The safety of guests is paramount to hotel operators and this extends to windows. The window safety concerns include falls, unauthorised entry and the need to provide adequate ventilation. To help you to comply with regulations and guidelines read our guide to hotel window safety.

While accidents involving falls from hotel windows are thankfully rare, they are of course tragic for all involved. Unfortunately, wherever there is a window that can be opened there will be a risk of a fall. It only takes a moment for a child to approach an open window while playing, and a fall even from a ground floor window can have fatal and tragic consequences. However it’s not only children who are at risk, adults leaning on or out of windows are also at risk.

Ground floor windows can also pose security issues. It is all too easy for guests in their relaxed mindset to leave their room windows open when they go out for the day. There’s also a risk of windows been forced open by intruders.

In an effort to prevent falls and intrusion hotel operators could lock all windows or move to being a fully air-conditioned hotel, but this isn’t feasible for everyone. Locking all windows also goes against World Health Organisation guidance for natural ventilation through open windows to help combat the spread of COVID-19.

Solutions to Hotel Window Safety
Here at Jackloc, our mission is to keep windows safe and reduce preventable accidents, so we have put together our recommendations for making hotel windows safer.

Our advice is to not be scared of your windows, but instead look for smart solutions that can help keep your guests safe and secure. As part of our ongoing campaign around window safety, we wanted to share our recommendations. Here is our advice on how you can help to keep your hotel windows safe with a few minor alterations:

1: Undertake a review of all of the opening window locations. Look at where are they located, who can access them and assess the risk of a potential fall and whether there’s a potential security problem.

2: Create a plan for reducing any risk, which could include:
a. Moving furniture away from windows
b. Booking families into safer rooms
c. Fitting a secure window restrictor to all windows that can open

What are window restrictors?
Window restrictors can play an important role in hotel window safety. They prevent windows from fully opening while allowing for adequate ventilation. It’s recommended that window restrictors be fitted in a way that prevents windows from opening more than 100mm.

When we consider that many falls from hotel windows occur because guests lean on them, causing them to open too wide, or out of them (to smoke for example) and lose their balance – it’s easy to see how a window restrictor would prevent falls in these situations.

If you plan to fit window restrictors, here are some tips to consider:

  • Make sure that the window restrictors are independently tested to exceed ALL elements of British Standards tests for window restrictors, BS EN14351-1:2006 and BS EN13126-5:2011
  • If you’re looking to improve security for ground floor windows, look at window restrictors which are tested by the crime prevention experts Sold Secure such as the Titan secure window restrictor
  • Fit all restrictors with security screws for increased strength and security
  • Look at options for a keyless window restrictor, or take the key out (and keep centrally) so that children can’t tamper with them
  • Check cable window restrictor integrity and fixings regularly as part of the room inspections
  • Test the restrictors at a timescale that has been set by the risk assessment to check for any defects
  • Include signage for guests advising against disabling the restrictor for their own safety

We hope that you can see from this guide to hotel window safety that window-related accidents are relatively easy to prevent.