A hotel CCTV system is a different job from cameras for a shop or a warehouse. A hotel runs around the clock, and guests expect security and privacy at once. So the design starts with two questions: where must a camera be, and where must it never be. This guide maps each hotel area to the Saudi Security Surveillance Cameras Law and its regulation, then covers retention, storage and the security room. AZEIDK’s hospitality offering is on the Hotels and Hospitality page.
Short answer: Cameras are required at a hotel’s entrances, reception, lobbies, corridors, stairs, parking, emergency exits, loading areas and technical rooms, and, according to Okaz’s report on the law, prohibited in toilets and changing rooms; they must not look into guest rooms. Footage is kept for the period in the Ministry of Interior’s requirements document, longer after an incident, and the system feeds an in-house monitoring room plus an official operations room where the site classification requires it.
Key takeaways
- The binding framework is the Security Surveillance Cameras Law (Royal Decree M/34 dated 7/3/1444H), its executive regulation and the security requirements document.
- Article 2 of the regulation lists the locations that must be covered, and nearly all of them exist in every hotel: entrances, reception, lobbies and corridors, parking, stairs and emergency exits.
- According to Okaz’s report on the law, toilets and changing rooms are among the places where installation is prohibited, and guest rooms stay outside camera coverage.
- Enabling audio recording or using thermal cameras needs approval from the General Directorate of Public Security.
- Retention is set by the requirements document; size storage with headroom to extend retention during an investigation.
In this article
- What governs a hotel CCTV system in Saudi Arabia?
- Where do cameras go in a hotel? A zone map
- Prohibited and sensitive places inside a hotel
- Retention period and storage sizing for a hotel
- Connecting cameras to the hotel security room
- Integration with access control and fire alarm
- Common mistakes in hotel CCTV projects
- Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
What governs a hotel CCTV system in Saudi Arabia?
The Security Surveillance Cameras Law regulates how cameras are installed, operated and how footage is kept. Its executive regulation was issued by Minister of Interior Decision No. 22688 dated 3/11/1444H, together with a security requirements document that sets technical specifications, retention periods and warning sign designs. When the law was approved, Okaz reported that covered categories include tourism-related facilities, residential buildings and shopping malls.
The regulation does not name hotels, but the locations it lists apply directly to a hotel building. The approving decision also sets a site sensitivity classification (high, medium, low) in an annex; check it before design, because it decides whether an operations room connection is required.
We explain the articles of the law and regulation in detail in Saudi Security Surveillance Cameras Law. Here we apply them to a working hotel.
Where do cameras go in a hotel? A zone map
The table maps typical hotel zones to Article 2 of the regulation and the image level each zone needs. “Identification level” means the face is captured in enough detail to recognise the person, not just to see someone moving.
| Hotel zone | Basis in the regulation | Image level | Design note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main entrance and staff entrances | Facility entrances | Identification | Narrow-angle camera at face height; deal with backlight from glass doors |
| Reception desk | Reception desks | Identification | One camera facing the guest at the counter, one general view of the waiting area |
| Lobby and corridors on every floor | Main lobbies and corridors | General coverage | Aim along the corridor, not straight at room doors |
| Lifts and stairs | Stairs and escalators | General coverage | Cover stair entries on every floor; lift cars as management decides |
| Parking and guest drop-off | Parking entrances/exits and drop-off area | Plate reading and identification | Plate camera at the barrier, another for the drop-off in front of the entrance |
| Emergency exits and assembly points | Emergency exit doors, assembly points and fire equipment locations | General coverage | Useful to review evacuations and unauthorised exit use |
| Loading bay, stores and back kitchen | Loading areas and warehouses | General coverage | Supplier entrance, food and material stores |
| Telecom, electrical and server rooms | Entrances to telecom, network and electrical rooms | Identification | Pair with access control on the same door |
For layout and coverage detail, see CCTV Camera Placement and Coverage.
Prohibited and sensitive places inside a hotel
According to Okaz’s report when the law was approved, the law lists places where cameras may not be installed, including toilets, changing rooms, medical examination rooms, inpatient rooms and physiotherapy rooms. In a hotel that means:
- Public toilets: in the lobby, restaurants and ballrooms. Cover the approach corridor only, with no view past the door.
- Changing rooms: at the gym, pool and spa, and staff locker rooms. Cover the outer entrance only.
- Clinic or first-aid room: where one exists, no camera inside the examination room.
- Women’s salon or club inside the hotel: Article 8 of the regulation sets specific locations for these and excludes, among other items, the main lobby and corridors, stairs and ATMs.
Guest rooms and suites
Guest rooms are not Article 2 locations; they are private space. Coverage stops at the corridor, and the corridor camera angle is chosen so it cannot see into a room when the door opens.
Audio, thermal cameras and privacy masking
Article 8 prohibits enabling audio recording without the Directorate’s approval, and the same applies to thermal cameras. Switch off built-in microphones during programming unless approval exists. More on this in CCTV camera with audio. The same article requires a privacy mask on PTZ cameras, on rooftop cameras whose view goes beyond the site boundary, and on cameras with zoom range above 150 metres.
