CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUIDY
The safety and security measures followed by the hotels are to reduce the crime, terrorism, natural disasters and from any man made hazards. The hotel security covers various aspects like guest room locking, public area security and security of the system with equipment’s found in the hotel. To maintain an effective safety and security plan, the Front Office Department should have a regular and continuous co-ordination with the security department of the Hotel which results in pleasant stay of the guest exceeding the expectations thereby fostering the Customer Relationship Management. A hotel always strives to maintain healthy and positive guest relations to improve their business and to generate maximum revenue every time which is only possible if the guest has a pleasant stay in the hotel without having any issues or complaints related to their stay in the hotel. So, the safety and the security measures adopted by the hotels should be efficient enough and updated so that the guests encounters minimum or no damage to themselves and their belongings in the case of even slightest safety issue.
The hotel industry globally has been associated with crime related challenges since the days of small inns to the present times (Greenberg, 1991: np). These challenges are attributed to a 24/7 business operation times that the industry provides (Burstein, 1994:155). Security measures in the hotel industry are lax due to the permission granted to members of the public, who are strangers to the hotel to visit the premises (Hughes, 1984:1). However, theft is a crime that is undeniably the most prevalent in the hotel industry (Mansfeld & Pizam, 2006:112). The security measures already in place need to be reviewed to ensure protection for valuable hotel resources, such as, assets, personnel, and most importantly, the guests and their valuables.
However, this chapter first assessed the existing security measures in the hotel facility, in Nigeria, with the intention to proactively combat crime in the hospitality industry.
The hotel industry provides service to hotel visitors who are known as guests. According to Angelo and Vladimir (2011:7), the service is described as meeting customers’ needs in the way that they want and expect them to be met and by providing superior service which meant exceeding customers’ expectations. The hotel business provides a fully paid furnished accommodation on a short-term and temporary basis.
The hotel industry’s goal like any other industry is committed to safety and security of people and their belongings. To achieve this goal, the internal security-related tools, such as, recordable locks, alarm system, surveillance system and emergency plan, are a requirement to reduce safety and security risks (Hayes & Ninemeier, 2006:410). There are some unique safety and security issues in some hotels where guests need to be protected against the swimming pool areas, spas, and parking bays. External resources like local law enforcement and property insurers also contribute towards the safety and security of guests and hotel employees (Hayes & Ninemeier, 2006:423).
Internal and external threats play a significant role in the impact of property loss experienced by the hotel. It is required by the law for the hotel industry to demonstrate reasonable care by identifying unique and specific threats that exist to asset security (Hayes & Ninemeier, 2006:429).
A hotel guest brings with him or her all the valuable items, expecting the hotel to provide protection. The guest will leave certain property behind in the room hoping to find it there when he or she returns, and will be shocked if the opposite is the case (Hughes, 1984:43). Upon identifying that there is lack of protection, the hotel guests may anticipate risks. The risks in question will result in various criminal activities.
According to Kumar & Malik (2013), hospitality is defined as reception and entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers with liberality and goodwill. Hotels have come up beyond what used to be in the years past in terms of customers. Hotels now arm themselves with modern equipment especially in terms of security in order to be relevant and remain competitive in the industry. Just like any other commercial establishment, hotels have functional compartments ranging from customer service, safety and security, human resources, finance, research and development and facilities which are the focus of this study among others. The competition for having a strategic location, adequate facilities and adequate security that create delight to customers is now the priority in the minds of the hotel investors. Generally, the hotel business is challenging and thrilling and these pave ways for investors to become financially independent, bosses in their own right, create job opportunity and also increase self-esteem. Besides, it gives owners the opportunity to be creative in terms of meeting customers’ expectations and assuring them of safety and security. To record huge success in this aspect, efforts must be geared towards putting in place all essentials that will create customer satisfaction because, customers are becoming more conscious of their convenience, hence, want to be fulfilled.
The awaking consciousness in customers had sharpened their knowledge horizon, thereby armed them to the extent that customers are readily prepared to challenge bad service rendered. This increase in knowledge has reshaped end user service expectations from service providers (Oladele, 2011). This heightened knowledge had exposed the organisation of hotel businesses to embrace factors that are capable of enhancing customer patronage. This is because the society depends on organisations, so also organisations depend on the society for survival and for achieving specific and desirable ends, through services, products, and facilities offered to the members of the society. Therefore, effective customer service through the availability of quality facilities and security cannot be ignored in the realm of achieving effective customer patronage in hotels.
