THE HOTEL IN OPERATIONS

Created: 9/1/1965

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

STUDIES IN p.

INTELLIGENCE

A collection ol articles on ihe historical, operational, doctrinal, and theoretical aspects ol

All statements of fact, opinion or analysis expressed in Studies tn Intelligence are those of

the authors They do not necessarily reflect official positions or views of the Central Intelligence Agency or any other US Govenirnent entity, past or present Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying US Govxrruiieni endorsement of an article's factual statements and interprcutions

Catalog of opportunities and hazards in itandatdizedroutine.

THE HOTEL IN OPERATIONS June* J. Lagronc

Hotels have been used for years by case officers tor meetings and other purposes, but tbe recent world-wide prolifentfoo of larger and more modern hotels, often used by the local governments for official meetings and state sis)ton. has mcreased operational Interest in them.ase officer knows the basic ryrtems and opera ting procedurciotel be Is working In or against, he Is more likely to be able to do the fob without attracting attention.otel staff Is rarefy looking for wteUigence activities as such, ft is constantly oo the lookout for bad credit risks, thieves, seiual deviates, organized prostitution, and any activities that may disturb the guests or damage tbe hotel physically, In watching for such things, an alert employee can easily tripase officer who throughor Ignorance attracts undue attention.

Tbe following describes the systems used by large hotels to check and control their guests and then examines the staff positions from the viewpoint of tbe desirability of different employees as agents for operational tasks. Any hotel of moreooms wiDhave procedures which more or less parallel those discussediven hotel may be more strictly or more laxly run, but It would be wise always to assume full application of the control procedures.maller hotel, with fewer guestsighter staff, ft can be assumed that little passes unnoticed. (An exception issi)l' motel, whose layout complicates control andt is safe to say, then, that any hazard pointed out in the following paragraphs will be even more difficultase officermaller establishment

Routine on

On arrival tbe guest Gilsegistration form giving his name, address, passport number, etc. (In some countries be must still turn over tbe passporthort time for registration wftb the local police.) This information tbe front office staff transfers to an ac-

counting card,olio, used to record charges made to the guest during his stay. The ribbon copy of the folio goes to the cashier or credit department,arbon is retained by tbe front deskard-index file usuallyoom rack.

If any problemoom comes to the Assistant Managers attention, the room rack is immediately checked to see who is in the room and what he represents. The Information on tbe folio can thus be of critical importance in reassuring the management bo that it lets the matter drop there or causing ft to investigate further. For no single slight Irregularity is likely toazard for the case officer, but mysterious noises or comings and goings from his room might, in combination with poor credit implications on his card, leadhorough tavestigatton. Some of the credit Indications and other features of the folios content arc the following:

Name and address. Many hotelsheir credit offices phone directories of every largeurope, Canada, and the United States.uest's name does not show up in the appropriate phone book it Is not seriously damaging, but ft does not help his creditictitious company name or business address would naturally be worse.

Reservations. The folio recordseservation had been made before arrival If the case officer can plan ahead the time he Is to spendotel, ft Is well worth his effort to make asome time In advance, preferablyravel agency as backing for his credit status. Next best is to make the reservation personally by mail oreek or so ahead. But even oneay or two before arrival gives status betteralk-ins.

Room choice and price. It Is an axiom in the ltotel business that occupants of tbe higher-priced rooms (particularly the corner suites, which are often used for entertainment) can get away with more noise and strange activity than ordinary guests. One should behowever, not to take an expensive room without proper attention to the establishmentood credit impression, for high charges against an undetermined credit rating will arouse the concern of any credit manager.

Credit cards. The room clerk will often tactfully ask for these on registration. If not, the case officer would do well to show them casually, if oho situation allows,ood way of establishing his credit and avoiding the prying eyes of the credit manager. He does not have to chargeredit card, fust let the front desk record

tha data. He could evenalse credit card on arrival aod then settle bis bill by cash when leaving.

Luggage. The old jokra about one-night standiat-box for Ihe girloothbrush for tbe man are really quite true; the rotation light luggage"arning signal ha allsually the room clerk or tbe bellman reports this condition to the Assistant Manager on duty or the Night Manager, and anade on the room nek folio. The case officer couldtoryissed plane or tome other eaplanatton;uitcase, even filled with .nothing but dirty clothes, would avoid the whole issue.

