As a hotel owner, you will have many responsibilities, from hiring staff to overseeing that all the bills are paid on time and making crucial decisions. Of those crucial decisions, one that you need to make is about how you can ensure the safety of your staff and guests in the hotel. You need to ensure that there are emergency exits and fire alarms, that these are in working order,as well as whether the food and beverage services are following the appropriate safety guides. However, it’s not just the inside of the hotel you need to concern yourself with; it is also the outside. There are many ways safety could be compromised outside, but there is one way to minimize the chances of incidents happening: bollards.
What are bollards?
A bollard is extremely recognizable. It is a short yet very sturdy, vertical post, and originally it only had one purpose. It would sit on the deck of a ship (sometimes a quayside) so that the rope for the ship could securely hold the boat in place. However, bollards have advanced over the years, and they are no longer only used by sailors. Instead, you can find a variety of bollards that sit outside hotels, shopping malls, hospitals, and more, coming in all shapes, sizes, and styles.
Why do you need bollards?
There is one very simple reason why you need bollards outside your hotel: they offer the ultimate safety outside the front (or back) of your hotel. They can stop unauthorized vehicles from coming over the threshold of your property and potentially damaging your building, which will give you peace of mind 24/7 that your hotel isn’t at risk.
Having security such as this in place, combined with other security methods, including suitable parking systems and turnstiles, will ensure that every inch of your outside space is protected as it should be. In addition, you may also want to consider fire extinguisher hire to provide an extra layer of safety for your staff and guests in case of a fire emergency.
However, bollards do more than just provide security; they can act as a deterrent to people. You will often find a line of them blocking off an area of ground, sometimes to protect landscaping, but other times it could be to keep a path clear because it is a fire assembly area. When somebody sees this, they will automatically know going beyond this line of bollards is not allowed. If you want to protect your landscaping around your hotel or keep the fire path area clear, then bollards will do the job just fine.
Choosing a bollard
You can’t just choose any bollard; you need to know that the bollards you put in place will be sufficient for what you want to do. For example, would fixed bollards in place be more appropriate than retractable ones? If you want 24/7 protection, then fixed bollards seem to be the more sensible decision. However, if you want to allow access for delivery drivers or staff members, retractable ones could work better.
You will also need to ensure that your bollard has been through vigorous testing so that it will be able to provide you with the protection you need. What is the point in having bollards that are car or van can barge through? There isn’t, so make sure that you take the time to learn what testing regime the bollards have been through to ensure ultimate peace of mind.
If the thought of having bollards outside the front of your building, which you worked so hard to perfect, concerns you about the overall look, then take this into consideration when choosing bollards. You will find that many accommodate a more aesthetically pleasing look.