The advent of dynamism in facilities and security becomes an imperative in the context of achieving effective customer patronage in hotel business provided to end users has reshaped the activities of hotels in Nigeria simply because most activities beyond lodging are now being carried out in hotels and as such customers needs to be assured of their safety of both lives and properties. Past studies have indicated the importance of safety and security as a sub set of critical success factors in the management of service oriented organisations and their findings tend towards diverse and different focus (Mosoma, 2014; Okibo & Ogwe, 2013; Natuhwera, 2011; Shariff et al., 2015; Jakpar & Johari, 2012; Lacap, 2014; Kumar & Malik 2013; Choi & Chu, 2001; Zaim et al., 2013; Oliveira et al., 2013).
Nigeria as a frontier market with the growing population of about 170 million is fast becoming the center of focus for potential investors who see Nigeria as a greener pasture where business will thrive. The dream of Nigeria as hospitality investment destination may not be fulfilled, if necessary quality security and facilities are not put in place.
Safety and security are important factors to tourists when choosing a destination and when selecting a hotel to stay at. The first aspect tourists consider is to be protected from risks and hazards. Unfortunately, the hotel and tourism industry is highly vulnerable in terms of safety and security threats. These threats are frequently in the forms of crimes, terrorism, natural disasters, health, and man-made hazards (Gill et al., 2002; Feickert et al. 2006; Enz, 2009; Homeland Security, 2010; Pizam, 2010; Prashyanusorn, et al., 2010; Kôvári, and Zimányi, 2011; Taillon, 2012; Wichasin, and Doungphummes, 2012; Boakye, 2012; Rittichainuwat, and Chakraborty, 2012; Rittichainuwat, 2006:2008:2011:2013; Chan, and Lam, 2013; AlBattat, and Som, 2013; Ahmed and Akther, 2013; Paraskevas, 2013; Lisle, 2013; Peter, et al., 2014; Yang, and Nair, 2014). This puts increasing pressure on hotel managers and planners to consider the impact of safety and security threats to the industry and develop more effective measures to stop or limit their negative impacts to protect hotel business and society in general. This emphasizes that hotels should upgrade their safety and security measures and procedures to make them harder targets against threats and hazards. Hotel management has been forced to review and revise safety and security measures accordingly (Pizam, 2010; Ghaderi, and Som, 2012; Mohammad et al., 2012; Nassar, 2012; AlBattat, and Som, 2013; Ahmed, and Akther, 2013; Peter, et al., 2014).
In the past the hotel industry nationwide was experiencing a number of challenges exposed by the negligence of security responsibility, meaning, some of the hotels failed to provide reasonable security for the guests despite the complaints from the guests to hotel management (Fischer & Green, 1992:33). Upon the ignorance of some hotel management, in one case, the guests took the matter further, to international courts, where the hotel industry was charged with security negligence, particularly in the area of protection of guests. The courts issued mandates to the industry emphasizing the importance of guest protection. The court recommended that the hotel industry should consider utilising private security industry to protect the hotel facilities (Fischer & Green, 1992:33).
Tourism, which comprises the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes (World Tourism Organisation, 1997) WTO, is the world’s largest and most diverse industry which attracts people both within the country and internationally to various destinations around the countries of the world. since tourism deals with movement of people from their homes to various destinations, safety and security of lives and properties of these people have been one of the main concerns of providers of tourists products and services.
Safety and security are vital to providing quality in tourism, and should be an overriding objective of tourism destinations (United Nations World Tourism Organisation, 1997".) According to Holloway ("the issue of safety and security is also important to the image of a tourist destination and for visitor satisfaction. Tourists will form an image based on a combination of cost, climate, scenery, personal safety and sanitation. For a tourist destination to remain successful, addressing these issues is vital.
Safety of lives and properties has always been an important prerequisite for the attraction of international tourists (WTO, 1997") as stated by pearce (1900" a tourist decision making and behaviour is influenced by perceptions of safety, security and crime risk. prideaux (1996) proposed that in the normal course of events, tourists might expect to have at least the same probability of becoming victims of crime as residents in the area they are visiting.
As tourism grows, security becomes more important and travelers will expect safeguarding measures in transportation and accommodations while visiting foreign countries (WTO, 1997") stated by Holloway tourists have been found to be susceptible to crime for various reasons, sometimes by chance(being in the wrong place at the wrong time", or being purposely targeted by local criminals. It is on this premise that the research seeks to determine safety and security measures adopted by the hotel and their impact on customer relationship management.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Since hotels operate around the clock, guests move freely at all hours. In hotels where there are a number of access and egress control points, a guest may access and egress the hotel without being noticed or reporting to the reception.
