. However, since 2002, the softer target of hotels have become the principal terrorist focus of the post-9/11 era. For the most part, attacks have been centred on single hotels. For instance, in 2003, 22 people were killed in the Canal Hotel, Baghdad and in the following year, 34 people were killed at the Taba Hilton Hotel in Egypt. In 2008, there were major attacks on both the Serena Hotel, Kabul (6 killed) and the Marriott, Islamabad (53 killed) and prior to the Jakarta attacks this year, a bomb attack on the Pearl Continental in Peshawar, Pakistan, killed 17 people.
However, there is also an emerging global trend of coordinated terrorist attacks involving more than one target, such as the London public transport attacks in 2005 and various hotels. During 2005, over 120 people were killed in separate multiple attacks on hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt and in Amman, Jordan. In November 2008, terrorists mounted major attacks in Mumbai, including the principal targets of the Taj Mahal and Trident/Oberoi hotels, where 166 people were killed overall. Similarly, the attacks on the Jakarta hotels appear to have followed a similar pattern of coordination. Each new attack resurrects the same fears around public safety, providing a stark reminder that the hotel sector cannot take security for granted.
The Risks Presented by Hotels
Hotels have undoubtedly taken measures to improve security, and therefore hotel security is better overall today than it was in 2002. However, hotels present a specific type of vulnerability because, by their very commercial nature, the whole emphasis is on encouraging people to enter the buildings at any time of the day. In addition, most hotels have functionality beyond simply providing accommodation to guests, including the provision of facilities such as bars, night clubs, restaurants, conference and function rooms, shops and health clubs. In many areas of the world, hotels also serve as meeting places for foreign business people, diplomats and journalists, as well as for wealthy local people. This significantly increases the vulnerability of hotels to terrorist attack.
At the same time, running a huge hotel requires large numbers of staff and management and major hotels have become significant primary and secondary employers. Hotel businesses provide extensive employment opportunities for a broad range of secondary contractors and other staff in the supply chain, many of whom require regular access to different parts of the premises. As a consequence there could potentially be hundreds of people working in some capacity within the hotel environment at any time, which in turn raises significant questions around the vetting procedures hotels have in place to cope with such volumes. This scale provides an ideal opportunity for potential attackers to undertake the detailed surveillance required for an operation whilst minimising the risk of detection. In fact, there are emerging reports that one of the people involved in the Jakarta attack was a flower vendor at both the J.W. Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton hotels; it is further suggested that he used his position to smuggle IED components into the facility among floral supplies.
Hotel Security
Basically, it is extremely expensive to provide hotels with the same level of physical security afforded to government buildings, particularly where it is deemed to be too intrusive by many hotel management teams. However, both the J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton were reputed to already have tight security, in part because of the previous hotel attack six years ago. Metal detectors and other equipment were positioned at the entrances, while at the Marriott vehicles were not allowed to pull up to the lobby. Guests were subjected to identity checks and on occasions, security guards opened the luggage of entering guests.
However, the longer the period of time that passes without incident, the harder it is to justify the added expense and inconvenience of security measures in hotels. Equally it becomes increasingly likely that complacency will set in and this is probably evident in the case of the Jakarta hotels For instance, it is alleged that the suitcase of one of the suspects was not scrutinised or checked through an X-ray machine, unlike hand baggage. Similarly, all of the four vapour detectors used to detect explosives were out of order at both J.W. Marriott's and the nearby Ritz-Carlton.
Equally damning was the report that just hours after the Friday morning bombings, security staff at another luxury hotel in Jakarta performed only a cursory check on an approaching taxi, and no effort was made to check the vehicle, including the underside, using available metal-detector wands or mirrors. Despite the existence of stringent procedures in these Jakarta hotels, any pattern of partial or intermittent enforcement will ultimately prove to be marginally better than no enforcement at all.
When incidents occur, the reaction is often one of security overload ‘after the fact’, as occurred in the aftermath of the attacks in both Mumbai and Jakarta. In Jakarta in particular, the post-incident security response included installing a massive police presence into the hotels, the reinforcement of existing procedures and the introduction of other security measures in hotels across the capital. This type of ‘knee jerk’ reaction clearly highlights the over-emphasis on tactical thinking in isolation, which appears to be a common feature of many security approaches, not just the hotel industry. In turn, this over-reliance on tactical-thinking creates a ‘scattergun’ effect and ultimately provides an inconsistent and inflexible approach to maintaining security and safety.
Adopting a Comprehensive Strategic Approach to Safety in Hotels
The critical path to maximising safety in hotels can only be achieved through the implementation of a strategic turnkey approach to security. Tactics then form an integral part of how that strategy is actually implemented on the ground, through operational delivery. Traditionally, the operational definition of security has focused on the concept of physical protection. However, as threats and vulnerabilities have become more interconnected over time, particularly through globalisation, it has become increasingly difficult to view security solely from this narrow perspective. Consequently, there is a need to consider the whole hotel environment, with due recognition that it is complex, unpredictable and adaptive. Any hotel security strategy therefore needs to be centred on an effects-based approach, focused on planning and delivering the end-state rather than simply organising security activities, as is generally the case in a tactical approach.
Adopting a comprehensive approach to hotel security requires iterative strategic planning, where ownership of risk and supporting responsibilities are clearly established from the outset. It also requires a proactive approach, that is outcome-based and shaped around shared understanding and collaborative working. The combination of a comprehensive planning approach, allied to the use of an effective Security Matrix, such as that developed by CSD Global, provides this necessary strategic platform. This turnkey approach involves the use of intelligent risk assessment in order to establish a number of key security footprints, which are subsequently overlaid with an effective command and control structure, supported by comprehensive emergency planning. This approach seeks to minimise risks from the outset and provide effective responses where required, as opposed to continually having to react to situations as they occur.
Hotels by their very nature will continue to provide soft targets to determined terrorists and criminals, and therefore 100% safety can never be guaranteed. However, 100% focus and effort on security is non-negotiable. The constant balancing act between costs, risks and operational requirements will undoubtedly remain. Yet the duty of care to ensure the safety of everyone working or visiting hotel premises remains a critical responsibility for hotel owners and management. Because every hotel or hotel group will tend to have different security requirements, according to their respective location, image and clientele, it is absolutely essential that bespoke strategic security solutions are developed for individual hotels or groups. This requires a new thinking around safety and security, such as that currently being developed by CSD Global.
CSD Global
CSD Global Ltd is a London-based, internationally focused company that has been designed to lead in the field of safety and security in the 21st century world. Dynamic, entrepreneurial and fast-moving, the company works in total partnership with high net worth private and corporate clients, cities and countries worldwide, providing them with the insight, guidance and innovative safety and security solutions they need to achieve their objectives. As a consequence, CSD Global is able to work closely with international hotels and hotel groups, in order to provide end-to-end safety and security solutions on security strategy, planning and operational delivery. This involves utilising our extensive experience around security design, investigation, e-security, personal and VIP protection, security guarding and training and development. By adopting a synergetic approach, we are then able to provide bespoke innovative security solutions for clients.