LONDON, July 30 /PRNewswire/ --

Security standards in the international hospitality industry need to be
urgently reviewed in response to the growing global terrorist threat. In the
last twelve months, the number of deadly attacks on luxury hotels has
accelerated significantly, and the bombings of the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott
hotels in Jakarta a couple of weeks ago highlight yet again how urgent this
need has become.

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In response to this evolving situation, Frost & Sullivan has developed a
Security Excellence Programme designed specifically for the global
hospitality sector. As Frost & Sullivan Partner, Dorman Followwill, explains:

"The primary goal of this programme is to produce objective, quantifiable
and independent data on the security level at any particular hotel, factoring
in a wide range of key variables. The specific details of a security risk
assessment always remain confidential on completion to each individual hotel.
However, in the longer-term, we plan to develop an industry-wide rating
system in collaboration with key industry associations and global hotel
chains, which can be made available to a restricted group of accredited users
such as travel agencies, corporations, insurance agencies and governments to
assist their understanding of the security options available to travellers
worldwide."

Partnering with Frost & Sullivan in this challenging undertaking is
international counter-terrorism consultancy SDS Group (part of AIM-listed
Pentagon Protection plc), whose technical director, Dr. John Wyatt, MBE, is
United Nations Blast Consultant for Europe and North Africa. As the first
step in the new joint initiative, Frost & Sullivan and the SDS Group have
published a white paper entitled "Improving Hotel Security in Today's
Unpredictable Global Environment."

Hotel Security Assessment Reports

To answer growing demands for hotel security provisions to be reviewed,
Frost & Sullivan is working with luxury hotels worldwide to carry out
comprehensive surveys of the status and standard of security measures in
place. Mr. Followwill outlines:

"Each of our clients can request a Security Excellence Survey of their
hotel or hotel chain, and receive an in-depth confidential assessment
detailing the key findings of the survey. These include individual ratings by
specific security category, such as type of structure, glazing format,
perimeter protection, access control, security camera effectiveness,
emergency planning, staff capabilities, etc. Frost & Sullivan also plans to
extend its exclusive 'Best Practices Awards' system into the sector by
formally recognising hotels implementing 'best-of-breed' security practices.
Our long-term aim is to assist the global hospitality industry to adopt those
security practices that provide the highest levels of guest and staff
protection possible in today's unpredictable world."

Hotel Security Manager Training Courses

In addition to risk assessment surveys of individual hotels around the
world, Frost & Sullivan and the SDS Group are also offering in-depth training
courses for Hotel Security Managers and other key personnel, featuring expert
instructors with hands-on experience of securing hotels and other high-value
soft targets. The training courses build upon and extend significantly the
advice being supplied to hotels by police and government authorities by
providing practical details on how to improve security measures throughout
the hotel environment and how to deal with emergency situations should they
occur.

Three day Hotel Security Manager Training Courses are held every month in
London, with places still available on courses scheduled for 21-23 September;
19-21 October; 16-18 November and 14-16 December.

For further information on Frost & Sullivan's Hotel Security Excellence
Programme, to register for the training courses and to receive a copy of the
white paper on "Improving Hotel Security in Today's Unpredictable Global
Environment", please contact Chiara Carella, Corporate Communications, at
chiara.carella@frost.com.

You may also visit the website http://www.hser.info.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to
accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation
and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and
the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to
drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth
strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in
partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment
community from more than 35 offices on six continents. To join our Growth
Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.

Contact:
    Chiara Carella
    Corporate Communications - Europe
    P: +44(0)20-7343-8314
    M: +44(0)753-3017689
    E: chiara.carella@frost.com



http://www.frost.com