Security Camera Requirements for Hotels

Whether you’re a pro at installing security systems for hotels or you’re looking into it for the first time, it’s a good idea to know about the security camera requirements for hotels.

It’s essential to have security cameras in your hotel as they deter criminal activity, aid police investigations, and keep everyone safer than they’d be in a hotel that lacks surveillance. 

Keep reading to learn more about the security camera requirements for hotels, including where they are and aren’t allowed. Stay at the top of your surveillance game by following security camera laws and keeping your employees and guests safe at all times. 

What is a Security Camera?

A security camera is a camera placed outside or inside a residential, or commercial building to record and monitor activity while protecting your assets. While you can use security cameras in many places, let’s understand what are the security requirements for hotels, motels or resorts. 

As mentioned above, hotel security cameras are meant to monitor the comings and goings of guests. Many hotels have security rooms where all the cameras are visible on monitors, allowing security guards to monitor multiple areas at once. 

They can communicate with security guards stationed throughout the hotel to stop criminals in action or to keep an eye on areas that might be more at risk for crime. 

Security cameras record live action, storing the footage for later viewing. While security cameras are required, you don’t have to worry about watching the footage unless there’s a guest complaint where it would help, or if you notice suspicious activity in your hotel. Having that footage is especially helpful if you utilize security cameras but don’t employ security guards. 

Where are Security Cameras Required?

For the safety and security of all the guests staying at a hotel, motel, inn, lodge, or any other type of hotel, security cameras are required for public areas. Unless a security system is malfunctioning (which your guest wouldn’t even know), everyone will be on camera from the moment they walk through the lobby doors. 

Those cameras will follow guests to the elevator and down the hallway to their room. Naturally for privacy reasons, cameras will not monitor guests once they are in their room. At that point, privacy is mandated by law. We’ll discuss where security cameras aren’t allowed in the next section.

In addition to the lobby and hallways, security cameras will be in parking lots, and recreation areas such as the pool and gym.

For parking lots, these cameras can be used as evidence for car accidents, stolen cars, and vandalism. Security cameras are essential in pools and sauna rooms in case of an accident resulting in injury or death. 

In this instance, security cameras could provide information about a drowning that no one witnessed. They could also help if someone gets hurt but can’t explain their injuries. 

There are a ton of scenarios where having that security footage could prove vital to a situation. 

Where are Security Cameras Not Allowed?

Now, let’s discuss where security cameras aren’t allowed. As important as it is to protect your hotel and its employees and guests, it’s equally vital to respect privacy where it’s mandated by law. 

It’s against the law for there to be a security camera anywhere in the hotel room. This includes the main area where the bed, TV, and desk are, as well as the bathroom and closet storage space. These areas are considered private, and cameras are not allowed in private places. 

Cameras are also prohibited from recording inside a room. You could install a camera outside a balcony that monitors the parking lot. But you could not install a camera on the balcony that records the inside of the hotel room, as this would violate your guests’ privacy. 

Be careful with cameras that rotate to record different angles. None of those angles should record the inside of a room, which may require careful camera placement. 

Simply put, you should have security cameras in all public areas but not in any private areas. 

Types and Features of Security Cameras

• State-of-the-Art Systems
  • There are multiple security cameras out there, three of which we highly recommend – Verkada, Dahua Technology, and Ubiquiti Networks. These state-of-the-art security systems work with the security camera requirements for hotels, no matter how large or small your hotel may be and are optimized to work with the latest technology. 
• Hybrid Cloud-Video Surveillance
  • We recommend using a hybrid cloud-video surveillance system, which comes with two options – on-site video surveillance storage or cloud-based surveillance storage. The difference? 
  • You can store your surveillance, physically, at your hotel, or you can have it all stored in the cloud if you don’t want surveillance stored on-site or you don’t have room for it. 
• Power over Ethernet (PoE)
  • You’ll also want security cameras with Power over Ethernet (PoE), which will allow them to continue recording if there’s an internet outage. The ethernet will store the footage and upload it to the network after it’s restored. This is essential to prevent the footage from getting lost if there’s a power outage from a storm or something else.
• Real-Time Features
  • Finally, your security system should include features that allow you to go back in time to find specific footage and include real-time analytics and alerts so that you don’t need to watch hours of footage to find something specific. 

Get Your Security System from Groove Technology Solutions

Groove Technology Solutions has the state-of-the-art security surveillance systems you’re looking for to follow security camera requirements for hotels. We offer the best technology to ensure your hotel has exactly what it needs to keep you, your employees, and your guests safe.

Groove Technology Solutions offers same-day estimates for a custom-built solution for your hotel. That means we’ll provide you with an estimate for your specific needs instead of a less helpful generic recommendation. You can request a quote on our website or call us at 385-334-4390 to learn more. 

Let Groove Technology Solutions take care of your hotel security camera system, from providing recommendations to installing your system. Contact us today to get started!