Guests expect hotels to take precautions to keep the property safe. Unfortunately, hotels and other lodgings tend to experience elevated levels of violent crimes when compared to other businesses – and far too many people have their vacations ruined due to robberies and assaults every year.
When a guest is harmed by someone else’s criminal conduct, the attacker may not be the only party responsible. The hotel’s owner or operator could also face a premises liability claim based on the principle of negligent or inadequate security.
What security failures could put guests in danger?
Negligent security claims can arise when a property owner either knew or should have known that criminal activity somewhere on the premises was foreseeable – but they did not take reasonable precautions to protect the guests.
What’s considered reasonable in any given situation depends a lot on the circumstances, including the hotel’s location and history. Potential security failures might include:
- Broken or unreliable guest-room locks
- Exterior doors that do not close or lock properly
- Poor lighting in parking lots, stairwells or hallways
- Security cameras that are missing, broken or unmonitored
- Failure to restrict non-guest access to guest floors
- Inadequately trained or unsupervised security personnel
- Failure to respond to reports of suspicious behavior
- Failure to warn guests about known security threats
- Giving a room key to someone without verifying their identity
A history of prior criminal activity in the immediate area or on the grounds could be important. So could records of complaints from guests, calls to law enforcement in the past and warnings by employees.
When a hotel guest is injured by a third party, they should still report the incident to hotel management right away, as well as law enforcement, seek prompt medical attention and take steps to preserve as much evidence as possible. Photos of the scene and the guest’s injuries can be very helpful, as are the names and contact information of witnesses.
A negligent security claim can involve the hotel owner, a management company, a security contractor or multiple parties. An attorney can investigate their respective responsibilities and determine whether reasonable security measures could have prevented the attack.