Yesterday at least 28 people were killed and dozens injured in the latest al-Shabab attack on the Dayah Hotel, Mogadishu whereby the use of an explosives packed vehicle was rammed into the main gate followed by a secondary vehicle bomb whilst emergency services were in the height of their response.
On Sunday 18th December 2016, I had the pleasure of attending the Iraq British Business Council (IBBC) Autumn Conference, hosted for the first time in Dubai. The event was opened by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, IBBC President and UK Trade Envoy to Iraq, followed by a keynote address from The Minister of Transport, H.E. Kadhim Finjan Al-Hamami, in which he made it clear that Iraq is "open for business" with a wealth of new projects in the pipeline including a metro system in Karbala with potential for 1/2 million users per day, and an extension of the rail network that has already reached Iraqi borders, to link the likes of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan with the sea for the transport of goods, namely the Port of Aqaba in Jordan.
Travelers, whether their trip is undertaken for business or pleasure, demand safe and secure hotel accommodation. How can hoteliers ensure that their property provides as secure an environment as possible?
Hotel security and safety involves protecting not only your guests, but also employees and the physical assets of the property from emergency situations such as criminal activities, natural disasters and terrorism. As Warren Buffet once said: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
