SITUATION HANDLING

Emergencies

Emergency means sudden state of danger or requiring immediate action.

Types of emergencies in hotels are as follows:

•  fire
•  bomb threats
•  death of a guest/staff
•  accidents of guest/staff
•  vandalism
•  theft by guest/staff
•  damage done by guest to the hotel property
•  situation handling

 Fire

Fuel + oxygen + heat = fire

Fires in hotels have proven to be fatal for both guest and staff. It is always necessary of an organization to be very caution regarding the safety of its guest and staff. It also cause the lost of property and tarnishes the image of the establishment.

The main causes of fire in a hotel are as follows: 

•  smoking: lighted cigarettes buds, improper disposal of papers, and clothes.
•  defective electrical equipments/ faulty electrical equipments.
•  laundry areas fire due to clothes.
•  gas leakage in kitchens or cylinder room
•  rubbish that is not disposed properly, combustible material left open.
•  blocked staircases.
•  fire due to paint.
•  fire from kitchen

 In case of fire

•  do not panic
•  take no personal risk.
•  warn other people in the vicinity
•  do not use elevators
•  usage of staircase only
•  usage of fire exits only
•  inform the concern department with proper information like place of fire and if possible nature of the fire.
•  do not handle fire if proper knowledge not known.
•  cover yourself with wet clothes to prevent from fire.
•  prevent fumes from entering in the room by covering the vents and opening by wet towels.
•  use of fire escape plan available in guest rooms and in staff areas.
•  do not break/open room window or glass
•  try to attract attention of rescuers if trapped in room.
•  follow proper instruction stated by the hotels.
•  raise the alarm by breaking the glass on the nearest fire alarm.
•  state the location of the fire, be precise also state your name. Close al the windows of the fire area there by disconnecting the oxygen supply.

 Preventive action in case of fire

•  proper fire fighting drill and training to the old and new staff.
•  training to staff for the usage of fire fighting equipments.
•  installation of fire fighting equipments and systems.
•  mock drill at regular interval.
•  flow of information to various departments in case of fire.
•  forming fire fighting team for various areas of the hotel.
•  fire stairs and walls of the hotels should be fire resistance of 2 hours
•  doors, window glass should be fire resistance of ½ hour.
•  walls should be plastered with fire resistance mortar.
•  fire bell/alarms should be installed in all possible places.
•  fire extinguisher should be installed in all possible places.
•  fire buckets and sand buckets should be kept at suitable places 

 Bomb threats

Bomb threats are one of the most unusual situations in the hospitality industry, which should be taken very seriously.
Acts like this are created by anti-social elements, which tries to hamper the growth of the industry.
Now a days every hotel is given training to its staff to handle situation like this proper norms are set in various organization.

In case of bomb threats

•  do not panic
•  do not go looking for the bomb
•  do not try to handle the situation if proper knowledge not know.
•  try keeping staff member and guest going in the danger area.
•  always inform the “““HOD””” (head of department) who are the front office manager and the security manager.
•  later the information is passed on to the resident manager and the general manager by the “““HOD”””
•  later the information is passed on to the police by the general manager.
•  with the permission of general manage/police evacuate the hotel
•  be careful, as any ordinary looking object may be bomb.
•  obey proper instruction given by the management and police.

 Preventive measures

•  suspicious walk in guest should be avoiding giving room.
•  luggage of the guest should be scanned which are brought in the hotel.
•  if guest refuse let them know that it’s the safety matter for the guest itself.
•  install cctv to have a close look at people visiting the hotel.
•  proper information should be taken before letting in any stranger n the hotel.
•  install metal detectors at the staff and guest entrance.
•  receiving areas should always be manned by security and metal detectors too should be installed there.
•  regular checking of the hotel and premises should be done with handy metal detector or by a sniffer dog.

 Death of a guest

It is one of the most unusual situation in a hotel when handling of death guest.
Usually the information is passed on to front office department, as it is the most important department in the hotel. In many cases the house keeping staff discovers the death guest.

Causes of death:

•  murder
•  suicide
•  heart attack.
•  accident in the hotel.

 In case of death of a guest. (suicide/murder)

•  do not panic
•  do not enter the room alone.
•  do not disturb the body, as it may be a case of murder or suicide.
•  never try to handle situation like this alone or without proper assistance.
•  always inform the “““HOD””” (head of department) who are the front office manager, the security manager and the hotel doctor.
•  the “““HOD””” passes on later the information to the resident manager and the general manager
•  the general manager passes on later the information to the police.
•  try to collect personal information of the death guest from the system like
•  resident address,
•  whether guest was under any medication and inform the relative only after approval of the general manager.
•  care should be taken while taking the death body out of the hotel. It should be taken out by service elevator and out of the hotel by the staff gate.
•  luggage of the death guest must be wrapped properly and kept at the bell desk after the approval of the police.
•  do not open the room once the body is taken out and is sealed by police before proper approval of police and general manager.
•  make a full report of the incident
•  name of the victim and other personal information,
•  name of the staff attended the area,
•  time the staff discover incident,
•  place of the incident,
•  name of the doctor called,
•  name of the “““HOD””” (head of department) informed.
•  name of the police officer attended the scene,
•  report of the doctor
•  and any special comments during the incident.