Special arrangements. In Urge hotels ft ts more coeomoo than may bo recognized that "special arrangements* are madeuest These may coo con diet,-laundry service,ide range ofOne of operational Interest provides for holding Incoming telephone calls and informing the guest who It calling. Anotherno irJarmaboo* arrangement: ft is noted oo the room rack and at the telephone switchboard that if anyone inquires for the guest be Is to be told tltece is no record ofequest for this service would not strike the hotel staff as anything out of the ordinary.

and Mrs.oman is involved In the operation and must come to the hotel. It is beet either to have hereparate room or to register her as the case officer's wife. No matter how Improbable the couple, theegistration Is better than none. Hotel managers, acutely aware that lawsuits and other troubles can result from harassment of couples who may turn out to be really rnarriod, normally acceptegistration without prying. But anwoman's comings and goings will be noted by the hotel staff, particularly after early evening (or later If there is an upstairs or roof-bop night dub or restaurant patronized by outsiders J.

Day use. Room occupancy,educed rate, for one day and up to. only is generally encouraged by hotels for the extra revenue it brings In. It Is practiced almost exclusively by businessmen for meetings and other such purposes. As for anyormal reservation, naturallyusiness address, fa desirable. Out-of-town women sometimes take day-use rooms when shopping in the city; but the unaccompanied femaleotel is alwaysmore closelyan. In most hotels tape recorders and typewriters can be rented in conjunction with day-use rooms.ood idea to take advantage of thia service, whether to use tbe

rnachines In oVbriefings, say, or fust lo increase the business at. mospherc of tbe occupancy.

procedures During Oca/panoy

arge hotel, especially Ifull to capacity, one can get away with almost anything forours, short of ooutmucaal foodotel staff is usually stretched very thin when all rooms are occupied, when cerrnionial aflalrs bring fa many dignitaries, or when they are serving large bancroets. Moreover, the management will generally not take any actionuest until ft has monitored his behavioreasonable time.

In going about bis business In his room, the case officer should keep In mind two chief hazards, Ftrrt, tbe ooh/ way to prevent physical entry by members of tbe hotel staff is the chain latch, the ordinary lock being no bar to them Maids, bellnsen, and assistant managers, particularly fa Europe,ommon practice of entering without knocking. Second, whatever the souodproofing of walls, cefhng, and floor, the roameak point In the insulation and the placetaff member! ear will promptly be cocked if suspicion orovused.

Moreover, the staff has legitimate need to enter from time to time, the maids daily.o surer way to draw attentionoom than toDo Not Disturb* notice permanently on the doorknob. After about eight hours it will be brought to the attention of the Head Housekeeper, who may ask the Assistant Manager to make sure no accident has befallen the guest Complete isolation can be arrangederiod by calling the front desk and giving some pretext for nxruestfag freedom from all dlsturbarjcer including phone calls.equest, recorded at the front desk and passed on to theDepartment, will give perhapsours without mterrupOons from the hotel staff.

When the maidoom aha wants to make ft up quickly and get oat; she usually has more work than the can handle. As long as rsothing arouses her special interest, therefore, she will do her fob and leave. (Beware the maid who stops and talks. Shetrict rule tn saying more than "Good day" to aprobablyurpose fa it. to soliciterhaps, or getesponsible, while straightening up the room, for checking evidence (beds, toothbrushes, eta) that two or more people are using one registeredingle. If she sees anything

Tha Hotel

laipiaaus ibc will tcQ her Floor Housekeeper, who wiD report It to the front office. The front office will then usually telephone the occupant or stop him the next timet the desk xod ask whether anyone is staying with Dim. The penalty would usually be only an extra charge for double occupancy, but tbe staff's attention has thus been attracted. It would be better either to register the double or to be careful to remove any evidence before the maid enters.

Because of the theft problem, maids are constantly under dose supervision by the management aad security staffs.hief she will therefore rarely by to open any luggage or even drawers,airly secure ii all telltale equipment and papers are lockedaggage whilehere. If someone must be in the room continuously, be should give tbe maid some excuse* sucheadache. The grapevinextremely fast and effective, and anything unusual will be passed on by word of mouth until ft arouses tbe management's suspicion.uest who remains constantly tn bis room violates oo hotel rule, be thus invites mveatigation.

