Faced with the challenge of providing 24/7 entertainment, food service and accommodations in a safe and secure environment for a demanding clientele, the gaming and hospitality industry recognizes the reputation damage that can be caused by a failure to meet these expectations. Mitigating operational risk has become a mandatory element of competition for high volume business travelers, corporate travel offices, conferences and conventions.
Terrorism, hurricanes, floods, fires, power failures, labor problems, day-to-day operational issues and normal wear-and-tear on infrastructure and the dimension of the impact from lack of preparedness assumes an imposing presence. Hospitality organizations are increasingly dedicating substantial resources to mitigate the impact of disruptions and disasters and to create incident/crisis management, emergency response and business continuity/disaster recovery plans.
Industry Drivers and Trends
Regulations mandating emergency response
Competitive advantage based upon continuous availability of space and conference resources
Operations significantly dependent upon reliable technology
Greater threats to employee and customer safety
Maintenance of continuous operations to meet service requirements
Need for constant surveillance
24/7 access to information is mission critical
Solutions
Risk Solutions International has developed integrated emergency response and business continuity plans to ensure the safety of employees and patrons of casino/hotels, create a business continuity plan that provides alternate accommodations and operating facilities, and links operational recovery plans with the reconstruction of the affected area of the property after regional damage incidents.
Casino/hotel concerned about state regulations mandating emergency response plans may require an emergency management assessment, or an outside third party review of legacy emergency plans to ensure that they address all hazards, viable floor-by-floor notification and evacuation plans, and proactive coordination with municipal/county first responders. Comprehensive, integrated plans meet client expectations and provide them with the assurance that they can maintain a position to respond to the uncertainties they face – with a sustained internal capacity.