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John Portman Designing for Safe Hotels; Hotel Design is
Important to Business Travelers' Sense of Security
August 21, 2002 - The results of a new online survey show that while the majority of business travelers are concerned about airline safety and theft, they feel that hotel design can improve their security while staying in hotels.

The online Hospitality Security Survey, conducted by the Atlanta-based architectural firm of John Portman & Associates, gauged the opinions of business travelers on how design affects their feelings about hotel security.  The survey was a follow up to the firm's 2001 survey conducted for women business travelers, which found that security was a high priority for women in selecting a hotel.

"From this new survey we learned that architects can use design to help travelers feel even safer," said Ellis Katz, Vice President and Director of the Hospitality Studio at John Portman & Associates. Some examples noted in the survey include:

  • Designing hotels with well-lit and open public spaces. 
  • Improving security for hotel mechanical systems such as electrical and heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems. 
  • Designing rooms equipped with panic buttons to alert the front desk of problems, and rooms that automatically light up when entered. 
  • Designing hallways that can be clearly seen from one end to the other.
The survey also revealed strong security design preferences among business travelers. Nearly 60 percent of the respondents prefer a hotel to be visible and accessible from the street. Two thirds of respondents felt safer with parking facilities located adjacent to a hotel rather than beneath it. 50 percent said that the height of the hotel did not affect their decision to stay in that building.

"Security-conscious travelers are willing to pay for added security features," said Katz. 42 percent of the respondents would be willing to pay five percent more for a hotel room that included new safety features; 38 percent of the respondents would be willing to see the room rate increase by 10 percent for these safety features.

Personal security and convenience, rather than fear of a cataclysmic event such as a terrorist attack on a hotel, remain the primary concerns of both men and women travelers. Two thirds do not want to give up the convenience of a walk-in option at hotels for the security of a reservation-only policy.

Respondents to both surveys consistently indicated a desire for tighter security in hotel public spaces, restricted or controlled access between floors and from room to room, and a notification call from room service before delivery.

"Next year, John Portman & Associates will celebrate 50 years of experience in designing successful hotel projects all over the world," said Katz. "As we anticipate the evolving dynamics of the hospitality industry in the 21st century, we understand that good hotel design must incorporate good security design. Our goal is to make travelers feel as secure in hotel rooms as they do in their own homes."

The Portman companies were established in Atlanta in 1953. John Portman & Associates serves as the flagship of the group, providing distinctive architectural, engineering and interior design services for projects worldwide, specializing in hospitality, mixed-use urban complexes, commercial and educational/institutional buildings. 


 
Contact:
Cindy Holt
John Portman & Associates
+1-404-614-5040
http://www.portmanusa.com


 
Also See: Modernist Style for the John Portman & Associates Designed Convention Hotel In Charlotte / Sept 2000
City of Fort Worth Funds $2.6 million for Preliminary Design Work on Proposed 600-room Convention Center Hotel / March 2002


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