Whether it was a guest who made a scene in the lobby, a random falling ladder by the elevator, noisy construction episodes bothering the community, a room fire or a property flood, or any act of terrorism, your hotel needs a plan to respond and handle the situation. As experts in hospitality, we understand the process of anticipating guests' needs and wants. Amidst daily operations and the focus on streamlining tasks and procedures, it is our duty to be responsible and anticipate the potential issues that cannot only impact the guest experience, but seriously compromise the safety of everyone on property.

Crisis management is the process that identifies, analyzes and suggests resolutions to real potential scenarios that can affect your hotel. Your PR agency and/or professional should be part of this process and must be involved at an Executive Committee level. The first step to successful crisis management is to create a simplified yet thorough crisis handbook that will be distributed to each department head.

Until a couple of years ago, traditional approaches to crises worked well. The handbook pretty much covered the issues, and the possible scenarios as they affected the property. Your PR team was proactive and updated it every ...