Hans Kanold

Building Trust. Inspiring Change. Redefining Hospitality Safety.

Some people build hotels. Some build companies. A few dedicate their lives to building something far more valuable—Safety for people.

For more than three decades, Hans Kanold has worked at the intersection of hospitality, leadership and security. Throughout his career, he has been driven by a conviction that has remained unchanged:

People don’t travel because places are safe.
Places become successful because people feel safe.

Hans Kanold is one of the worlds leading experts in safety for the hospitality industry. Why?

Long before resilience became a boardroom priority and Duty of Care entered the vocabulary of executives around the world, Hans saw what many overlooked. Security was too often viewed as • a cost • A department.• A checklist.

Hans believed it should become something entirely different. • A culture.• A leadership philosophy. • A competitive advantage.

Hans established Safehotels Alliance in 2002 and developed the world’s first international hotel security certification standards. What started as an idea grew into a movement that influenced hotels, destinations and hospitality organizations across multiple continents.

Yet, with time, another realization emerged.

The world changes. • Risks changes. • Travelpattern changes. • Guest expectations changeds.

But certification had hardly changed at all.

Too often, organizations were judged by a single audit instead of their ability to improve continuously.

Hans believed there had to be a better way.

Not another certificate • Not another checklist. • A journey. • A living framework. • A system that rewards progress rather than perfection.

That vision became StaySafe Certified Ltd.

Not simply another certification company, but a global movement designed to redefine how safety and resilience are developed within the hospitality industry.

StaySafe Certified is built upon a simple but powerful philosophy:

Continuous improvement creates lasting resilience.

Instead of asking whether a hotel is certified or not, StaySafe Certified asks a far more important question: Where are you on your journey?

Every organization begins by demonstrating its commitment to improvement.

They enter the programme as:

Each venue work methodically towards independently verified compliance with internationally recognised Best Practice, Duty of Care principles and locally adapted risk management standards.

Hans Vision is the assessment combines international best practice with local legislation, regional threat assessments and operational realities, recognising that no two destinations—and no two hotels—face exactly the same risks.

This approach transforms certification from an annual inspection into a continuous management philosophy.

For Hans, this is about much more than hospitality. Its about leadership commitment.

As founder and CEO of StaySafe Certified Ltd, Hans is now bringing together decades of international experience to build what he believes will become the world’s leading verification and certification ecosystem for hotels, resorts, meeting venues, serviced apartments, arenas and restaurants.

He wants to establish a new global movement.

Not because regulations require it, but because people deserve it.

Looking back, Hans helped introduce global standards for hotel security.

Looking ahead, he hopes to inspire a global movement where safety is no longer measured only by audits or certificates, but by culture, leadership and continuous improvement.

Because the future belongs to venues that pay attention every single day.

Hans and his team vision is to make hospitality safer, and the world a little more confident.