Warning signs
Warning signs go at every entrance and exit in a visible position, using the designs in the requirements document.
Retention period and storage sizing for a hotel
The regulation does not state a number of days. It refers to the security requirements document published on the Ministry of Interior website, and the figure in the version in force at design time applies. Article 6 adds a key rule: once a security incident is reported, the responsible person signs an undertaking to keep the footage until the investigation ends or the set period expires, whichever is longer.
So sizing for the minimum period alone is not enough. Practical points:
- Calculate storage per camera from resolution, frame rate, compression (H.265, for example) and recording hours, then add headroom for incident extensions.
- Storage media must be dedicated to CCTV under Article 3, so the reservation system server or file server is never used for video.
- RAID in the NVR reduces the risk of losing footage when a single disk fails.
- Log every clip export; transferring or publishing footage is a violation.
The numbers are worked through in CCTV Storage and Bandwidth Calculation.
Connecting cameras to the hotel security room
A hotel has two levels of connection. The first is the in-house monitoring room where the security team works. The second is the official operations rooms. Article 5 of the regulation requires connection to operations rooms according to the site sensitivity classification, and the approving decision gave high and medium sensitivity facilities 540 days from publication to complete that connection.
What the in-house monitoring room needs
- A secure, clean location under continuous monitoring, access for authorised staff only, and an entry and exit log, as Article 3 requires.
- A camera network separated from guest Wi-Fi and the administration network. Linking devices to other networks needs Ministry approval and compliance with National Cybersecurity Authority controls.
- Screens showing entrances, reception and parking at all times, with other cameras on rotation or on alarm.
- Immediate fault reporting through the Directorate’s electronic platform, and prompt repair.
Room design itself, from the video wall to operator workstations and staffing, is covered in Security Control Room Setup.
Integration with access control and fire alarm
A camera records what happened; access control stops it happening. In hotels, access control usually covers back-of-house doors, staff entrances, server and electrical rooms and valuables stores. Linked, the operator sees the clip next to every denied entry or door-held-open event. Cameras and access control are part of a wider package in a hotel, covered in our guide to hotel low current systems.
One rule is not negotiable: magnetic locks on escape routes must release on fire alarm. This is done with a signal from the fire alarm panel to the access controller, as shown in Access Controller Wiring and Fire Alarm Lock Release. For hotel fire safety requirements, see Hotel Fire and Life Safety in Saudi Arabia.
Under its security and surveillance systems, AZEIDK supplies Hikvision and Dahua cameras and recorders, and access control devices from ZKTeco, Hikvision and Dahua, with design, installation, programming and system integration. AZEIDK holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certificates with a scope that covers CCTV and access control.
Common mistakes in hotel CCTV projects
- Wide-angle camera at the entrance: shows movement but not faces, so it misses the identification level.
- Corridor camera facing room doors: sees into the room when the door opens, which intrudes on guest privacy.
- Forgetting the back of house: supplier entrance and food stores left uncovered.
- Microphone left on by default: the camera records audio without approval because nobody disabled it during programming.
- Shared storage: keeping video on an admin server or a disk used for other purposes.
- One network for guests and cameras: a direct security gap and against the approved connection conditions.
- Exporting clips by phone: sending a clip to a staff member or guest over a chat app may count as transferring footage without permission.
Frequently asked questions
Does a hotel need a licence or certificate for its CCTV?
Yes, for facilities covered by the law. The Directorate issues a certificate confirming the installation meets requirements, and licensing bodies may not issue or renew the activity licence without it, under Article 4 of the regulation.
Which places inside a hotel must have CCTV?
The regulation does not name hotels, but its Article 2 lists locations found in any hotel building: entrances, reception, lobbies and corridors on all floors, stairs, parking entrances and exits, emergency exits, loading areas and stores, and entrances to telecom and electrical rooms, under Article 2 of the regulation.
How long must CCTV footage be kept by law?
The period is set in the security requirements document published by the Ministry of Interior. After a reported incident, footage is kept until the investigation ends or the period expires, whichever is longer.
Can cameras be installed in hotel toilets or changing rooms?
No. According to Okaz’s report on the law, toilets and changing rooms are among the places where installation is prohibited; coverage stays at the outer entrances only.
Can hotel cameras record audio?
Audio recording may not be enabled without approval from the General Directorate of Public Security, under Article 8 of the regulation.
What is the fine for missing cameras or publishing a clip?
When the law was approved in October 2022, Okaz reported SAR 1,000 per camera not installed, SAR 500 per non-compliant camera, SAR 5,000 for not keeping recordings, and SAR 20,000 for transferring, publishing or destroying recordings.
Conclusion
A hotel CCTV project succeeds on three things: full coverage of the required locations at the right image level, respect for prohibited places and guest privacy, and protected footage that can be handed over on official request. Linking it to a monitoring room and access control makes it a daily security tool, not just an archive.
Fitting out a new hotel or reviewing an existing camera system? Send us the drawings, number of floors and entrances, and we will prepare a camera layout, a storage calculation and a monitoring room concept. Talk to the AZEIDK team
