I recently came across an article about New Jersey mandating panic buttons in hotel rooms and I couldn’t agree more. I also wonder why a panic button wouldn’t be a fixture anyway?
“The hotel workers and union officials present described their experiences of being physically and verbally harassed in the course of their daily work.” While the case was made with consideration of housekeeping in mind, it’s also a no brainer for a host of other reasons.
In addition to hotel employees needing assistance, hotel guests may need assistance for some of the same violent reasons, if someone is ill and needs immediate assistance, or they are trapped in their room.
Funny, not so funny story: My husband and I stayed at a resort in Jamaica in one of their hillside villas. Upon arriving at our room and looking around I noticed a red button on the wall next to the bed and light switch. It had no sign on it, so naturally, I pushed it. Nothing happened so, I pushed it again, a few times. A few minutes later, hotel security arrived at our door. My husband answered the door and they asked, “where is your wife” and insisted on seeing and speaking to me. My husband explained that I had gotten into the shower. They insisted on seeing and speaking to me. I came out, they took me to the side, away from my husband and questioned me about my well being. I really had to convince them that I was the goofball who kept pressing the button because I was curious as to its function and that my husband was not abusing me. Needless to say, my husband was not happy about the situation, even though we laugh about it now.
I have stayed in many hotels, in many destinations, and the one thing I have noticed over time is, especially since the advent of cell phones, the phone is difficult to figure out. I’ve had phones with programmed buttons that don’t work, missing phone guides to tell you how to use the telephone for internal and external calls, phones with no manuals on them, and phones that don’t work at all.
It’s quite disturbing that there are no instructions for reaching security or the front desk, “in case of emergency” except for exiting the hotel (you know, that post on the door with instructions on exiting in case of a fire). Some hotels don’t have an operator service and if the front is busy, your call may not be answered. I recall on occasion, going to the front desk out of frustration because I couldn’t get anyone on the phone or calling the front desk to ask how to use call another room or housekeeping, or for room service. Which, by the way, is one they usually make sure you have access to.
Again, with the advent of cell phones and wi-fi, communication has changed hotels phone importance, except, they’ve forgotten and neglected the need for “in case of emergency, aka ICE”. The panic button could either be on the wall or built into the phone system to call hotel security, the front desk or even local authority.
I’m just saying…. what do you think? Should hotels have a panic button?
Ja’Vonne Harley, aka, The Traveling Culturati