METAL DETECTOR

A metal detector is an instrument that detects the presence of metal nearby. Metal detectors are
useful for finding metal inclusions hidden within objects, or metal objects buried underground.
They often consist of a handheld unit with a sensor probe which can be swept over the ground or
other objects. When a hotel decides to protect their property with an X-ray machine and metal
detector gate at the main entrance, it does not guarantee protection from terrorist attacks and it
comes at a high cost to the hotel. Security has become increasingly important at events and
around specific locations. Security metal detectors plays an important part in ensuring people are
safe by detecting concealed weapons such as guns or knives. They are also useful in detecting
foil wrapped drugs and precious metals associated with jewelers or antiques theft.

Walk through Metal Detectors: Walk through Metal Detector (WTMD) adopts international
advanced metal detection technology, specially designed for detection of metal and alloy objects
hidden in human body. Nowadays, many high-end hotels have Walk through Metal Detectors
installed in their facilities. By equipped with the Walk-Through Metal Detectors, the potential
threats of knives or other weapons are filtered out before them entering the hotel. This greatly
reduces the risk of being attacked by the weapons. If a walk through detector indicates that
something metallic has been detected on a person then security personnel will often use a hand
held metal detector or security wand to locate the item. Although some walk through metal
detectors, can pinpoint where the detected metal object is located, security professionals will
normally use a security wand to confirm the exact location on a person’s body.

X-ray Baggage Scanner: More and more hotel chains have set up baggage X-ray security
inspection machines in the hotel lobby to carry out security inspections for the personal
belongings of the passengers. Since the installation of the hotel security inspection machine, the
security risks of passenger luggage will no longer be a problem. Hotel personnel no longer need
to rely on the naked eye to check suspected contraband, can minimize the safety risks brought by
luggage, and ensure the safety of guests and hotels.

CREDIT CARD VALIDATOR

• To check the validity of the guest credit card at the time of arrival as a mode of payment.
• It is a computer terminal linked to the credit card data bank which holds the information
concerning the validity of the credit card of the guest.

HANDLING GUEST LUGGAGE

This is a procedure followed by the bell desk staff at the time of the guest’s arrival
and departure. It goes as follows –

Handling Luggage on Guest Arrival

1. as a bellboy look for the new arrival of guest.

2. The guest vehicle stops at the hotel entrance.
3. Go ahead and open the vehicle door.
4. Greet the guest as, "Welcome to (hotel name), I am (own name). Do you
need any help with your luggage?"

5. Help the elderly/disables guests to get out of the vehicle if required.

6. Take the luggage in charge and ensure that nothing is left in the vehicle.
7. Ask the guest’s name politely as, "May I know your name Sir/Madam?"
8. Tag the luggage with the guest name.
9. Ask if anything fragile or perishable is in the luggage.
10. Add this information on the luggage tag.
11. Inform the guest that their luggage is with you.
12. Escort the guest to the hotel reception.
13. Inform the guest that you will be taking care of their luggage.
14. With the other front office staff, find out the accommodation number
allotted to the guest.
15. Write the accommodation number on the luggage tag.
16. Confirm if the guest registration formality is complete.
17. If the room is ready, take the luggage to the room by the staff elevator.
18. Place the luggage on the luggage rack.
19. If the room is not ready, then take the luggage to the store room.
 20. Record the luggage details into the Daily Luggage Register.

Handling Luggage on Guest Departure

1. Inform the guest that you are going to guest’s accommodation to collect the
luggage.
2. Have an informal conversation with the guest as, "Mr. /Ms. (Guest Name), I hope
you enjoyed your stay with us. Do you need an airport transport?"
3. Collect the luggage from the guest room.
4. If the guest needs to store the luggage for long term, tag the luggage with the guest
name, accommodation number, date and time of collection, contact number, and receive
the guest’s signature on long-term luggage request form.
5. Ensure with the guest that nothing perishable is there in the luggage.
6. Store the luggage on the designated departure area.
7. If the guest is leaving the hotel immediately after check-out, then bring the luggage
to the lobby.
8. If a transport vehicle is ready to go then place the luggage in the vehicle.
9. Request the guest to verify the loaded luggage.
10. Update the departure luggage movement on the Daily Luggage movement
register.

HANDLING THE DRUNKEN/INTOXICATED GUEST

1. Do your best to deal with each situation without putting yourself at risk.
2. Act politely. Always stay calm.
3. Don’t argue with the intoxicated guest.
4. Don’t embarrass the guest, especially in front of other people.
5. Deal with the situation in a calm, friendly way.
6. Speak to the person directly, and firmly explain that what they are doing is unacceptable.
7. Listen and empathize with your guest.
8. Acknowledge your guest's anger or frustration, but also remind them that you are
responsible for their safety and don’t want to see them get hurt.
 9. Invite the problem guest to an area away from other guests, where you can talk.
10. Talk softly and lead him away from the public area.
11. If the drunk guest is behaving rudely then the last option should be to call the security
officer but try and handle the situation very calmly.
12. The duty manager or the immediate supervisor should take the drunken guest away from
the reception/front desk area.
13. Make the guest realize that this is not the right way to talk and then acting very calmly
and talking very politely with him the supervisor can escort him to his room
14. The manager can also indulge the guest in some other thoughts and just keep the guest
calm and as soon as possible send him back to his room.
15. If the guest has come to a restaurant or bar and if you decide to ask this person to leave,
remember that you are still responsible for their safety (call a cab, get someone to drive
them home, or if the situation gets out of control – call the security officer or police).

Handle grand master keys and section master keys:

1. Only people authorized to check out grand master and section master keys should handle
them.

2. If unauthorized staff wants to handle these keys for any special cases, then a proper
approval must be taken from either Asst. Housekeeping manager or Executive
Housekeeper.