Room service, laundry boys, and other service personnel wuloom only ifut they ere notoriously observant, and tbe room should be cleared of anything unusual before they are called.

In the matter of serviceslso hazardous to charge too muchotel bilLredit card bat been presented on registering, ft may be ell right toeasonable amount to tbe room; but if credit standing has not been firmly established, any sizablemoren onecome to tbe attention of tbe Credit Manager. It Is his job to review dally any bills that seem to be getting unduly Large. Even with credit established, excesses In the use of room service and charging to the room are bound to attract attention.

ase officer or hisoong time In the bote! so that bis btH wiH be large.nperative that beood credit hnprearion at the outset (This mayarticular problem when an agent's hotelo be paid not by him but byusiness letter making the arrangement Inhe idealbut short ofersonal visit to the Credit Managerarge bill piles up isong stay, an Interim bill mayne's room or front desk letterbox. Tbb isintendedemind er of the size of the account, notard demand for payment But ft is an excellent idea, if you get such a

notice, lo Inform the front desk bow much longer you will be raying and ask if tbey woulddate. This wfllood impresnon on the Credit Manager, who gets some of bis ulcers from guests that are never seen while therr bills run up into the hundreds of dollars.

Noote! can be trusted. During the day, when the operators are busy, calls are only occasionally mcauuxed; but at night, when phono traffic fa light, it is oonrmon for the operators to monitor off caiversatioos, even Internal ones between rooms.calls they usually monitor at all hours of tbe day,when the crarge. are reversed. These practices, tho result of police requirement* and hotel eflorts to control organized prostitution, together withrtty and boredom, are world-wide. The rule about Increased snooping at night applies, ir^sdentally.er employees than the operators: the staff tends to be busy during the day with Its regular work, but its InquisinVeness and opacity for observation go up sharplyan. and rsractically double after ten.

uest fall under suspicion for any reason, the usualb as MM The Assistantlerted during the day, or the Night Manager at night Before taking any action, betries to verify whatever was reported by sending hotel security officer! to cheek the room involved. If theccupied they will listen outside andurveillance in the hall (usuallynear the elevators as if waitingf they think that something may be wrong, the Assistant Manager will then come to usquire or investigateoing on inside.

The case officer's best defense against such anf course to avoid creating any suspicion ta the first place. But If the Assistant Manager or Night Manager presents hiirsieif at the door, reasonable answers to any cmestions will usually end the inquiry. The miportance of the oftrsa^orgctten coverearly evident here. If rsothrng elseasto show pureemand for the Manager will at least win some time, for even at this stage the hotel staff wfjl be nervous about pushing tooistake would be very hard for them to captain, and people staying tn large botch often bare money and connections.old front can stop the Assistant or Night Manager at the door and force him to get tbe Manager or the police, or both, in order to gain entry.

oom Is unoccupied when tbe mvestlgatlon Is first mounted, ft may be entered and searched. Then If luspidons appear to beft might be double-lockedpecial key that turns tbe night latch from the outside and prevents the guest from reentering on his own. Soase officer returns to his room and finds that his key wiD no longer open tbe door, ft may mean that It has beendouble-locked- He then has tbe choice of going down to the front desk,roblem could be waiting, or skipping out and abaodorifng whatever effects he has to the room.

Key* and Security

Hotel keys are usually controlled by tha Manager'i office or the Security fJepartment There are the following types:

Cmnd Master. Thb key wtH open all tbe rooms In tbe hotelontrolled as ttricdy as possible; only the Manager and Department Heads have copies of their own. The Night and Asristant Managers share one, passingrom one to another as they come on duty.

Floor Matter.he key tbe maids cany; ft opens all guest rooms on one Boor. Each maidey from the Housekeeping Department office when she itarts work, carries ft fastened around her waist, and turnst the end of ber ablft

Section Master. Usually mtended for maintenance workers, this key opens all milntenance doors tn one area. Copies are controlled by the Engirscorfng Department

Room Keys. These are controlled by the front desk; there are usually at least four for each room.

