Fall 2017

16  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Fall 2017 enforcement may also be willing to partner to train staff. “The crux of the training is learning to spot potential instances of trafficking and reporting it to authorities,” Kalkut says. Those signs may differ depending on a hotel employee’s role. A security guard has a distinct perspective of a hotel’s operations, as does a housekeeper. Front desk staff with access to a hotel’s reservation system can be a resource in spotting booking trends that point to sex trafficking patterns. Learning the signs of trafficking is half the equation. Hotel employees must be aware of—and comfortable with—the protocols for reporting suspect trafficking activity. Fran Hughes of ITP emphasizes this step, and the importance of fostering an environment where employees know where to turn and feel safe speaking up. “What’s the chain of command? How should this be escalated through the business?” Hughes notes. “I think hoteliers need to be sure that the correct procedures are followed so that the correct authorities can come into play.” When in doubt, hoteliers should report the information, and leave investigation decisions to law enforcement, according to Craig Kalkut of AHLA. “The police are there to make those decisions over whether there is enough cause for concern or enough evidence to intercede,” Kalkut says. In the end, hoteliers need not be alone in the fight against trafficking. Nonprofits, government agencies, and fellow hoteliers work together and share resources and best practices for tackling an issue that is too big for any one company to take on alone, Hughes says. “If we move together, nobody feels compromised and nobody feels unduly challenged,” Hughes explains. “We raise the standards of the industry on what has been identified as one of the key issues.”  • This article originally appeared in the July 2017 issue of LODGING magazine. Taking on Trafficking, cont.