228 | Run, Hide, Fight: How to prepare for an active shooter (Hotel Safety Part 1)

“Active shooter” is a term used by law enforcement to describe a situation in which a shooting is in progress.

The classification calls into action protocols relating to response and reaction – not only by police but also by citizens, says the FBI. In the case of an “active shooter,” everyone’s response and reaction can affect the outcome.

The bureau has counted 288 active shooter incidents in the U.S. from 2000 through 2018.

Twenty-one of those occurred at places of business. Of those, five were at hotels or motels.

Though lodging accounted for less than 2 percent of all active-shooting incidents logged by the FBI over the past 18 years, it’s an unfathomable crisis if it happens at your property.

Many safety and security experts say hotel owners and operators must have a mindset of “not if but when” in preparing for the possibility of an active shooter on property. And some veteran hoteliers say, it only makes sense that the act of hospitality is extended before, during and after times of crisis.

Today’s episode of Lodging Leaders is the first part in a report about hotel safety. We cull information from the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), a non-profit organization that published a white paper about hospitality attacks.

We talk to Paul Frederick, a security and safety expert and co-founder of Hospitality Security Advisors, and Elie Khoury, executive vice president of operations resources at Interstate Hotels & Resorts, a third-party manager.

Also featured are Roger Bloss, a veteran hotelier who is putting his weight behind a new hotel insurance program called InsuraGuest, which plans to offer coverage for guests injured in an attack on property. Also included is Natalee Bloss, Roger’s daughter who was at the scene of the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting in Las Vegas and sought safety at her family’s hotel.