The short answer
An earthquake plan that stays on paper will fail. Decide before shaking starts which staff member commands the response in every shift, who clears each floor, and where guests gather. During shaking, guests should stay where they are and drop, cover and hold on; they move to assembly points only after it stops. Multilingual in-room cards, rehearsed announcements and floor-by-floor counts help ensure no guest is forgotten.
Key takeaways
- Istanbul sits beside the North Anatolian fault system; even the moderate 2025 Sea of Marmara earthquake showed city and building readiness is uneven
- Structural safety is assessed by a licensed engineer, while operational readiness — roles, routes and communication — is fully within the hotel's control
- People act on instinct in the first seconds, so a short chain of command with backups for every role and shift must exist before an event
- During shaking guests must not run for exits; the rule is drop, cover and hold on, with evacuation routes used only after the shaking stops
- An assembly point is open ground outside the reach of falling glass and facades, not just any yard next to the building
- Guest communication is built before the event: multilingual cards, announcements and registration data for headcounts that do not depend on phone networks
- The first 72 hours define recovery: stocked supplies, an accurate handover of guest counts to authorities, and no reopening without an engineering sign-off
Why a written plan is only the start in Istanbul
Istanbul sits beside the North Anatolian and Main Marmara fault system, and every large event renews attention to the city's preparedness. The 1999 Marmara (Kocaeli) earthquake reshaped building rules and emergency institutions, and the Mw 6.2 Western Marmara Sea earthquake of 23 April 2025 — which ruptured the Kumburgaz segment at shallow depth, caused one fatality and light damage to thousands of buildings — again showed that Istanbul remains exposed and that operational readiness often lags engineering progress. A hotel does not need to be near the epicentre to face falling ceilings, shattered glass and panic.
The engineering side is largely settled before you open: buildings designed under the Turkish Building Earthquake Code of 2018, in force since 2019, follow stricter seismic rules, while the Istanbul governorship's project unit has spent roughly two decades retrofitting and rebuilding pre-1999 public schools and hospitals. None of that tells you your own structure is safe. If you manage an older or converted property, commission a structural evaluation from a licensed engineer rather than assuming code compliance; an honest report determines whether stairs, facades and non-structural fittings will behave predictably. Operational planning — roles, routes and guest messaging — is the part you fully control.
- Confirm the construction year and seismic code applied to your building
- Request a current engineering opinion on the structure from the owner
- Separate engineering questions (specialist assessment) from operational readiness (your responsibility)
Assign roles and backups before the first tremor
In the first seconds people act on instinct, not instructions, so a hotel needs a short, unambiguous chain of command that works at 3 a.m. when only a third of the team is on duty. The duty manager should act as incident commander, deciding whether to shelter in place, when to order evacuation, when to call 112 or AFAD, and when to shut down gas and electricity. Beneath that role, assign floor wardens who clear their floors, security staff who control exits and assembly points, an engineer who handles utilities, a first-aider, and a communications person who briefs guests and authorities.
Rehearse an alternate for every role so the night shift is not the weakest link, and keep a printed roster at reception and in the security office. Avoid giving one person too many tasks: the commander who is also counting guests will do neither well. Write a rule that no one re-enters the building after a major event until a structural check has cleared it, because aftershocks can bring down already-weakened structures.
- Incident commander (duty manager/GM): decides shelter vs evacuation, calls emergency services, authorises re-entry
- Floor wardens (one per floor and shift plus backup): clear rooms, guide to stairs, report missing guests
- Security and concierge: open exterior gates, run the assembly headcount, prevent re-entry
- Engineering: safely shut gas, electricity and water; keep lifts on manual lockout
- Front office: maintain the current guest register for headcounts and embassy contact
- First aid: a kit per floor and public area, with trained responders on each shift
Plan routes that survive the building
Different rules apply during and after shaking. While the ground is moving, moving at all is the main danger — people are hurt trying to walk or run, by falling objects, or by windows. Train everyone on drop, cover and hold on: drop to hands and knees, cover your head and neck, hold on to a sturdy shelter, and stay away from windows and unsecured furniture. In a hotel bedroom the refuge may be under the bed frame or a desk; advise guests not to run into corridors mid-shaking and never to use lifts.
