ONHTEC Series 2003: Audio Interview w/ William J. McShane, Director of Fire and Security, Affinia Hospitality, NYC - A Hotel Executive's Perspective on Safety and Security After 9/11

William J. McShane - As a former Supervisory Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and as the Director of Corporate Security for Affinia Hospitality a New York based hotel chain, Mr. McShane has over thirty-five years of experience in all aspects of both public and private sector security management.

His FBI experience as a Supervisory Special Agent included managing both technical and security programs as well as diversified investigative experience.

Assignments included both field supervision and complex program management responsibilities.

As the Director of Security for a multi-property hotel group in New York he administers and directs the activities of the security and fire safety force for ten hotels, corporate offices and other commercial holdings of the company. His responsibilities include supervision of all investigative efforts to which the company is a party, specifying, testing, operating and maintaining security devices and establishing policies and procedures for the protection of company assets, employees and hotel guests.

In addition to these duties he regularly instructs on security issues at New York University, John Jay College and the University of Delaware, is the Chairman of the Hospitality and Themed Entertainment Council of ASIS International and an active member of the Loss Prevention Committee of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Mr. McShane is endorsed by the American Society of Industrial Security as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP), the Security Management Institute as a Certified Security Executive (CSE), the American Hotel and Lodging Association as a Certified Lodging Security Director (CLSD) is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and licensed by New York State as a Private Investigator. Mr. McShane was awarded a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science by Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Long Island University in Greenvale, New York.

With nine hotels, more than 2,000 rooms, and 1,000 employees, Affinia Hospitality, a distinctive collection of luxury and business suite hotels, is New York's largest all-suite hotel company. Providing spacious accommodations, gracious service and uncommon value, Affinia Hospitality's portfolio includes the Affinia Dumont, Beekman Tower Hotel, Eastgate Tower, Lyden Gardens, Plaza Fifty, Shelburne Murray Hill, Southgate Tower, Surrey Hotel and The Benjamin. Additional information or reservations for any Affinia hotel may be obtained by calling a travel consultant or 1-866-AFFINIA. Take a virtual tour at www.affinia.com.

ONHTEC®, a co-production by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals® and Hsyndicate, is the most comprehensive and trendsetting online conference & showcase of hospitality IT & distribution technology available on the web. Launched in October 2002, ONHTEC ® provides monthly scheduled online conferences geared around pertinent trends in hospitality technology. ONHTEC ® aims to provide knowledge & know-how to industry professionals at all levels of expertise.For more information visit www.onhtec.com.

Kevin Heilbronner is the US Editor for wiredhotelier.com and hospitalitynet.org, providing streaming multimedia-content for these websites. Based outside of Washington DC, Heilbronner has worked with Hsyndicate to conduct interviews at several hospitality trade shows in the US and Europe over the last couple of years. His column and content are featured in the Hospitality Net weekly newsletter. A familiar voice in Washington, DC, Heilbronner is the stadium announcer for the NBA's Washington Wizards, WNBA's Washington Mystics and WUSA's Washington Freedom. He resides in Centreville, VA and can be reached via email: Kevin@hsyndicate.com.