Top 5 Things Your Hotel Panic Button Must Have

October 22, 2020

5minute read

Hotel panic buttons are a must-have for hotels for worker safety. And while some brands, cities and management companies have started mandating them, others are waiting to see what best products and practices are. The deadline for implementation has in some cases been extended from January 1, 2021, to 2022, but that doesn’t mean hotel worker safety shouldn’t be an immediate priority. Panic buttons are a must-have line item hotels need to cover, and a significant one at that.

The confusion over panic buttons:

While hospitality technology grows with need, it isn’t always an across the board need or solution. More than that, since panic buttons are a new requirement, there isn’t a lot of research about what will work best – folks just know they need to get something that works, period. And while there are many existing options, they’re often overpriced and not always reliable. Moreover, existing solutions require extensive setup and overhead. And they’re not at all flexible, so if regulations change again, you’re stuck with something unwieldy and pricey to boot.

The Relay difference:

If you’re looking for a solution that’s compliant, affordable and efficient – you’ve come to the right place. Relay is an easy to deploy, flexible panic button. Best yet, it’s also an elevated communications solution, so you’re combining two critical line items into one (with better value). With Relay, you save money, setup is nonexistent, and you offer hotel staff a practical, easy solution.

Still trying to figure out how this applies to you, your property, and your staff?

Some background on hotel staff safety compliance:

In May 2019, Hospitality.net reported on hotels in Miami Beach, Florida being the first to implement “Employee Safety Devices, AKA Panic Buttons, AKA Staff Alert” devices in all properties. The article then went on to explain the positive domino effect this would have with hotels nationwide then implementing their own employee safety devices. Sadly, a year later many hotel properties are suffering the effects of coronavirus with fewer guests. Unfortunately, Hospitality.net also refers to some industry folks “misrepresenting” the so-called minimum legal requirements of the new regulations. In an article on the topic from earlier this year, Hotel Technology Reports distills the major challenges this way “the problem, rather, is the inability to cope with change when it comes.”

In the hospitality industry as in the rest of the world, 2020 has been a year filled with unexpected changes. And despite the new regulations being set in place, there hasn’t been active or regular enforcement in the implementation of the new safety solutions for better hotel security.

“Panic buttons are a must-have line item hotels need to cover, and a significant one at that.”

Safety makes (dollars) and sense:

An article on Hotelmogel.com covered some of the reasons to proactively implement better solutions for hotel worker safety, and of course, a lot of it was about the bottom line. The article cited some as looking at purely a financial standpoint in terms of “fines, insurance costs, and reputation effects on ADR or occupancy.” But there was more to the argument. In the article, it also stated that “Wearables that are purpose-built for security empower your team because they now feel safe enough to comfortably interact with all guests.”

Here are the top 5 things your panic button must have and the reasons why Relay offers the best solution:

Easy to deploy: Other setups are difficult, cumbersome, and expensive. You have enough stress without worrying about unsightly (and expensive) wiring and finding a reliable team to outsource the task. It’s annoying, it’s time-consuming and it adds to your overhead cost.
Flexibility: Everyone requires the same result, but they still want their panic system to behave differently. Some people want everyone alerted to a panic, while others prefer a select group. Some hospitality managers require an audible tone when the panic button is triggered, while others choose a silent alarm. Some want a panic button to immediately open a line of communication with the person in distress, others don’t in case a perpetrator makes them say everything is fine when it’s not. Relay allows you to customize how you want your panic button to behave. It also allows for modification depending on what you need and when.
Future-proof: There’s no pain quite like researching and investing in a massive upgrade to your property only to find that it’s outdated by the time it’s installed. Panic buttons are a new requirement and as such, things will probably change along the way. Because Relay runs on a flexible software system, it was designed to be future-proof and adapt to new changes in regulation or rules. Once you choose Relay, you know longer have to worry that it will be outdated. We update as we go so you don’t have to, even as the rules and regulations may change.
Affordable: Let’s be honest, the vast majority of existing systems are prohibitive to the point of being unaffordable, especially for smaller or private properties. Relay is priced at 50% less than the majority of our competitors. And you combine required safety features with a twofer of a reliable communications device. Why pay for two systems when you can combine your communication tool for staff along with the required panic button? On a practical level, who wants to lug around two devices when you can use only one? Relay streamlines the process of buying a panic button system and provides all hotel staff with a reliable alternative.
Communication: When someone is in distress, your immediate reaction is to check in and find out what’s wrong and how you can help. Because Relay is a two-part system in one, you can both immediately assess a situation while providing comfort or assurance. You’ll also immediately know whether it’s a false alarm, an unruly guest, or something else entirely. Being able to assure someone while acting immediately to address any safety needs is priceless. Why waste time on a clunky system that may or may not allow someone in distress to immediately ask for help.