Individual hotel locks can usually beaximum of four times before the grand matter has to berohibitively expensive fob. Id practice the individual locks are mfrequently changed even when copies of the keys are lost.n excellent idea to baudxjunction of keysotelf special opendonal mtereet By billeting staff personnel transients, and agent contacts in it you canoodwtaanrmienteriod of time. Each key means at least entry to one room, and enough keys from one floor may gtve an expert locsoanJfh the dues be needs tothe floor master. If enough floors are represented In the collection, even the grand roaster can bo fabricated.

Although the reguUtioni of most large hotels clearly provide for strict control of keys, the strictness varies widely to different hotels

to enforcement measures taken by the Manager and the Chief Security Officer. Since keys become ttatui symbol* among the hotel staff they tend to show up in tbe possession of some personnel not entitled to them, but hist what irregularities one might find fa an individual hotel cannot be predicted.

Theurity forces almost always have dose links with the local police; the Chief Security Officer and most of bis staff arecx-pc4lcerrxxL The two groups exchange iniormatioo regularly. and the local authorities seldom take any notion In the hotel without the knowledge and exsoperanoo of the Chief Security Officer. Tbe Security rVpartmen!wofold mission, to protect the bote! and to protect the guests; and Hi staff is divided into two corresponding sections. Those guarding the hotel usually have uniforms, whale those concerned with guest relations more often wear plain clothes or fnoorstpicnous jackets supplied by the hotel, lhe plain-dothes types, nevertheless, areule easfry rrcogntrable, for they stay tn the lobby Bear the Assistant Manager's desk when not sent off on some special duty, and they stand out prominently when tbeot crowded. Tbe uniformed guards, on the other hand, move about the hotel accordingegular pattern; they are morewith checking mtrances and firo exits and other physical security matt en than with monitoring guests' activities.

In general, the more intelligent officers of the security staff are assigned to the section concerned with guest relations. It Is worth remembering that the status of all the security officers except the Chief is rather low. Although they may pretend to some authority In dealing with guests,ctually. very little that they are empowered to do. They are enry aides to the management and rarely allowed to act todepcnderalhr. Although they are often notest to assume they are.

The position of "houseore or less peculiar to the United States. It is often filledicensed private investigator. He may beonsiderable fndepcndrsice of action compared with ordinary security officers, andenerally armed.

Agent Potential

It would of course be highly desirable toecruitment on the staff of any hotel regardedarget in audio or other operations. (Thiso evident that wo must assume other mtelligrncnn the area will also be trying to acquire assets oo tbe ataff.)

The Hotel

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The following paragraphs describe in tome detail the attributes of the various positions, their work runctions. their status to thesetup, and their potential for intelligence purposes. It will be noted that none of the pemtioos from tbe "back of tbe bouse* are included, such ai those in tbe kitchen, restaurants, or steward department These, which usually have little or no access to upper floors of the hotel, are not worth examining

Before wc proceed to look at tbe Individual podtJraki, we shouldew characteristics of hotel staffs tn general The pay for hotel employees Is fairly low at practically all levels. By giving free meals and supplying uniforms hotels are often able to offer lower salaries than they would otherwise have to. This situation increases the Importance of the practice of tipping. Throughout the entire" spectrum of hotel transactions, various kinds of rips, kickbacks, and ei-anmlitioni are customary. Some ore more overt than others, but personnel from the Manager down to tho restaurant bus boy are accustomed toonetary reward for any extra service. This being the case, the typical hotel employee exhibits twocharacteristics: he is usually short of money, and be expects to make extra Income by performing various services for superiors or guests. He therefore might tend to be more susceptible, toby intelligence officers and perhaps easier to recruit and control than many other employee types of comparable operational interest

Front Desk and Office

Room Clerk.he man behind the front desk who registers new guests. He must be presentable and fairly fluent tn languages spoken by tbe hotel's usual clientele. Oftenoung man, just starting out in the business; and receives very utile pay. His status in theatherlittle higher than aand be has no authorized access to keys or rooms. He can be useful, however, tn that be knowsn the hotel, when VTPs will arrive, and which rooms they probably wfH occupy. He also has enough latitude In room assignments to placedmaxy guestoom of hb choice. He fa usually well plugged into the hotel grapevine and knows many details about tbe activities of guests and staff alike.

