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Security remains a concern for Indian hotels

Hotel security and cost management were among the hot topics of discussion during the 15th regional convention of Hotel and Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI), held in Mumbai last month.

The security session was presided over by Colonel Balwan Singh, chief security officer, ITC Maratha, The Luxury Collection; Ramesh Iyer, managing director (India), TOPSGRUP; Manoj Verma, vice president security, Goldman Sachs, and Sanjiv Khandelwal, CEO, Ez Comm Trade Technologies Ltd.

Panelists agreed that threat assessment needs to be done before designing the security cover for hotel. Terror is just one of them, but there are other threats such as fire and natural disaster, which also need to be considered while putting the security system in place.

“Threat levels on India’s western coast are always higher. Hotels remain on the priority list for unwanted calamities due to their easy access, and a large number of foreign tourists,” said Singh. He also raised the problem related to after-sales service with most security equipment vendors in India.

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“They are more interested in selling their products but after sales-service is a big issue. You can’t keep your security machine in a non-functional condition for a long period,” he added.

Iyer talked about the need to increase security awareness among people. Citing the example of Israel, he said even a child is security conscious there. Khandelwal said security threat to data is another growing concern for hoteliers. Panelists agreed upon the advantage of sharing information among each others to remain alert for any prospective security threat.

The speakers for the cost management session were Niranjan Khatri, general manager, WelcomEnviro Initiatives, ITC WelcomGroup; PR Ramakrishnan, chief engineer, The Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, Mumbai; Ravindra Kumar Singh, senior vice president, project and engineering, The Leela Kempinski, Mumbai; Alka Sharma, director housekeeping, The Oberoi Mumbai, and Alok Mishra, head of operations, Food Design Systems Associates.

Khatri talked about the need to have a core team for environment issues, in every hotel. Some of the initiatives like water conservation, good housekeeping, using CFL lights, and waste management, could help in managing cost. He suggested that hotels and restaurants could make a group and buy organic waste converter, since individuals may not find this feasible.

Ramakrishnan said 15% revenue generated by hotels goes for maintenance and energy. He said usage of electricity for heating water and cooking should be avoided, instead, one should look to use solar power or gas. Consultants should be hired at the construction stage itself as this will help in cutting costs. Sharma emphasised on the need to increase awareness among the staff for conserving energy.

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