Risk Solutions International LLC: Hospitality & Gaming

Faced with the challenge of providing 24/7 entertainment, food service and accommodations in a safe and secure environment for a demanding clientele, the gaming and hospitality industry recognizes the reputation damage that can be caused by a failure to meet these expectations. Add to this the increasing governmental regulatory burden and the need for reducing operational risk become mandatory.

Terrorism, hurricanes, floods, fires, power failures, labor problems, day-to-day operational issues and normal wear-and-tear on infrastructure and the dimension of the impacts from lack of preparedness assumes an imposing presence. It is little wonder that more and more organizations have dedicated substantial resources to mitigate the cause of disasters and to create incident/crisis management, emergency response and business continuity/disaster recovery plans.

Regulations mandating emergency response
Competitive advantage based upon continuous availability
Operations significantly dependent upon reliable technology
Greater threats to employee and customer safety
Maintenance of continuous operations to meet service requirements
Need for constant surveillance
24/7 access to information is mission critical

Have you satisfied the regulatory requirements for Emergency Management?
Do you have a comprehensive risk transfer strategy combining crisis management, business continuity, emergency management, and insurance?
Are you able to safeguard your clients and employees, critical data, and facilities?
Have you identified the gaps between your current recovery capabilities and your recovery needs?
Have you required your suppliers/vendors to implement a strong and viable business continuity program?
Are you comfortable with your level of privacy and security for personally identifiable information?
Have you created strategies that will allow for the transfer of guests and guest records in the event that a facility becomes uninhabitable or inaccessible?

A major Las Vegas casino/hotel was concerned about its ability to react to an incident that would damage a portion of its property. Specifically, they were concerned about creating a plan that would expedite reconstruction of damaged facilities so as to minimize the time that the property would be unavailable for occupancy. In addition, it was concerned about Nevada regulations mandating emergency response plans. To meet the requirements of this client we proposed an integrated emergency response, business continuity and reconstruction plan. The objectives were to 1) ensure the safety of employees and patrons of the casino/hotel, 2) create a business continuity plan that would provide alternate accommodations and operating facilities and 3) coordinate that plan with the reconstruction of the affected area of the property.

An integrated plan was created. Existing emergency response plans were augmented to ensure that there were floor-by-floor notification and evacuation plans. To ensure expedient reconstruction, floor plans, furnishings and detailed equipment diagrams and specifications were electronically recorded and stored off-site with a reconstruction company that would be available within 12 hours of notification to assess and begin reconstruction. This plan was then linked to the business continuity plan to ensure that, as reconstruction progressed, patrons and operations could be returned to the affected area. This comprehensive, integrated plan more than met the expectations of the client and provided them with the assurance that they would be in a position to respond to the uncertainties they face.

For additional information on Risk Solutions International’s capabilities within the Hospitality and Gaming sectors, please contact Duane A. Lohn at DLohn@rsi-llc.com.