Senior Night Clerk. Usually the most competent room clerk, be has command of the front deck during tbeosition in which be works closely with the Night Manages. His duties are more

extensive than those of an ordinary room clerk; he may even look into minor trouble* In upstair* rooms if the Night Manager wishes-He has do official access to keys but can get any key he desireshort period. He has tbe operational potentialoom clerkegree of nubility at night that would make him more useful than the latter.

Front Office Manager. Thb fa tbe head man behind the front desk. He usuallyormal day and fa not hi tha hotel at nightepartment head, he has his own grand master key and may move through the hotel at his discretion without question. Usually, however, his job keeps him tied to ths) front office. Besides having tornewhat better acorn fn the hotel than bit subordinates, he attends the top managements monthly or weekly meetings where the hotels

activities are reviewed and discussed.

ervian

Bellman. Although traditionally the eyes and earsotel, the bellman fa not ordinarily an attractive agent prospect He spends much of hb time hi the lobby, leaving it cash/ on specific errands such as carrying luggage for tbe guests. Any long absence would come to tbe attention of his fellow bellmen and his Captain or HeadHe has no direct access to keys, receiving room keys only in connection with check-ins andloor matter from the dplain for delivering or getting somethingoom. His pay fs very small, but tips still rrsake the fob attractive. His greatest potential for operations lies fn the fact that he is somehow always tuned to the grapevine andast amount about the hotel, staff, and guests. One drawback to using him fa that management watches him constantly for signs of theft, graft, or pimping.

Head BeThnan or Bell Captain. This fa an operationally interesting position whose incumbent Ordinarily has contacts for getting anything the hotels guests maytickets, plane reservations, special restaurant tables, rented cars, guides, women. These activities of his are usually known to tha management; be operates with their blessing. Thus be has both eatensrve connections on the outsideood deal of authority within tbe hotel, particularly at lower levels. He receives many kinds of favors and kickbacks and makes in all good money. Moreover, helose eye on the activities of the service staff, bellmen, elevator operators, and doormen, using aa iron hand to prevent their engaging fn any of his sidelines with the guests. Ho does not oirlinariry have accessrand master

The Ho (el

key but has tho Dczt best tiling; copies of tbe floor masters arc kept at bis ration tor bell service to all guest rooms. Although he himself seldom has reason to leave tbe lobby or gouest's room, bis authority over the other bellmen might make him an ideal primary agent. With the right operational flair, be could get his subordinates to carry out mtelligcncc tasks without difficulty, for he alone controls their activities.

Room Service. Room service personnel do not have tbe highas recruits they might seem to at fast glance. These waiters are under the strict control of tbepecial Room Servicethe Chief Steward,ous-chef always keeps an eye on their activities, especially the amount of time they spend away from the kitchen. None of the waiters has access to keys, and all are watchedclosely by hotel security for signs of thieving. Their only realpotential lies in being tuned to the hotel grapevine and being able to enter guests' rooms upon routine request.

Housekeeping Department

Maid. Like the room service waiters, hotel maids would seem promising as agents; they spend most of every day inside guests' rooms. There are several cracks, however, in this initial picture-In any hotel tbe maid is one of the most carefully watched employees because of her unusually good opportunities to engage in petty theft, spotting for real burglary, and prostitution. She rarely controls which floor she will work on any given day, being assigned where she is most needed. She usuallyloor master for the area, as many as IS toooms on one or two floors. The Floor Housekeepers arc responsible for keeping each maid under close supervision while she works and for checking her workaid is likely to be not overly intelligent and is relatively expendable; she can be fired without much ceremony if her Immediate superiors are at allwith her work. In summary, both her low status on tbe staff and tbe closeness with which she is watched limit her utility.

Floor Housekeeper. Thisenior maid who controls several floors during the day, overseeing the ordinary maids there. She makes out various daily reports for the housekeeping and front offices,rooms occupied, the number of people in each room, and other data. Siteut ox two above her maids in natural ability and is usually experienced in the hotel as well. Unlike the maids, she always supervises the same floor. Her access to keys isar with other

masters for ber area. Herather low. She has an operational potential similar to thatcD Captain in coo-trolling the activities of several maids. But she has more mobility herself aod can enter guests' rooms oo her floors with comparative ease. Within the limits of her Boor assignment, her access bonly by tbe Head Housekeeper's.