3. Do a follow up with the staff that was taken these keys if the same is not returned in
stipulated time. If you find anything suspicious then report the same to the managers.

Control Emergency Key:

1. Emergency key should be stored in a key locker with a breakaway seal.

2. Only in case of emergency the seal shall be broken to take the key.
 3. Open the sealed envelope and take the necessary key from it.

4. Give the emergency key to the appropriate personnel.

5. Whenever the emergency key is taken the same shall be mentioned on the housekeeping
log and also on the key register with the detail explanation of the incident.

6. Return the key to the emergency locker.

Handle lost keys:

1. In case any keys are lost then inform the HK executive / supervisors immediately.

2. Record the same on the lost key register.

3. Mention the a detail note on the lost key register with Date, Room attendant’s name,
reason for the loss if any, remarks.

4. After receiving approval from executive housekeeper prepare a new set of the lost key
(Electronic keys) for metal keys give new requisition to maintenance.

Take regular key inventory:

1. Perform floor key inventory every one to two weeks.

2. If any keys are missing and follow the steps under ‘Handle lost keys’.

EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTRE

The EOC is the centralized location of emergency response and recovery support
operations during incidents. While tactical on-scene operations are conducted from the
ICP, the EOC supports and helps coordinate ICP operations and any other adjacent
incident operations.
An EOC is the physical location where an organization comes together during an
Emergency to coordinate response and recovery actions and resources. This centre’s may
be alternatively called command centre’s, control rooms, situation rooms, crisis
management centre’s, or using other similar terms. Regardless of the term, this is where
the coordination of information and resources takes place. Unlike a command post, an
EOC is established away from the disaster site, often near government offices, like the
local government / district or state headquarters, depending on the scale of the response
needed. The main tasks of the EOC are; establishing priorities for the distribution of
resources among the various sites and handling other off incident concerns, such as
interaction with offsite facilities such as shelters; ordering of resources from distant
jurisdictions or through state or central jurisdictions, and overall coordination and
communication between agencies handling different aspects of emergency response.
Aim of the Emergency Operations Centre
The aim of the EOC at the National level is to provide centralized direction and control
regarding any or all of the following functions:
1. Emergency operations
2. Communications and warning
3. Requesting additional resources during the disaster phase from areas neighboring
the affected area
4. Coordinating overseas support and aid
5. Issuing emergency information and instructions specific to Central and State
agencies, consolidation, analysis, and dissemination of damage assessment data
and preparation of consolidated reports.

INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM

The ICS provides guidance for how to organize assets to respond to an incident
(system description) and processes to manage the response through its successive
stages (concept of operations). All response assets are organized into five
functional areas: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and
Administration/Finance.
The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized approach to the command,
control, and coordination of emergency response providing a common hierarchy
within which responders from multiple agencies can be effective.

Early Warning System

An integrated system of hazard monitoring, forecasting and prediction, disaster
risk assessment, communication and preparedness activities systems and
processes that enables individuals, communities, governments, businesses and
others to take timely action to reduce disaster risks in advance of hazardous
events.
There are four basic elements to an early warning system where each part must
function efficiently for the system to be successful:

i. Risk knowledge builds the baseline understanding about risks (hazards

and vulnerabilities) and priorities at a given level.
ii. Monitoring is the logical follow-on activity to keep up-to-date on how
those risks and vulnerabilities change through time.
iii. Response capability insists on each level being able to reduce risk once
trends are spotted and announced — this may be through pre-season
mitigation activities, evacuation or duck-and-cover reflexes, depending on
the lead-time of a warning.
iv. Warning communication packages the monitoring information into
actionable messages understood by those that need, and are prepared, to
hear them.

Types of early warning systems

1) By type of hazard
Early warning systems have been developed and implemented for:
  Geological hazards like tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic activity, and
landslides
 Hydro meteorological hazards including severe weather in land and at sea,
floods, droughts, hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones, tornados, cold and
heat waves, etc.
 Forest fires
 Biological hazards including insect plagues like locust outbreaks and
harmful algae blooms
 Health hazards including vector-borne diseases, viruses and other types of
diseases
 For pests and diseases on crops and livestock

2) By the level at which it is operated

1. Community or people-centered early warning systems, operated at a more

local level by a municipal government or a community. The most typical
systems of this kind address flood.
2. National early warning systems operated by a national-level government
agency like a meteorological department, a geological observatory or
institute, a health or an agricultural ministry.
3. Regional systems operated at a more regional level. Two examples in this
category are the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWSNET)
operated by the United States of America in various regions of the world
and the European Meteoalarm.
4. Global systems operated at the international level by international
organizations like the WHO and FAO.
3) As a single or multi-hazard system:
1. Single-hazard: Community-operated systems usually address only one
type of hazard.
 2. Multi-hazard: Meteorological departments, ministries of health and
agriculture operate early warning systems address a variety of hazards or
cascading hazards.

Capacity development

Capacity can be defined as “resources, means and strengths which exist in households and
Communities and which enable them to cope with, withstand, prepare for, prevent, mitigate
or quickly recover from a disaster”.
Capacities could be:
1. Physical capacity
2. Socio-economic capacity
1.Physical Capacity
People whose houses have been destroyed by the cyclone or crops have been destroyed by the
flood can salvage things from their homes and from their farms. Some family members have
skills, which enable them to find employment if they migrate, either temporarily or permanently.
2. Socio-economic Capacity
In most of the disasters, people suffer their greatest losses in the physical and material realm.
Rich people have the capacity to recover soon because of their wealth. In fact, they are seldom
hit by disasters because they live in safe areas and their houses are built with stronger material.