Terrorist groups seek targets that are rewarding from their point of view.1 With that maxim as its premise, this analysis focuses on terrorist intentions as they relate to hotels and resorts.
Hotels and resorts have identifiable features setting them apart as unique facilities. These features may be incentives or disincentives for terrorists groups to attack. This study surveys the broad features inherent in hotels and resorts, particularly from the terrorist adversary perspective.
Different terrorist groups have differing objectives that shape how they conduct violence. This report also examines the utility of attacking hotels or resorts for five types of terrorist organizations: ethno-nationalist/separatists, revolutionary, far-right, new age (single-issue), and religious.
Finally, to derive its findings, this report cross-references the unique features of hotels and resorts with basic terrorist groups’ objectives to derive a matrix that yields terrorist group types most likely to consider attacking hotels or resorts.
This product is not a threat or risk assessment, it is a tool for assessing intentions.3 Additional refinement of hotel and resort features is suggested to enhance or alter future findings in the conclusion.
For the purpose of this product, “hotels and resorts” are defined as prominent lodging and/or leisure facilities maintaining Western-style accommodations and being owned by significant national or transnational commercial interests.
Terrorist Intentions to Target Hotels and Resorts – PDF Report