Night Maid, Night Floor Housekeeper. These perform the tame general duties as their daytime counterparts, but titers are usually fewer of them. This means that they will ordinarily have larger areas of access and be freer from direct supervision.

Head Housekeeper. This seems to be one of tbe best positions tn the hotel for operational exploitation. Thelways filledoman, usually one betweenften she wfll have got her experience In other hotels, and she may even be entirely foreign to tbe country, having been brought In especially to fiH this fob, considered quite an important one by hotel management Thus she may belong to the small segment of the staff which bnot Just recruited from local labor sources. She may bedivorced, or single; she usually lives In the hotel. Sheoman of the world than other women oo the staff and more susceptible to approach and cultivationaid.

epartment head, the Head Housekeeper has her own grand master key.ery knowledgeable of hotel activities andAbove .ill. she has unlimited access to the guest floors and need never explain her doings there, for she must keep constant check oo the Floor Housekeepers' and maids* performance. Anything the maids or Floor Housekeepers report concerning the guests comes to ber before anyone else, and at ber discretion she may deal with it herself or pass rt to the Assistant Manager. Another noteworthyhat she controls all room furnishings, lamps, and appliances, which are replaced by her department as necessary. Herf such importance tn the hotel and her cooperation with Security so close In controlling the maids that sitelmost Immune from security observation.% access to the guest rooms fa, bow-ever, pretty much limited to daytime; the rarely works at night

Management

Assistant Managers. Thisomewhat ambiguous, ranginglorified floorwalker's in some eases to one ranking above the Front Office Manager in others; It all depends on the Manager's

desires. But even when he has do power to tnake amy real decisions, the Assistant Manager rernains one of the more attractive operational targets. During the day be wiD always be In "mtrtal control of the security cancers oo duty and will be the man to whom the Head Housekeeper reports any problems that need investigation upstairs. In addition, he usually rnakoa at least one room inspection daily to check on the Hotisekccplng Department, list access to keys is Dot as good as thatepartment head, tn that the co-duty grand master which bearsed to bis relief, who must toe and sign lor ft But during his time on duty each Assistant Manager has complete control of the key. His position in tbe top echelon ofthough at the bottom ofgives himit of freedom from direct supervision. His superior may bebe Executive Assistant Manager or the Front Office Manager,oo tbe hotels policy, but be has mora orree hand to deal. Jug with daily problems, calling to his superiors only If something quite serious occurs. His pay Is usually the lowest at management level Although be is normally on duty In the front lobby, be is free to visit and Investigate! the upper Boors as the situation requires.

Night Manager. During the day there are usually three or four Assistant Managers who follow one another oo duty somewhat like changesilitary guard. But atan. the Night Manager takes on the combined duties of Manager, Assistant Manager. Front Office Manager, and Chief Security Officer. He thus rolls more functions into one person than any of the other managerial officers. Working at hours when most of tbe remaining staff are off. he has complete control while on duty. It fa evident that he Is one of tbe most pt-omising recruitment targets in any hotel His access with tbe rotating grand master key Is limited cany by the fact that be must not be away from the lobby too longime. Any serious action the hotel takesuest at night is initiated andby the Night Manager. The security officers on duty, hie the rest of the night staff, answer to him for all their activities. He isrofessional of some yean" experience in tbe hotelHo almost invariably likes this position for the freedom of action and decision it gives, and the challenge of handling the many varied problems that developig bote! at night

Executise Assistant Manager. Usually the number twohe hotel, this is another attractive target He has unquestioned access to aD parts of the hotel with bis own grand master key. and

Tho Hotel

be takes pert In ill bote) planning. Thae is operational potential in the fact thatwith only the Manager and the Front Officearrange special accommodations forar-tjcular friends of tbe hotel, and other rpecjal guests. Hislimitations lie hi his very authority, for be is almost too senior on the guest floors and fa tied almost constantly to executive tasks at hit desk.

Manager. Little need be said about the Manager, who, being the top man, is dearly of great interestossible racrurL Hb power is akin to thathip captain, almost absolute. He is personally responsible to the owners for the profitable and orderly functioning of the hold and within that framework is more or less at liberty to run ft as he seas fit. Like anyone Inop management position, however, he is somewhat removed from the hotels day-today routines, and much of his activity will lie outside the hotel proper.

Original document.

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