Chief Security Officer for Hyatt Hotels, Inc., Mark Sanna, discussed with The Cipher Brief how Hyatt secures their hotels around the world, how they respond in an event of an attack, and how the hotel industry works together to promote the safety of their guests. Sanna believes this sharing of information is invaluable to understanding the evolving threat practice.
The Cipher Brief: Can you give us your reaction to the hotel attacks in Mali, and give our readers a better understanding of how you secure hotels in dangerous security environments?
Mark Sanna: Whenever an incident occurs, we immediately implement a series of security actions. For properties in the location where an event occurs, they immediately go on lockdown (which is controlled access into the property, screening of guests, no vehicle access, etc.) until we can sort out the details of the event. For properties in the same country (and depending on the incident, could include specific locations elsewhere) we shift our security posture to a High Threat level, which invokes security measures such as controlled access, personal and vehicle screening measures, increased patrolling, and may also involve local police support on premises. So there are a number of measures we undertake as an immediate response to an incident.
TCB: When an attack on a hotel happens, how do you adapt? In other words, how has your security approach evolved?
MS: We study every event—the attack methodologies—and adapt our security operational practices and physical security measures to deflect these various methodologies. We also exchange information within the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) Hotel Security Working Group on potential threat intelligence to enable members to be alert to emerging threats when any of us becomes aware of one. The exchange of information is invaluable to understanding the evolving threat picture.
TCB: How should hotels best work with local law enforcement on security measures? How does this vary across regions?
MS: The preferred way to work with local law enforcement is proactively. We work closely with them on active shooter and other emergency response scenarios. We also work with them to exchange security information related to suspicious activities—See Something, Say Something—and also help support them in their community policing efforts. This support varies country and location. But consistently, we seek to have a close working relationship with law enforcement agencies to best protect our guests, visitors, and colleagues.
TCB: What considerations go into the decision for a hotel to leave a country or close its property?
MS: Closing a hotel is an action we take when we determine that we cannot assure the safety and security of our guests, visitors, or colleagues. It is very rare that we do so, but we have in fact done so on various occasions, for example, in Cairo during the Arab Spring Uprising, and in Bangkok during the Red Shirt/Yellow Shirt conflicts several years ago. Unlike other business entities, we tend to remain open even during conflict situations, for example, in Belgrade during the Balkan conflict.
TCB: You mentioned you are in the OSAC Hotel Security Working Group. Could you tell our readers what the group does, and what the benefits are of security professionals in the hotel industry working together?
MS: The Hotel Security Working Group (HSGW) is a constituent council of the Overseas Security Advisory Council. We were formed to exchange security information of common interest to the members. This collaborative effort ranges from exchanges on various security equipment—metal detectors, explosive trace detectors, and under-vehicle screening systems—that we employ in screening guests and vehicles to our properties, to information on physical security measures, such as vehicle anti-ram barriers and perimeter bollards, that we employ to protect a property and harden the access control points to the property. We frequently exchange threat related information so that all members are equally aware of any potential threat or emerging terrorist attack methodology, such as secreted explosives or bomb/IED devices. Aside from benefits to the HSWG members, OSAC constituents also benefit from our efforts through real-time information we provide on the operating environment in various locations when an incident or threat is on-going. We do this through various service products we produce, for example, a common hotel security assessment document, and in collaboration with other sector working groups, such as the Air Security Working Group and the Education Security Working Group.
