The most recent publicized attack involving a hotel occurred Sunday evening in Cairo, Egypt, when two bombs were dropped from the rooftop of the Hussein Hotel onto an open-air café, according to reports.

At least one person died in the blast—a French teenager—and 20 more were injured.

While no one can attempt to prevent all of the violence and hatred in the world, this most recent tragedy calls attention to the fact that hotels have a particular responsibility as public gathering places to protect inhabitants.

Oftentimes, in the hotel industry it’s difficult to discuss security issues because everyone wants their details to remain confidential. That’s why I’d like to point out a particularly interesting special report that ran in Condé Nast Traveler called “Staying Safe.” Of course it’s geared toward guests and how they can prevent theft and crime, but there are nuggets of wisdom for every hotelier, particularly those who can’t afford a security expert or for those who run businesses in high-risk cities. And it never hurts to take a refresher course.

Here also is HotelNewsNow.com content that addresses safety and security by talking to the people who have lived through the unimaginable:

Marisa Mazria Katz talked to Israeli hoteliers about business as usual in an area of the world where anything can happen in “Israel’s hotels battle war fears, tourism.”

Tj Hussein, a local Pakistani, wrote about the aftermath of the Islamabad Marriott bombing.

Columnist Damien Little of Horwath HTL shared the sentiment of a colleague in Mumbai after an attack there in this column.
 
Note: HNN has a correspondent in India, but this individual declined to cover the Mumbai attack for concern for personal safety (How’s that for an unsafe feeling?).

And just yesterday, CNN released this story about how the FBI in the U.S. is concerned that terrorists with little money can have a large impact. The author cited the attack in Mumbai as an example of something that “could be replicated in the United States.”