A new hotel management research study from Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research states that safety and security equipment in U.S. hotels varies dramatically by size, location, and overall hotel class can be downloaded at www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/pubs/reports/2009.html. The hotel security article and research study, "Safety and Security in U.S. Hotels," by Cornell Professor Cathy A. Enz, found that small hotels (under 50 rooms), budget-priced hotels, and relatively old hotels had gaps in their safety and security equipment. In contrast, luxury and upscale hotels, airport and urban hotels, large properties, and new hotels generally provided the key safety and security features.

The hotel security article, which examined 5,487 U.S. hotels, developed a separate safety and security score for each hotel based on the number of features it offered. The study is available at no charge, as part of the center's special section on hotel security, at www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/pubs/security/.

"Hotels, on average, score 60 percent or better on the safety and security features indexes we devised," said Enz, who is the Lewis G. Schaeneman, Jr. Professor of Innovation and Dynamic Management at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. "Eleven percent of the hotels studied had perfect security scores, while most fared slightly better in safety rankings, with 19 percent having a perfect score."

Enz's hotel management research distinguished safety as meaning protection of a guest's person, while security additionally involves protection of a guest's property. Enz notes that the mere presence of safety and security features does not ensure guest safety, but not having these features makes the matter more challenging.

The safety index includes sprinklers and smoke-free rooms, while the security features involve electronic locks, interior corridors, and an in-room safe. Safety materials, a safety video, and security cameras contributed points to both index scores.

Thanks to the support of the Center for Hospitality Research partners listed below, all publications posted on the center's website are available free of charge, at www.chr.cornell.edu.

About The Center for Hospitality Research
A unit of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, The Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) sponsors research designed to improve practices in the hospitality industry. Under the lead of the center's 77 corporate affiliates, experienced scholars work closely with business executives to discover new insights into strategic, managerial and operating practices. The center also publishes the award-winning hospitality journal, the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly. To learn more about the center and its projects, visit www.chr.cornell.edu.

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