Hotels in India call up more armed guards
NEW DELHI: Hotels and restaurants in India are beefing up security following the Mumbai terror attacks.
The Times of India reports that “not only will all visitors be frisked, but managements are considering having armed personnel on different floors of hotels besides the entranceâ€.
“We have asked all our members to increase security and use the help of outside agencies to frisk everyone without exception. We need these security measures,” Rajindera Kumar, Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India (FHRAI) vice-president, said.
FHRAI – the largest association of hotels and restaurants – has more than 3,500 members.
Amongst the measures that hotel chains are putting in place include physical checking of all vehicles and a three-pronged strategy at the main porch (frisking and clearing by metal detector for all visitors and X-ray scanning of all baggage).
Barricades will be set up at the entrance of hotels and managements are likely to look at a higher presence of private security personnel.
“We need a back-up security system,” Kumar said, adding that 20-25 people deployed near the entrance were not enough deterrence. “We are advising our members to consider armed security on each floor,” he said.
The federation has also asked hotel staff to remain vigilant and alert at all times and asked members to limit the number of entry and exits to the property.
Those within the hospitality industry said that many of the changes were not desirable and would create problems.
“We are trying to sell a fantasy to the visitor. We want him or her to feel at home but we have no choice,” one hotelier told the Times of India.
Ian Jarrett
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