Analyzing Current Security Issues within Hospitality Industry

This report delves into the pressing security issues currently affecting the hospitality sector, with a particular focus on terrorism and its impact. The analysis begins by examining the effects of terrorism on the hospitality industry, using the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand as a case study to illustrate the industry's vulnerability and the importance of security measures. The report then broadens its scope to include other security concerns, such as theft, disorderly conduct, and fire incidents, highlighting the need for comprehensive security protocols. Furthermore, it emphasizes the responsibility of hospitality providers in ensuring guest safety and outlines various measures that can be implemented, including employee training, security system upgrades, and collaboration with private security firms. The report concludes by underscoring the necessity of proactive risk assessment and emergency planning to mitigate security threats and maintain a safe environment for guests and staff. The report also touches on the importance of surveillance and employee screening to minimize security issues. The report also mentions the importance of education and training in addressing security issues.

Running head: CURRENT ISSUES IN THE HOSPITALITY
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Current Issues in the Hospitality
One of the current issues in the hospitality sector is insecurity, which includes terrorism. The
journal, terrorism, rugby, and hospitality: she’ll be right, tries to discuss the issue of terrorism in
hospitality regarding Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, which happened in 2011 (Peter et al.,
2014). The authors highlight how there was too much international attention in New Zealand
when they held the Rugby World Cup that year. Within three months, the event had already
attracted 133200 visitors, which meant business in the hospitality sector was booming during this
period. This study was taken before the event and mainly focused on the attitudes of the staff
members and the hotel managers who were preparing to welcome the rugby teams, the
spectators, and the media personalities (Peter et al., 2014). Specifically, the authors wanted to
know the level of preparedness in case there was a terror attack together with the effective
assessment of the attitudes and strategies linked to risk management associated with terror.
Senior management in the hospitality section is always relaxed when handling security matters;
in fact, they are always comfortable with uncertainties, an attitude that can be partly explained by
low uncertainty avoidance category in New Zealand (Zealand, 2011). Consequently, it means
that life and property would be insufficiently protected in case of any terror attack. Therefore,
one of the current issues in the hospitality sector remains insecurity, and this involves terrorism
(Cheng & Edwards, 2019).
Moreover, the 2011 Rugby World Cup generated a lot of profit in the hospitality industry
because records after the event show that there was a 21% increase for international guest nights.
Most of the visitors came from the UK, Australia, and France (Zealand, 2011). The spending of
visitors on retail accommodation and restaurants between July and September that year was

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estimated at $387m. The figure shows that the hospitality industry benefits from these events,
consequently reflecting on the importance of tightening security when hosting events in the
future. Inadequate security measures will drive away visitors, including tourists and
sportspeople, and this negatively impacts the hospitality business (Asongu et al., 2019).
Effect of terrorism on hospitality in the USA
Statistically, terror attacks have disrupted sports events 168 times from 1972 to 2003, a figure
which translates to an average of five terror attacks per year. Just recently, some major sporting
events like the Boston Marathon in 2013 and the Tamil New York Marathon in 2008 were
significantly affected, not forgetting the Rugby World Cup game in Uganda that killed over 50
individuals (Zainal et al., 2012). All these international attacks, coupled with the bombing of
2001 of the World Trade Center in New York, can only explain how the hospitality industry has
been affected by the terrorism problem. The number of attacks on the USA is continuously
growing, which negatively impacts business in the hospitality sector (Hall & Prayag, 2019). The
worst part is that even with the high tech level of security in the US cannot stop any terror attack
from happening. In most cases, terrorists capture international tourists as hostages to get media
attention. These issues have instilled fear in visitors who visit the United States of America
because the developed countries have also been high profiled spots for terrorist attacks (Duncan,
2005).
Hotels Are Easy Targets
Terrorist always attacks hospitality operations because they host a large group of individuals
apart from learning centers, modes of transport, places of worship, health facilities, among other

