Security is among the three most important criteria when travel managers choose a hotel for a company’s employees. Working with people 24 hours a day means exposure to risks – the human factor is ever-present. That’s why it’s important to prevent incidents as much as possible. The aim is to avoid them altogether, as well as to limit damage when something does happen.

A representative of one of the companies we work closely with described it this way: “For me, Safehotels certification works like airbags in cars. When people sit behind the wheel, everyone knows that an incident can happen. But the more, and better, airbags there are in the car, the bigger the chance the driver has of surviving. When I think about hotels, I want there to be as many airbags as possible – that Safehotels has been to the hotel and told us the airbags are mounted correctly and that they work.”

The agreement with the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is the most important agreement we have signed so far. Other major hotel chains now review their security work, as well as smaller groups and independent hotels. Safehotels Alliance is gaining recognition more frequently and in all parts of the world.

Travelling and participating in meetings with Hotels, Travel management organisations, Tour Operators and other organisations are a big part of my work. One month there was a trip to London, invited by one of the world’s largest travel management companies. Nairobi was visited, where we certified another hotel. Then there was Oslo … always interesting. What were the results of this trip? Well, for instance in Hong Kong we signed a cooperation agreement with the Asian Rugby Football Union. Rugby is a major sport around the world. The agreement helps the organisation to in the future identify hotels they use throughout Asia as safe venues. ARFU arrange about 30 tournaments every year. This means enormous exposure in the market, both in terms of hotels and major companies.

Finally, I would like to say that it’s very satisfying to get feedback from hotel employees, who have found it to be a very positive experience when we have been on-site to train them. I would like to take the opportunity to relay that gratitude back to your hoteliers and directors, who show that they care about guests, employees and other interested parties. Thank you for taking responsibility!

See you all out there! Stay Safe!

Hans Kanold
CEO and Chairman, Safehotels Alliance