Hotel and Hospitality Security Services
Hotel and hospitality security services protect guests, staff and property while keeping the welcome your guests expect. Our SIA-licensed officers work front of house, on night shifts, at functions and in car parks, and are briefed on your building and procedures before they start.
We provide hospitality security for hotels, bars, restaurants and venues across Sussex, Surrey and London from our base in Crawley, including the hotels around Gatwick Airport.
SIA-licensed officers
Reliable & Vetted Security Staff
What Hotel Security Covers
Hotels are open to the public at every hour, which makes them harder to protect than most commercial buildings. Guests, visitors, contractors and delivery drivers come and go, and the building has to stay welcoming throughout.
Good hotel security is mostly quiet. Officers watch entrances and lifts, keep unauthorised visitors away from guest floors and back-of-house areas, and deal with problems early, before they disturb other guests. When something does go wrong, from a theft in a function room to an aggressive guest in the bar, a trained officer handles it calmly and in line with your policies.
Depending on your property, our officers can provide:
- Front of house and lobby security
- Access control for guest floors and back-of-house areas
- Night security and building patrols
- Function, wedding and conference security
- Door supervision for bars and late licences
- Car park patrols and vehicle checks
- Incident reports for your managers and insurers
Free site survey for hotels and venues across Sussex, Surrey and London.
Who Hotel and Hospitality Security Suits
We work with hospitality businesses of different sizes and styles, and shape the service around how each one runs:
- Airport and business hotels: late check-ins, early departures and a steady flow of visitors. See our page on security for Gatwick Airport businesses.
- City centre and boutique hotels: busy entrances, bars open to non-residents and guests who expect discretion.
- Hotels with conference and event space: weddings, awards dinners and conferences that bring in large numbers of non-residents.
- Bars, restaurants and late venues: door supervision, queue management and a safe close at the end of the night.
- Serviced apartments and aparthotels: fewer staff on site, so security often doubles as the night presence.
Security That Fits the Guest Experience
Hospitality security only works if guests feel looked after rather than watched. We agree dress code, tone and positioning with you, from a smart suit at reception to a uniformed officer in the car park. Officers are briefed on your service standards, your emergency procedures and the people they will work alongside, so they can help a lost guest as readily as they can deal with a problem.
Cover can be scaled from a single night officer to a team for a large event, and adjusted for busy seasons.
How Our Hotel Security Service Works
1. Free site survey. We walk the building with your manager: entrances, guest floors, back-of-house, car parks and function rooms. We look at where incidents have happened and what your existing CCTV and access control cover.
2. A written security plan. We set out the hours, the number of officers, their duties and how they report, and agree how officers escalate incidents to your duty manager, the police or the ambulance service.
3. Officer briefing. Officers are briefed on your site before their first shift, including fire procedures, guest privacy and your policies on refusing entry or asking a guest to leave.
4. Reporting and review. Every shift is logged. You get incident reports you can share with your insurer or the police, and we review the plan with you as your needs change.
Working Alongside Your Team
Our officers support your reception, night porters and duty managers rather than replacing them. A typical night shift might combine regular checks of corridors and stairwells, a presence at the bar at closing time, and help with late arrivals and taxis. For larger events, a supervisor can lead the security team and act as the single point of contact for your events manager.
On-site officers can also be combined with CCTV monitoring and mobile patrols for car parks and outbuildings.
What to Look For in a Hotel Security Provider
Whoever you choose, ask these questions before you sign:
- Is every officer licensed for the role? Security work supplied under a contract for services needs an SIA licence, and controlling entry to a bar or licensed area usually needs a door supervisor licence. You can check any officer on the SIA's public register of licence holders.
- Have the officers worked in hospitality before? Ask how officers are briefed on guest service, privacy and conflict management.
- Who manages the contract? You should have a named contact who knows your property.
- How are incidents recorded? Ask to see a sample incident report.
- Can cover change with your occupancy? Seasonal peaks, events and refurbishments all change what you need.
Our guide to what SIA licensing means when you hire security explains how to check a licence.
Hotel Security Across Sussex, Surrey and London
We are based at Manor Royal in Crawley and cover hotels and venues across the region, including Gatwick, Brighton and Hove, Horsham, Redhill and Reigate and Guildford. Planning a function? See event security in Crawley or our wider event security services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about hotel and hospitality security.
What does a hotel security officer do?
A hotel security officer protects guests, staff and property while supporting your front of house team. Typical duties include watching entrances and the lobby, checking that only guests reach guest floors, patrolling corridors and car parks at night, handling disputes or intoxicated guests, supporting staff in an emergency and writing up incidents for your managers. The exact duties are set out in a security plan agreed with you.
Do hotel security staff need an SIA licence?
If they are supplied by a security company under a contract for services, yes. Officers guarding the premises need a security guard licence, and anyone controlling entry to a bar or licensed area usually needs a door supervisor licence. In-house staff do not usually need one. You can check any licence on the SIA's public register, as our SIA licensing guide explains.
Can security staff work discreetly in a hotel?
Yes. Most hotel security is low key. We agree uniform or plain clothes, where officers stand and how they approach guests, so security supports the guest experience. Officers are briefed on your service standards, and a visible presence can be kept to entrances, the bar at closing time or the car park, where it deters trouble without unsettling guests.
How much does hotel security cost?
It depends on the hours of cover, the number of officers, the licences the role needs and whether you need extra cover for events. A single night officer costs far less than a team for a busy wedding season. We give you an itemised quote after a free site survey. For typical UK rates, see our security guard cost guide.
Can you provide security for a hotel event or wedding?
Yes. For functions, weddings and conferences we plan the number of officers, entry points and timings with your events team, and a supervisor can lead the team on the night. Officers can check guest lists, look after gifts and equipment, and deal with uninvited guests. See our event security services for more on planning.
Talk to Us About Hotel Security
Tell us about your property and the cover you have in mind, and we will arrange a free site survey. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote.