Lancaster & York, PA Security News

Security threats to the hospitality industry have grown in recent years. Hotels, motels, and resorts remain magnets for certain types of criminal enterprise, and new threats have emerged in the form of data theft and incidents of mass violence. As security threats evolve, it’s important that hotel security — across America, and here in York, PA — evolves to keep pace.

At Signal 88 of York, our experts understand the security needs of southern Pennsylvania’s hospitality sector as well as anyone. Over the past few years, we’ve watched as new threats have emerged to hotels in York, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Carlisle, Shippensburg, and Gettysburg. Despite these changes, many local hotels continue to use outdated security systems and practices.

History is the lifeblood of tourism in south Pennsylvania. But our approach to security can’t be stuck in the past. To meet modern challenges, York and its surrounding communities need stronger, smarter hotel security systems.

The Need for Modern Hotel Security in York, PA

Hotels have always been vulnerable to certain types of security incidents. Even today, some aspects of hotel security remain more or less unchanged from practices used ten, twenty, even thirty years ago. But rapid changes in technology and culture have spawned new threats to the hospitality industry. In certain areas, security practices are becoming outdated as quickly as each generation of smartphones.

There are two areas of particular cause for concern to modern hotels.

The first is information technology. For criminals, the past decade has been a golden age of identity theft. Hotels, which store troves of guests’ personal information, are routinely targets for identity theft by hackers and onsite staff.

The second is acts of terrorism and mass violence. In 2008, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, India, was the site of a major terrorist attack. More recently, the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas became the site of the worst shooting in modern US history. Scrutiny on hotel security in York, PA and beyond has never been higher, particularly in areas with high levels of tourism and symbolic importance.

So how should hotels in York rethink hotel security in light of these threats?

• Hotels should perform frequent, periodic security assessments that address physical vulnerabilities, IT systems, and workforce practices.
• Hotel security services should be customized to the unique systems, practices, vulnerabilities, and needs of any given facility.
• Modern technologies and security advancements should be deployed in areas where they will improve cost-effectiveness and responsiveness.
• Staff training and oversight practices should be updated to reflect modern security threats and concerns, including physical theft, identity theft, and site integrity.

South Pennsylvania’s hospitality sector can’t take hotel security for granted. It is crucial that hotels in York, Lancaster, Harrisburg, and the Gettysburg area partner with security experts to local residents and visitors alike.

Call (717) 686-9588 today for a hotel security consultation from Signal 88 of York.