Safety and security while you’re travelling is always very prominent in our guests’ minds when they plan to come and stay with us, and making sure we safe and secure at all times is our Group Security Manager Darren Carter. He joins us this week to explain how.

‘It is often said that travellers now regard their safety and security as their principle concern when selecting a hotel particularly for our business clients and increasingly so for the private individual or tourist.

Myself and our group Health & Safety Manager Theresa Taylor frequently participate in inspections, surveys, audits, questionnaires and show rounds on a pure safety and security level – it is a staple requirement. We have to be at the top of our game if we are to be successful in keeping the business secure.

A hotel property is essentially a private space but open to the general public, indeed we rely upon the passing crowds to step inside and enjoy our many bars and restaurants. Immediately they are in the domain of our resident guests, it’s a unique situation from a security perspective, allowing free access to a private space.

Unfortunately we are vulnerable therefore to a percentage of those “walk-in” visitors who will be determined, organised criminals, the common bag thief.

This is a key point of our security strategy to deter this element of crime impacting on our business. We cannot always spot a thief but how we behave and interact with everyone that enters the building will determine how susceptible we are to crime.

Our staff are our primary asset in our efforts to keep crime from our doorstep. At Radisson Edwardian I believe most people are protective of their space and genuinely feel responsible for the role they play. This is a huge support structure for me and our Group Security Officer Chokora M’Hango (Choko as we all know him).

We research and invest in high grade physical and electronic systems from bedroom door locks, secure access to guest corridors & lifts, access controls and identity systems to name few. We have many practices and procedures that we adopt to help minimise the risk of crime and promote safe and secure environments for our guests and staff alike.

Our CCTV capability is amongst the best in the UK hotel industry, we have around 700 cameras deployed across the business. The cameras are their in the prevention and detection of crime and of course for the safety of all who occupy our buildings.

I am Vice Chairman of the Institute of Hotel Security Management and have been for 3 years, Choko is also a member. It’s members include Heads of Security for all major hotel groups, police in specialist areas of fraud / diplomatic protection and counter terrorism, UK security services, the Serious Organised Crime Agency, plus other travel industry and banking associates. We meet regularly and share intelligence, best practice and monitor the development of scientific research in security systems.

This allows us to see first hand the emerging trends both in criminal activities on a global basis and technologies.

All these elements alongside the endless support of the staff within Radisson Edwardian are contributing towards our goal of achieving safer and more secure environments. To my mind that journey never ends, we will continue to develop, innovate and make progress – the moment we stop we begin to go backwards.

The fun part is that we get to do it all over again tomorrow, but better!’

Thank you Darren! Find out more about security at Radisson Edwardian or Darren’s top tips for travellers.