Extra security could boost hotels' business

Putting X-ray machines at the entrance to hotels to screen guests and their luggage could bring in extra business, the International Hotel/Motel Show was told last weekend.

Eric Pfeffer, president of the International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH&RA), said he had seen guests screened at hotels in Columbia and Turkey and he believed more hotels should take up the practice.

He said: "It is a marketing opportunity - companies that project security and offer a safe haven are going to have an edge."

Pfeffer, speaking at a seminar on economic recovery, said that safety and security were the primary threat to increasing business.

He added: "Terrorism is obviously a big issue, but so is food security and regional security in places like India and Iraq."

The IH&RA president added that travellers needed to assess risk realistically.

He explained: "You are much more likely to be killed crossing the street near your home than in a terrorist act. It is important that this is understood."

by David Harris