10 Types of Emergency Situations Encountered in Hotels
- Bomb Threat emergency.
- FireFire are chemical decomposition of a fuel element through combustion or burning. For fire to occur a... Threat Emergency.
- Death of an In-house GuestDefinition of Guest in Hospitality Industry: A guest is the most important person in any business. A... in the hotel.
- AccidentAccident is the term used to describe employee injuries. emergency.
- Lost and FoundShould guests lost any of their belongings; the housekeeping and security staff would register the n....
- Theft emergency.
- Illness and Epidemic emergency.
- Vandalism.
- Damage to property by the guest.
- Handling drunken guests.
There are different types of emergencies encountered in hotels during the day-to-day operations and functioning of the hotel. These unforeseen emergencies can come across any time without any notice and the hotel staff should be well-trained to identify such emergencies and to be able to act quickly on them.
The various types of emergencies encountered in hotels are as explained under:
1. Bomb Threat Emergency Situation:
In case of any call received regarding the bomb threat, the hotel should tie up with the local police authority and follow their instructions. The person who receives the call should take complete details of the situation and should even try to note down the voice and accent of the person calling regarding a bomb threat. Immediately the hotel should inform the anti-bomb squad and should defuse the bomb after locating the place where it is planted.
Signal the colleague to also listen in the call and try to find out the location through the exchange. Listen to the caller carefully and make it prolonged and get all the information carefully like the place where planted, the time of explosion, and the strength of the explosives.
If possible this call may be taped and note the back noise and try to catch information from accent and police to be informed. Immediately after disconnection, the G M and security officer have to be informed. If the location is identified the department head should be also informed People from that suspected area have to be evacuated from that particular location. After the “all clear” signal from the police, the normal process of the hotel can be continued.
2. Fire Threat Emergency Situation:
Fire is the most common emergency that could break in the hotel at any point in time. The most probable reason for a fire break in the hotels can be a kitchen or faulty wirings in the hotel. The concerned staff should be immediately informed and the fire brigade should be informed immediately.
Do not panic, If the hotel staff is well-versed with the fire fighting equipment then immediately fire extinguishers should be used. The supply of electricity and gas should be immediately turned off whenever any fire news comes to the hotel.
3. Death of an In-HouseIn-House is the all guest that are registered with the Hotel. Guest in the HotelA Hotel or Inn may be defined as an establishment whose primary business is providing lodging facili...:
Whenever information comes regarding the death of an in-house guest the Front Office ManagerManager is a person in the hotel operations who is assigned to manage or supervise a group of employ... should be reported directly who informs the General Manager and the SecuritySecurity is the prevention of theft; fire; and other emergency situations in the workplace. Manager. Later on, the police authority is even told and the hotel doctor is summoned to confirm the death of the guest.
The residential address of the guests is also identified and the relatives are informed. Once the doctor has confirmed the death and the police have given the permission the dead body is removed with the help of a stretcher. In the meanwhile, if the deceased guest was under some other doctor consultation then that doctor is also enquired.
A death certificate is also prepared and a report is prepared to mention the time, room number, and other details related to the deceased guest. The guest room is locked and sealed and after the permission and clearance of police the room is opened and spring cleaned and can be resold again after the approval of the local authority.
Read more SOPs for Handling Death and Medical Emergency In Hotels
4. Accident Emergency Situation:
Accidents can take place in the hotels at any point in time due to faulty stairs, ramps, and balconies and even due to the parking places. The hotels should ensure that handrails and non-slip surfaces are used while framing the architecture plan for the hotels.
5. Lost and found:
This is a term used in hotel parlance to refer to any item that is left by the guest or temporarily misplaced by the guest but traced later by the hotel staff. Such articles were to be handed over to the housekeeping department which maintained a special locker for this purpose.
If the item belongs to the guest who has already checked out, then a letter has to be sent to the forwarding address left by the guest while checkout or which is there in the registration card. If no reply is received by the hotel within a certain time limit, they may be auctioned to the hotel employees or decided as per the hotel policies and rules.
6. Theft Emergency Situation:
The front desk has cash with them so there is also the possibility of theft. Also, there are belongings of in-house guests. To discourage theft, the front office should inform the guest to deposit their valuables in the safety deposit locker.
7. Illness and Epidemics Emergency Situation:
There should always be a Doctor on call available for the hotel so that in case any guest suffers from any kind of problem he /she can be given the concern treatment as soon as possible.
8. Vandalism:
The front office staff must call hotel security and order the main door to be locked. If the situation gets out of hand then the security manager should call the police immediately.
9. Damage to property by the resident guest:
The front office cashier is instructed to raise a charge for the value of the damages to the property, a responsible guest will never argue but if he does the subject to be referred to the general manager.
10. Handling Drunken Guests:
A drunken guest may disturb another guest. To avoid this, the drunken guest should be escorted to an isolated area like a back office. Hotel staff should calmly handle the situation by following the SOP for Handling drunken guests.
