No matter how cozy and warm your hostel might feel, you lose out on potential customers if you have negative reviews where safety is concerned. To avoid such a thing from happening, hostel security should be your primary concern; the rest follows after that. Wondering how exactly you can ensure proper security? Continue reading our article to know how to make your hostel safer for guests. These tips might seem small but will make a huge difference in making your hostel a tad bit safer.
Invest In Good Security Cameras
Wondering how to make your hostel safer for guests? Start by looking into investing in quality security cameras. It won’t be inexpensive but they have long-term benefits concerning safety. Especially since your onsite staff will not always be available in certain areas at all times. And that’s where security cameras come in handy! They cover all areas irrespective of whether someone is there or not. There’s no harm in having an extra pair of eyes recording and keeping watch over your lovely hostel.
Have some cameras installed in the common area, near the locker area, and at the entrances of the hostel and dorms. Covering all these important areas will facilitate a more carefree interaction between staff and customers.
Have Sturdy Lockers
You don’t want to have rusty, creaky lockers that look easily breakable. Have sturdy, quality ones with ample storage space for your guests to put their valuables in. If you want to increase the safety up a notch, include electrical plugs in the lockers. This way, your guests can easily charge their electronic devices without worrying about them being stolen while they’re asleep. Doing this will enhance the experience of your guests living in your dorms and will garner more positive reviews.
An important tip for staying in a hostel is to carry your own padlock. But as a hostel, consider letting guests rent locks with a deposit. That’s how to make your hostel safer for guests who just happen to misplace/forget their padlock. Also, ensure that your lockers are checked from time to time. Allocate someone especially for this duty and ask them to report even the most minor defects. You don’t want to take a risk by compromising on quality.
Controlling Who Enters Your Property
In hostels, keeping a mindful watch over who enters and exits your property is crucial and how you can make your hostel safer for guests. Primarily, you need to set certain restrictions for the friends of guests, and other people who aren’t staying at the hostel. With valuables being around the property, it’s best to disallow them to wander too much into the premises.
Make them wait at the front desk till their friend arrives, and bar their entrance into the shared rooms. Doing this will reduce the chances of a stranger randomly entering and stealing a valuable. To further minimize the risk, give total control to the receptionist to allow/disallow those entering the front door. Make sure to instruct your guests beforehand that they’re barred from opening the front door to anyone not staying on your premises.
Never Leave Your Front Desk Empty
Ensure that someone is always sitting behind the front desk, and preferably have shifts for a 24/7 rotation. That’s something we don’t compromise at goSTOPS. You never know when an emergency may arise and it’s always better to have someone with proper knowledge of the area’s hospitals, pharmacies, etc. Also, you’ll be able to control whoever enters and exits your premises at all times.
Safe Sleeping Arrangements
If you want your guests to have an even more delightful experience, ensure that your dorms have features that are easily accessible. Privacy is an important factor to consider while you’re arranging the beds in your dorms. To help you in providing an even more comfortable experience, here are some tips you could follow:
- Make sure each dorm/room has strong WiFi connectivity with good bandwidth. People don’t just travel for a vacation, but embark on workations as well! You don’t want guests leaving your property just because they couldn’t send a few files across due to poor connectivity. Additionally, ensure you have a strong password – cyber security is super important as well!
- Ensure that the distance between the bunker beds is adequate. Guests should not bump their heads onto the ceiling of the above bunker bed. Plus, they mustn’t feel like there’s not enough space between their bed and the next, which can feel like a lack of personal space.
- Have opaque sliding curtains for better privacy.
- Place your beds in such a way that they’re close to plug points or light lamps. This makes it easier for guests to charge their devices while laying on their beds, and removes the need to invade anyone else’s privacy while trying to charge a phone.
Additional Tips On How To Make Your Hostel Safer For Guests
- Rules from each hostel vary from each other. That’s why it’s important to have a thorough explanation of the rules to your guests beforehand. Your policies on the consumption of alcohol and drugs, check-in/check-out times, breakfast times, kitchen rules, etc have to be understood. This will limit any form of miscommunication from happening.
- Also, instruct your guests about your emergency exit protocols. Have them posted in the common area, and definitely update them on your website.
- To make the atmosphere and their stay even safer, explain to your guests about dangerous areas of the destination, nightlife timings, and safe routes. Your staff should know the city like the back of their hand. This shows the guests you truly care about their safety.
Conclusion
As stated before: safety should be your topmost priority. Your guests will feel comfortable only if they feel safe. By following some of the above tips, you are now equipped on how to make your hostel safer for guests and this will also help you gain the best possible recognition. And always remember: never compromise on quality if safety is at risk.
