Hotel and Serviced Accommodation Accreditation

In an increasingly uncertain world, business travellers face unique challenges. Whilst many public arenas such as airports, sports stadia, museums and train stations limit access to ticket holders or require security checks, hotels remain easily accessible indoor areas. Recent high-profile incidents have thrown a sharp focus on hotel security and the need for robust travel risk management, particularly for those on business trips.

GSA provides an independent global standard for hotel and serviced accommodation security, considered to be the most comprehensive and effective security standard in the world. The standard has been established and maintained by vastly experienced former specialist police officers, counter terrorism experts, military and international security experts.

GSA’s expertise and experience reflected in our standards for the hotel industry, provide peace of mind for organisations and their travelling employees.

A Global Security Standard for the Hotel and Serviced Apartment Industry

Until now, hotel and other accommodation security could not be assessed against a common standard. At GSA we believe that it is essential that worldwide, hotel security standards are transparent and measurable like other areas of accommodation service.

While many hotels invest in good levels of security, this investment goes unrecognised because clients cannot identify those who have put in place effective security arrangements. GSA provides the world’s first truly independent standard and assessment system for hotel security that enables hotels to demonstrate their investment and to assure accommodation users.

A GSA certificate enables hotels to secure greater benefits from their investment in security, and business travellers and corporate travel managers to make more informed safety choices.

The GSA Security Assessment Standards

Our standards are risk-based and designed to ensure a consistent, appropriate level of security, having taken the unique environment and risk profile of individual hotels and serviced accommodation into account.

The standards underpin three core categories of hotel and services accommodation security:

CORE CATEGORY 1

Strategic Planning, Policy and Procedure

· Standard 1: Maintaining security through strategic security planning

· Standard 2: Maintaining security through the effective management of security policies and procedures

CORE CATEGORY 2

Physical and Technical Security

· Standard 3: Maintaining the security of perimeters, carparks and hotel areas

· Standard 4: Maintaining security using surveillance, lighting and alarm systems

· Standard 5: Maintaining security through the control of access for staff, contractors and visitors to hotel areas

CORE CATEGORY 3

Workforce

· Standard 6: Maintaining security through the effective staff vetting, training, and management

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How were the GSA security standards designed?

Staff and leaders at GSA have extensive security expertise and engaged comprehensively with the hotel sector, governments, and other security experts to identify global good practice. All major security breaches at hotels globally were assessed for lessons learned. The information was analysed and the standards designed and tested with the hotel industry before being submitted for formal accreditation by a UK Government Ofqual– regulated awarding body which operates in the security sector.

If a hotel has 5 stars doesn’t that mean it will have good security?

Not necessarily. The star system equates to a range of guest enhancements but not security. Whilst many 5-star hotels will have more security infrastructure and some will have excellent security, some will not. The star rating system does not assess security standards.

Apart from GSA’s Accreditation, how would I check if a hotel has good security?

All hotels claim their security is good but, currently, there is no way to remotely and reliably verify those claims, which is why we developed the GSA standards. You can check ‘on-line’ how good the food is, how polite the staff are, how comfortable the rooms are, and environmental sustainability, but not security. GSA standards provide independent assurance that the hotel’s claims about its security are valid.

As a hotelier, what are the benefits for having my hotel accredited by GSA?

Hotels complete many questionnaires explaining their level of security and are regularly visited for security checks by corporate clients. GSA’s accreditation provides hotel management, and their stakeholders, with independent assurance that the measures in place are appropriate for the level of risk. The accreditation report validates why the standards have been met and, where appropriate, offers practical, cost-effective recommendations as to how security should be improved. Also, travellers are increasingly aware that their security is their highest concern, so accredited hotels are attractive to them and essential to meet corporate clients’ duty of care to their staff. GSA’s assessment report will also be interest to TMCs for this reason. GSA accreditation differentiates hotels from competitors, offering strong potential for increased occupancy rates and reduced insurance premiums.

Who actually undertakes the inspection for GSA?

Our assessors are all physical security experts, normally having extensive police or military backgrounds. They are supported by our in-house specialist cyber team, open-source intelligence analysts, and our vetting team, to provide a comprehensive and rigorous approach to hotel/accommodation. They are commercially aware and strive to balance rigour with practical advice.

Is there any international standard for hotel security?

No, which is why GSA has developed the standards. In 2021, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published an international standard for travel security management (ISO 31030) which urges travel risk/security professionals to ensure security standards are adequate according to risk profile. An additional guidance standard for youth/education travel – ISO 30031– was published by ISO in 2024, and further travel-related standards are expected over the next two years. All place emphasis on the importance of accommodation security.