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investments. A lot of hotels across the world, killing a lot of individuals and inuring some
(Sheehan et al., 2018). For instance, the Mumbai bombing involved the Taj Mahal Palace and
Tower in 2008, which killed 101 people and harming an extra 200. Thus, these attacks signify
why terrorism is a massive issue in hospitality because of the fear it generates and drives away
customers, which translates to losses in the sector (Kovbasnyuk & Klos, 2019). Terrorists easily
access hotels because of the lobbies of the hotels, which are very spacious, and a lot of people
walk through those areas. Consequently, it makes it very easy for a terrorist to check in with a
car loaded with explosives close to the reception area around the hotel.
These security issues linked to terrorism affect hotels because they incur a lot of losses
attributed to cancellations of bookings in hotels and flights all over Europe and America. Attacks
have always sent worrying messages to tourists, athletes, and other travelers eager to visit
countries like New Zealand, India, and France, among other states (Korstanje, 2017). If the trend
continues, countries across the globe will lose a lot of revenue because tourism is one of the vital
sources of income for many countries, and years boosted the economy of many nations. Take a
case for India who, since 1996 and especially in 2002, experienced a significant increase in
foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) (Shaikh, 2019). However, this figure was negatively affected the
first six months in 2008 by up to 2.1% because the numbers went down from 5.32 million in
November 2007 to 5.21 million in November 2008. Consequently, this reflected approximately
12.5% loss in foreign exchange earnings (Shaikh, 2019).
Other Security Issues in Hospitality
Theft is also a huge problem affecting the hospitality sector because even guests and other
visitors have the tendencies of going to other rooms and stealing some items belonging to other

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guests. The issue experienced in the US, Britain, and many other countries all over the world
(Asongu et al., 2019). Some visitors even end up unlawful, leaving with hotel items like soap and
towels. The bad habit can only be protected by improving the hotels' security through proper
surveillance and vigilant security guards (Memdani & Shenoy, 2019). There is another issue
linked to theft in the parking area because individuals leave them vehicles in the parking lot
unattended for several days. Consequently, the guests’ property ends being vandalized with the
windscreens, mirrors, and lights being destroyed (Marasco et al., 2018). Moreover, there is
another security issue like disorderly conduct, which negatively affects the hospitality section.
People tend to misbehave in hotels disrupting the peace of other guests. For instance, a couple or
any other drunk person can make a lot of unnecessary noises by shouting in the corridors while
others are sleeping or even start a war with the guards, which can result in injuries (Peter et al.,
2014). Fire incidences have also caused a lot of tension in many hotels, even in developed
countries like the USA, Britain, Germany, and Italy, among other nations. These fire outbreaks
are mostly caused gas leakages in the kitchen or a fault in the electrical installation. A lot of
hotels have witnessed a lot of casualties because of the lack of basic things like fire extinguishers
or emergency fire exits (Korstanje, 2018). Therefore, there are so many other security issues
apart from terrorism in the hospitality industry.
Responsibility for Guest Safety in Hospitality
Importantly, the host must take care of not only the family but also the guests. From time
immemorial, the hospitality section has always been viewed as a sanctuary; hence the host in
New Zealand had an obligation to protect the visitors and participants from harm (Peter et al.,
2014). Notably, travelers are always vulnerable to harm like terror attacks when they land on

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unfamiliar territories, and during these times, hotels act as their centers to seek refuge.
Subsequently, this further clarifies the need for tightened security measures in the hospitality
department.
Obligations of the Industry
According to terrorism, rugby, and hospitality: she’ll be right; the guest security systems and
procedures should be handled by the individuals in charge of hotel operations because this can
assist in preventing terror attacks, especially in high-risk areas (Peter et al., 2014). There should
be intense awareness and security as an approach to counter the risks during times of instability.
The existing security should also be maintained appropriately together with other procedures
like, for instance, the surveillance equipment in hotels and the building evacuation procedures
(Korstanje, 2017). Moreover, the hotels should also focus on controlling access to areas not
meant for the public in the establishment. Another approach to reducing terror attacks is
engaging in an intensive screening of employees per the law and verifying new employees before
recruitment. Significantly, the hotel operators should also know the guests, suppliers, and
contractors who come in the hotels because some terrorist disguises themselves in all forms to
enter a hotel (Cheng & Edwards, 2019). Additionally, the staff members should have proper
training related to an emergency like a terror attack, earthquakes, tornadoes, fire, among others.
Lastly, it is prudent to hire a top private security firm to handle significant events because they
usually have proper antiterrorist skills to identify and eliminates vulnerability like terrorist
attacks (Korstanje, 2018).

