The Institute of Hospitality (IoH) is recommending British hoteliers register for the free use of a new anti-crime resource.
London Hotelwatch – which provides hotel operators with a direct link to Westminster’s hotel liaison police team – has been set up set up by the Metropolitan Police in conjunction with Facewatch, a national low-level crime reporting and image-sharing service for businesses.
Philippe Rossiter, FIH, chief executive of the Institute of Hospitality and a Hotel Owner columnist, explained: “If your hotel is outside London do not be put off by the name, because use is open to all. In fact, the goal is for hoteliers across the UK to use the website via a series of regional intranets. The democratic nature of the facility means that the greater the number of users, the more useful the information-sharing device becomes.”
The fully functional site, launched on the 11 July, provides a flexible communication portal for security information to be shared amongst participating hotel managers, as on a social networking site like Facebook. In addition, information about crime is uploaded by the Metropolitan Police on a real time basis and sent out to users by email. The plan is to develop the system for the whole of the UK, with bespoke intranet portals for cities using the same system. Sgt Adrian Haley, of the Westminster Borough Hotel Liaison and Olympic Operational Planning team, said: “The website is aimed not just at five-star luxury properties, but at all hoteliers, so that everyone has a chance to share information. You can never have too much intelligence.”
To obtain new user details, training and information on Hotelwatch, you should contact Kate Buckingham on 020 7930 3225 or kate.buckingham@facewatch.co.uk.
