Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

Security and Safety Incidents
Effective security and safety training before problems occur helps to ensure that these
situations will be properly managed if they do arise. This section considers potential
problems and the role of front office personnel in addressing them.
Guests who experience noise or other disturbances from adjoining or nearby 
guestrooms or hallways, parking lots, or other locations often notify the front desk. If the
disturbance is from a guestroom, in most hotels the front desk agent or another front
office employee will phone the guestroom to notify the occupants that other guests
are being inconvenienced and to request that the disturbance end. A follow-up call
to the complaining guest is then made: “We have contacted the guest in the room
causing your complaint and have asked that the disturbance end.” If there is a subse-
quent complaint, in some hotels a second call is made from the front desk; in other
properties, a security representative is sent to the room. Of course, care must be taken
in these situations. Consider, for example, the difficulty that would arise if a guest
phoned the front desk to complain about excessive noise in an adjacent room and, in
fact, the noise was not coming from that room. In this case, a call to the supposedly
noisy room would likely result in another unhappy guest. Front desk or security per-
sonnel should always verify the source of excessive noise before acting on a complaint.
If there are complaints about noise or other disturbances occurring in public areas,
including hallways and parking lots, the front office employee receiving the call typ-
ically requests that a security department employee visit the location. Again, a follow-
up call to the complaining guest can reassure him or her that the concern is being
addressed.