Introduction
Most hotels market themselves as a home away from home. But, just like a home is a privacy zone, hotel rooms need to be the same, guarded from intrusions from the hotel staff handling the keys. A key card lock system allows the guests to be at peace with the safety concern, but if a hotel does not have this system in place, it should necessarily adopt some safety measures in order that their guests are safe in their hotel rooms.

Keep room numbers between the reception and the guest
Stop the front desk staff from uttering the room number in front of others then the occupant. If the hotel does not provide the guests with a check in packet, the room number should be conveyed in writing indicating the guest to memorize it. Explain the reason of this exercise to the guest.

Ask back for the room keys
When a guest is checking out, ask them to return the room keys while thanking them for staying with you. Guest Service Agents (GSAs) are the right people to check if the keys are returned back.

Use tag free keys
Keys should be kept free of tags lest they are identified as a particular hotel’s keys. Rid the keys of any key blanks that are unique or identifiable. Steer clear of any key tag for that matter.

Carry out inspection
All keys, be they section masters, room masters, grand masters, or emergency masters should carry a ‘DO NOT DUPLICATE’ stamp on them, and a log book should be maintained in order to keep a record of each time they are taken and returned. The front office log must note this inspection.

Keep keys free of room numbers
Do not specify room numbers on the keys. If numeric or alpha codes are given to keys, they cannot openly match to the buildings or room numbers.

Rekey the section
If, by any chance, a section master is lost, making the guests vulnerable to risks, rekey the entire section. This can also be furthered by rekeying the grand master and the emergency master, if it has been a while since they have been rekeyed.

Hand over unattended keys to the supervisor
Keys found in guest rooms or anywhere else should be kept safely with the room attendants. Ask the attendants not to display them on their carts. Advise them to tuck the keys away in their pockets or locked key boxes, if any. Attendants must further hand them over to the supervisors, who must then return them to the front desk.

Keep a record
Keep a record of the number of keys for each room and the time when they started being used. The general manager should review this record from time to time and enter details in the key log during each review. Also maintain a record of all the lock swaps and rekeyings that have occurred.

Make a person in charge
The manager should make a responsible person in charge of keeping an index of theft, missing property, damage etc. to the keys. This should be systematically done by maintaining the room number or location of theft and keeping a track of potentially implicated employees.

Changing locks and keys
If any discrepancy is seen in the keys, the maintenance staff can rekey the lock or exchange room locks with the housekeeping section to avoid expenses. In such a case adjust the numbers properly. Over stamping the new number while making the old one illegible is important.

Wrap up
Guest security is a major concern with hotels, since visitors are more and more discerning in this matter. They cannot compromise on their security and safety at any cost whatsoever. A hotel, to boost performance, cannot afford to neglect this area of operation and needs to assure visitors of the safety measures employed within the premises. Following some of the above norms will make your hotel more secure for guests and visitors, who need to be satisfied on this front as equally as any other, if not more.