A hotel is a facility where numerous types of crimes take place, like, bilking, data breach, robbery, theft, bomb threats, to name just a few. Perpetrators of crimes committed in hotels are seldom arrested and convicted as they sometimes commit victimless crimes, such as, money laundering, drug trafficking and robbery during prostitution, which are not reported. This is due to the fact that victimless crime victims contribute towards crimes committed against them.
According to McLaughlin and Muncie (2006:451), a victimless crime is a form of behaviour that is illegal but is consensual in nature and lacks a complaining participant in crime. However, these activities are used by the same victims to campaign for legalization and decriminalization (McLaughlin & Muncie, 2006:451). Prostitutes are not only loitering around the building but are conducting their trade inside the hotel premises, and that constitute their status as undesirable guests where staff members may ask them to leave (Hughes, 1984:35). The researcher’s observation in one of prominent hotels included, among others, maintaining that the foyer’s entrance hall and chairs are constantly occupied by nonguests, the hotel bar is full of intoxicated non-guests patrons who pose a threat to hotel guests (an inquiry was made to the hotel security officer and confirms the problem of a threat but they were only allowed to be escorted-out of the bar at ten (10) p.m.).
The researcher has also observed the lack of control on the access and egress points of the hotel entrance. Anyone with or without the luggage may enter the hotel and walk through the reception area to the guests rooms whether invited or not. It is also easier to obtain a room key from the reception without being checked whether this is the guest or a non-guest. Nonguests are usually the ones who occupy foyer seats, going up and down the hotel corridors and are also found in hotel bars and restaurant (Hughes, 1984:33).
Some crimes in the hotel begin in the foyer as well as in the reception counter, such as, theft, robbery and credit card fraud. While the guest is busy with the registration with the
1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The main aim of the study is to examine safety and security measures adopted by the hotel and their impact on customer relationship management. Other specific objectives are:
- To determine the relationship between safety & security measures and guest relations.
- To determine the importance of Safety & Security measures used in the Hotels and its impact on customer relationship management.
- To examine the various Safety & Security measures adopted by hotels to improve customer relationship management.
- To examine the various emergency situations in the hotels and their handling procedure.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- What is the relationship between safety & security measures and guest relations?
- What is the importance of Safety & Security measures used in the Hotels and its impact on customer relationship management?
- What is the various Safety & Security measures adopted by hotels to improve customer relationship management?
- What are the various emergency situations in the hotels and their handling procedure?
1.5 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTRHESIS
H0: safety and security measures adopted by the hotel have no significant impact on customer relationship management.
H1: safety and security measures adopted by the hotel have significant impact on customer relationship management.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
This research will exhibit the contemporary prestige level of security in the hotel industry and whether the guest is really disadvantaged twice, meaning the guest has paid to be in the hotel then his or her belongings are being stolen, where he or she will not get reimbursed.
This research would make a significant contribution in assessing and reviewing the effectiveness of security measures in hotels, evaluating the types of crimes most prevalent in hotels and measuring the guests and the hotelier’s perception on security and safety.
The hotel industry will be steered, hopefully, by the findings and the recommendations of this study and enhance any inadequacies that may be exposed by the research assessment.
UNISA: The research results can be documented into future study guides of the Department of Security Management in order to equip the students with the knowledge in terms of security measures protecting hotels.
Finally, the research will help hotel management improve on their customer relationship management.
1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY
The study will cover safety and security measures adopted by the hotel and their impact on customer relationship management.
1.8 LIMITATION OF STUDY
- Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
- Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.
1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Hotel: Facility that provides comfortable lodging and generally, but not always, food, beverage, entertainment, and a ‘home away from home’ service (Beaudry, 1996).
Safety: This is protection of the individual’s physical well-being and health (Hayes & Ninemeier, 2006:410).
Security: This is a systematic effort to provide protection and the level of safety to hotel as a physical entity, and to its stakeholders, namely; employee, guests and other users, from threats and/or hazards that may attribute from external or/ and internal factors (Wood, 2013:77).
Customer: A customer is a person or company that receives, consumes or buys a product or service and can choose between different goods and suppliers. The main goal of all commercial enterprises is to attract customers or clients, and make them purchase what they have on sale.
Customer Relationship: customer relationship. The development of an ongoing connection between a company and its customers. The relationship involves marketing communications, sales support, technical assistance and customer service.
Management: The organization and coordination of the activities of a business in order to achieve defined objectives. Management consists of the interlocking functions of creating corporate policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing an organization's resources in order to achieve the objectives of that policy.
