Does Martyn's Law apply to hotels?

Yes. Martyn's Law (the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025) applies to a hotel where 200 or more people may reasonably be expected on the premises at the same time, counting staff, diners, spa users and event guests rather than bedrooms, with the enhanced tier from 800.

From the floor. Hotels get the count wrong because the number they know is bedrooms. The Act cares about the Saturday in June when the ballroom has a wedding, the restaurant is full of non-residents, the spa is booked out and every member of staff is on shift. That is the number that sets your tier, and most general managers have never added it up. (Toni Moss, Managing Director and Owner)

How to count

Take the busiest reasonable moment, not the average. A 300-guest wedding, 80 restaurant covers, 30 spa users, residents in the bar and 60 staff comes to around 500, which is standard tier; a second function room and a conference at the same time moves the property towards 800. A single event with entry checks expecting 800 or more is a qualifying event. The Act received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025 and commencement is expected in spring 2027; both tiers must notify the SIA within three months of commencement, with no fee.

What each tier requires

• Standard tier (200 to 799). Reasonably practicable public protection procedures for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication, staff briefed on them (including agency and event staff), a responsible person, and SIA notification.
• Enhanced tier (800 or more). All of the above plus a documented public protection plan and measures to reduce vulnerability: monitoring, movement of people, physical safety and security, and security of information.

What AV and communication systems do

The Act does not prescribe any technology or product, and nothing is "Martyn's Law approved"; it expects the four procedures to be executable on the day. In a hotel that usually means a PA or voice alarm that reaches every public space including the ballroom mid-event, a signage override that puts the same instruction on lobby, lift and conference screens, and a staff alert that reaches the duty manager at 11 pm. A lockdown alert system ties those together. Start with a Martyn's Law review of the procedures against the building, with communication systems designed into the wider hotel AV estate rather than bolted on.

Quick reference: yes, at 200 or more people reasonably expected at once (staff, diners, spa and event guests, not bedrooms); standard tier 200-799 (four procedures, staff briefing, responsible person, SIA notification, no fee); enhanced 800 or more (documented plan plus measures); commencement expected spring 2027; no technology prescribed.