 Accidents of guest

Accident is an event that is unexpected or without apparent cause.
Safety simply implies freedom from dangers and hazards.
Safety does not just happens, it is the result of conscious individual effort.

Handling of accidents can vary according to the situation and nature of the accident. Similarly approach of hotel staff may vary accordingly.

Accidents in hotels can be as follows

•  fall due to spillage or slippery floor during floor cleaning in guest areas
•  fall may result in fracture
•  burns due to improper electrical handling or while smoking
•  cuts during handling sharp objects or while shaving
•  bleeding due to cuts
•  heart problems.

 Incase of an accident

•  call the hotel doctor
•  victim should be taken to a more comfortable area as soon as possible.
•  take an companion along if help required
•  be alert and provide first aid. (proper knowledge of first aid mandatory)
•  keep calm and do not take too much time as it may result in emergency case.
•  try to protect the hotel organization against false allegation
•  after attending the victim make a full report of the accident.
•  reason of the accident,
•  name of the victim and other personal information,
•  name of the staff attended the accident,
•  time of the accident,
•  place of the accident,
•  name of the doctor called,
•  name of the “““HOD””” (head of department) informed.
•  advice of the doctor to the victim
•  and any special comments during the accident.

 Neglecting safety

•  accidents cost your organization money.
•  medical care.
•  accidents hurt you.
•  sometimes-permanent injuries and disabilities.
•  causes worry to your family. 

Vandalism

Vandalism means person who willfully or maliciously damages property.
There could be many reason for a person to damage hotel properly. It may be cause by hotel staff or a guest of the hotel or even a outsider (non- resident)

In case of vandalism

•  stay clam
•  do not try to handle the person alone. He/she might be dangerous and may hurt you.
•  always inform the “““HOD””” (head of department) who are the front office manager and the security manager and the hotel doctor.
•  the “““HOD””” passes on later the information to the resident manager and the general manager
•  the general manager passes on later the information to the police if the situation goes out of control.

 Theft

Theft means an act of stealing.

Hotels are the easy targets for the criminal like stealing.
Theft can happen due to negligence by the hotel guest, staff members like guest leaving the guestroom open before leaving the hotel or staff member opening the guestroom if a thief request him/her in a gentleman way for doing the same.

Thefts are of 3 types

•  theft by staff member of the hotel
•  theft by hotel guest
•  theft by outsider thief

 Theft by staff member of the hotel

Staff member who come in direct contact of the guest and the guest room are more likely to commit crime like this.

 By staff of the hotel

•  before employing any staff his/her personal reference should be known by the management.
•  management should keep a record to all staff that enters the guest room
•  staff member should hand over the floor keys after finishing their shift.
•  care should be taken that no duplicate keys are made.
•  record should be kept who uses the floor key.
•  all floor and master key should be under a strict control manner.
•  management should make strict rules and regulation to tackle situation like this.
•  make sure the theft is done by staff member and than inform the “““HOD””” (head of department) who is the front office manager and the security manager.
•  the “““HOD””” passes on later the information to the resident manager and the general manager
•  the general manager passes on later the information to the police if required

 By guest of the hotel

•  thefts done by guest are usually the room amenities like towels, bed sheet, pillows, and soaps. But there can be small but expensive objects that are kept in the room as amenities.
•  scanty luggage guest can be likely to be thief
•  avoid giving room to any suspicious guest who walk-in for a room.
•  always check the guest room when the guest is at reception checking out.
•  do not open the guestroom door for anybody whom you don’t know.
•  a hotel guest can also steal from other guestroom if guestroom found open.
•  staff member should always be cautious.
•  security members should do proper floor round.
•  make sure the theft is done by the guest and than inform the ““HOD”” (head of department) who is the front office manager and the security manager
•  the ““HOD”” passes on later the information to the resident manager and the general manager
•  the general manager passes on later the information to the police if required.

 Theft by outsider thief

•  scanty luggage guest in disguise can be likely to be thief
•  they will request to open the guestroom in a very polite manner.
•  do not open the guestroom door for anybody whom you don’t know.
•  inform the security about any suspicious person on floor.
•  staff member should always be cautious.
•  hotel guest should always to informed to be cautious from their side.
•  hotel should have a very tight security regarding the security of the guest and the staff.
•  house detective should be appointed.
•  use of cctv should be encourage
•  before letting the non-resident guest on floor proper information should the taken and informed the guest
•  name of the guest to be visited,
•  room no and company name.  

 Damage done by guest to the hotel property

•  damage is an uncontrollable occurrence whether it may be staff or a hotel guest.
•  it may be intentionally or unintentionally by the hotel guest.
•  there may be many reason for a guest who damage the hotel property like the guest may be drunk or because of an unintentional accident.
•  usually the hotel management overlooks the damage done unintentionally and rectifies the damage at the hotel expense. But before this the management should analyze the situation and than act on it.
•  if the damage is intentionally, it is the responsibility of the front office to charge the guest for the same.
•  the amount to be charged should be known from the concerned department before charging and a voucher should be made where one copy is given to the guest, one with the department and one with the accounts department.