Hotels as a target for terrorism: a study of the Helsinki area hotels’ preparedness for an attack
Kovalevskiy, Andrey (2015)
Kovalevskiy, Andrey
Haaga-Helia ammattikorkeakoulu
2015
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2015121721229
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2015121721229
Tiivistelmä
The threat of terrorism is an issue that is not to be taken lightly in the world of today. The year 2015 has sadly been marked with an unsettlingly high number of acts of terror across the globe that claimed a multitude of civilian lives. The hospitality industry and hotels in particular are especially vulnerable to a potential terrorist attack, and this fact attracted the author’s attention to the issue of the prevention of such attacks and the measures (if any) that the Helsinki hotels are undertaking to that end, eventually making it the focus of this work.
The main goal of this research-based thesis thus is to answer the following research question: How well are the hotels in Helsinki city area prepared for a potential terrorist attack?
For the initial phase of the research, a brief overview of the history of terrorism both in general and in hotels is completed, as well as that of the current anti-terrorist measures employed in the hotels worldwide.
The structured personal interviews are then conducted in two of the hotels of the area in order to gather first-hand information on such measures employed in those particular hotels. In addition to the interviews with the hotel managers, two more are conducted with the members of HAAGA-HELIA teaching staff with experience in hotel management, who possess the necessary knowledge and expertise to provide extra insight into the topic.
The findings from the interview are weighted against the data collected in the initial overview in order to assess the hotels’ current attitude to the threat and to answer the main research question.
The results of the research show that the hotels in the Helsinki area are not well prepared for a potential terrorist attack, however, given the past history of terrorism in Finland and the current extremely low perceived likelihood of such an attack, the level of the security measures they employ at the moment is entirely justifiable and adequate.
Finally, the author’s reflections on the results of the research are presented, its implications, the successfulness of reaching the set objectives, recommendations for possible future studies on the topic, an analysis of trustworthiness and reliability of the research, and the look at the resulting learning outcome for the author.
The main goal of this research-based thesis thus is to answer the following research question: How well are the hotels in Helsinki city area prepared for a potential terrorist attack?
For the initial phase of the research, a brief overview of the history of terrorism both in general and in hotels is completed, as well as that of the current anti-terrorist measures employed in the hotels worldwide.
The structured personal interviews are then conducted in two of the hotels of the area in order to gather first-hand information on such measures employed in those particular hotels. In addition to the interviews with the hotel managers, two more are conducted with the members of HAAGA-HELIA teaching staff with experience in hotel management, who possess the necessary knowledge and expertise to provide extra insight into the topic.
The findings from the interview are weighted against the data collected in the initial overview in order to assess the hotels’ current attitude to the threat and to answer the main research question.
The results of the research show that the hotels in the Helsinki area are not well prepared for a potential terrorist attack, however, given the past history of terrorism in Finland and the current extremely low perceived likelihood of such an attack, the level of the security measures they employ at the moment is entirely justifiable and adequate.
Finally, the author’s reflections on the results of the research are presented, its implications, the successfulness of reaching the set objectives, recommendations for possible future studies on the topic, an analysis of trustworthiness and reliability of the research, and the look at the resulting learning outcome for the author.