Standing out from the crowd
Cinnamon Red has sought to distinguish itself as a brand that places customers, employees, and the community at the heart of its business decisions. A stay with the hotel is marked by a commitment to make things as smooth as possible.
Part of that process is ensuring staff and guests feel safe and secure in the hotel. When the Sri Lankan Easter bombings happened in 2019 – which saw three luxury hotels in Colombo targeted by ISIS – that commitment was brought into sharp focus.
Cinnamon Red already has a high level of commitment to staff and guest security. It carried out monthly internal audits to ensure its safety and security processes were of a high standard but, keen to ensure it was operating at the highest possible levels, the brand enlisted GSA’s expertise and support as an independent external safety and security assessor.
The approach
Cinnamon Red undertook GSA Global’s security accreditation for hotels and serviced accommodation, as a demonstration that it considers security management as a key priority.
The GSA Global accreditation has been developed as an independent international assessment for hotel safety and security. It is the ultimate seal of approval for hotels and serviced apartments wishing to demonstrate high levels of security credentials. Assessors complete a risk assessment unique to the specific accommodation, taking into consideration the likelihood and impact of national, regional and local security risks. This is either managed through an evidence-based online process, undertaken virtually through a bespoke web-based software platform, or a full on-site inspection. GSA Global makes pragmatic recommendations to enhance existing practices and procedures as well as potential new initiatives.
One of our trained assessors conducted the assessment of Cinnamon Red’s current security processes and procedures. This included interviewing staff then cross-referencing their reviews to identify any pain points that needed to be remedied. Once the assessor was confident best-in-class standards had been met, Cinnamon Red was issued the independent GSA Global accreditation certificate.
In the wake of ISO 31030, the first international travel risk management standard, more multinationals are requesting detailed information around a hotel’s security standards when selecting preferred suppliers, so having the GSA Global accreditation is an important part of delivering duty of care reassurance to customers and prospective corporate travel managers.
“Sri Lanka is one of the countries that has experienced a terrorist attack on its hotels. Naturally enough there are significant corporate concerns to address for hotels in the country considering this incident. Local and international customers want to know they are in an environment which is safe when they come and stay with us and it is our responsibility to demonstrate exceptionally high levels of safety and security. That is why it was vital for us to receive accreditation from a respected international third party”, explained Shohan Tanderim, Director of Sales & Marketing at Cinnamon City Hotels.
“When we began working with GSA Global, we knew straight away we were in safe hands. As well as being incredibly professional throughout the process, GSA Global’s invaluable insights have allowed us to see what global firms are looking for during the selection process and tailor our property to ensure our standards meet those requirements. We cannot recommend the process enough.”
The result
Cinnamon Red’s accreditation gives its staff and customers assurance that its security measures are delivered to an extremely high standard. This, in turn, helps Cinnamon Red Hotel address the security requirements in RFPs from corporates with travelling workforces.
The GSA Global team has agreed to meet with Cinnamon Red regularly throughout the year to review the level of uptake through RFPs following the accreditation, something that is key to demonstrating the return on investment of GSA Global accreditation.