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Currently Adopted Services for Inbuilt Security Features
Some of the sophisticated hotels across the globe have adopted some advanced techniques to
ensure their visitors are safe. For instance, recently, hotels have developed ways to store the
information in the customer’s card in several places including, customer files at the reception,
third-party partners, emails, card authorization forms together with central reservation systems
(Zainal et al., 2012). Additionally, they usually make sure that the programs of the electronic key
card are linked to the hotel’s network, consequently securing the customers’ confidential
information from hackers. The approach is backed up by hiring a professional team to take the
update and take care of this information. Another trending inbuilt security feature involves the
installation of intelligent control access systems. These gadgets like RFID allow help to control
the criminal like terrorists in the hotel because will not access unauthorized areas like the
swimming pool, gym, kids’ play area or even the reception counters and other hotel rooms
(Memdani & Shenoy, 2019). Additionally, CCTV cameras have been used for surveillance
purposes, hence monitoring the movement of everyone around the hotels; subsequently, any
suspicious individual will be identified.
Recommendations
Hospitality industry across the globe should find appropriate ways of dealing with
emergencies through making proper plans and advance. Consequently, this will be guaranteed
that big events like the Rugby World Cup, which took place in New Zealand in 2011, go on
successfully without any interruptions linked to terror attacks. For instance, all the hospitality
businesses should have a systematic risk assessment, which means that every staff member is
getting the necessary training on evacuation procedures and how to nurse the victims of the

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attack as they direct them to the closest medical assistance spots (Zainal et al., 2012). Notably,
the approach should be instigated during orientation programs for recruits as they also engage in
in-class lessons. Furthermore, concerns should be geared towards the suppliers of foodstuffs
because they are prone to contamination with some poison or bacteria, which is an act of
terrorism; therefore, there should be intense scrutiny on the suppliers of this product. Also, the
educational institutions and training centers providing tourism and hospitality courses should
play a pivotal role in addressing security issues linked to terrorism and how to be safe in the
hospitality business across the globe. The initiative will equip students with the required
knowledge all through their careers (Sheehan et al., 2018).
Conclusion
In conclusion, one of the current issues in the hospitality sector is insecurity, which includes
terrorism. The journal, terrorism, rugby, and hospitality: she’ll be right, tries to discuss the issue
of terrorism in hospitality regarding Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, which happened in
2011. Senior management in the hospitality section is always relaxed when handling security
matters; in fact, they are always comfortable with uncertainties, an attitude that can be partly
explained by low uncertainty avoidance category in New Zealand. Consequently, it means that
life and property would be insufficiently protected in case of any terror attack. Therefore, the
New Zealand government and the emergency service providers should team up with the
stakeholders in the industry to prevent any chance of terrorist attack. Statistically, terror attacks
have disrupted sports events 168 times from 1972 to 2003, a figure which translates to an
average of five terror attacks per year. Also, terrorists always attack hospitality operations
because they host a large group of individuals apart from learning centers, places of worship,

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health facilities, and other investments. Thus, these security issues linked to terrorism affect
hotels because they incur a lot of losses attributed to cancellations of bookings in hotels and
flights in many nations. Attacks have always sent worrying messages to tourists, athletes, and
other travelers. Notably, there should be intense awareness and security as an approach to
counter the risks during times of instability. Additionally, the staff members should have proper
training related to an emergency like a terror attack, earthquakes, tornadoes, fire, among others.
Therefore, the hospitality industry should be more prepared to respond to the various security
risk in the sector, consequently preventing the loss of lives and finances.

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References
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Sheehan, M., Grant, K., & Garavan, T. (2018). Strategic talent management: A macro and micro
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