Only after the shaking stops do routes matter. Design at least two escape paths per floor that end at different stairwells, keep stairwells lit and free of stored items, and never plan lifts as evacuation routes. Assembly points deserve the same care as the building: choose open ground far enough from the facade that falling glass, masonry, parapets and canopies cannot reach it, away from transformers, trees and parked cars, and within sight of security so staff can run a headcount. Istanbul's authorities maintain designated assembly zones across the city — some three thousand of them — but many are small temporary lots rather than equipped shelters, so a hotel's own safe open ground, coordinated with municipal plans, is still worth identifying.
- At least two independent exits per floor leading to different stairwells
- Stairwells lit, marked and clear of storage; lifts excluded from the route
- Assembly point beyond the reach of glass and facade, away from canopies, transformers and cars
- Assembly point visible to security and coordinated with city assembly zones
Communication that works with an international guest list
Many guests arrive without any sense of local risk and may speak neither Turkish nor English. Put a short multilingual card in every room — a pictogram of drop, cover and hold on, a floor plan with exits and the assembly point, 112 for emergencies, and the front desk number — and reference it at check-in. Prepare public-address announcements in Turkish, English and the languages you most frequently host, rehearsed so a calm voice reads them. Avoid a single alarm for every situation: guests need to know whether the message means shelter in place or evacuate now.
Registration data does double duty. An up-to-date list of who is on site and who checked out, plus contact details, lets the front office produce a credible headcount and lets you notify embassies and relatives. Expect phone networks to be congested or down in the first hour, so keep two-way radios and a paper message board at the assembly point and tell guests to send a message once they are safe. Identify guests with reduced mobility discreetly at check-in and assign each a named helper and an interim safe spot on their floor, so the evacuation plan does not discover them for the first time during an event.
- A multilingual card with pictograms and 112 in every room, referenced at check-in
- Rehearsed announcements in the main guest languages, distinct for shelter vs evacuation
- Two-way radios and a paper board at the assembly point as a backup to phone networks
- Discreet tracking of guests with reduced mobility at check-in, with a named helper per floor
Drills, non-structural hazards and the first 72 hours
In a well-built hotel the biggest threats are often inside: televisions, wardrobes, shelves, glass and ceiling fixtures that were never strapped down. Walk every public space and bedroom and secure anything that could fall on a sleeping or waiting guest, and keep corridors and fire doors free. Run drills with the actual on-duty team at least twice a year — some announced, some not — and time each floor's clearance. The measure of success is not speed but that every room is checked and accounted for.
After a strong event the first 72 hours define recovery. Keep accessible stocks of water, blankets, first aid, flashlights, batteries and a battery radio, and expect intermittent power and phone service. As authorities take over the response, hand over an accurate count of guests and staff on site, flag anyone injured or missing, and do not reopen until a structural engineer signs off. In a major event hotels may be pressed into service as temporary shelter, but only a building confirmed safe should accept that role.
- Secure wardrobes, televisions, shelves and lighting in every zone
- Two drills a year including an unannounced one, with timed floor clearance
- 72-hour stock: water, blankets, first aid, flashlights, batteries, battery radio
- Reopen only after an engineering sign-off on structural safety
Put it into practice
Hour-long hotel earthquake readiness audit
Work through this audit in about an hour with the duty manager, the engineer and the front office lead. Every unchecked item is a concrete gap you can close before the next drill or event. Where a step needs a licensed engineer, treat it as an action to commission, not a box to assume as complete.
- Building file: construction year, seismic code applied, date of last structural review; for pre-2000 buildings, commission a licensed seismic evaluation
- Command: an incident commander and alternate named for every shift, with out-of-hours numbers posted at reception and security
- Floor coverage: at least two clear escape routes per floor; stairwells lit and marked; lifts excluded from the evacuation plan
- Assembly: an outdoor point on open ground clear of glass facades, canopies, transformers and parked cars, visible to security
- In-room messaging: a multilingual drop-cover-hold card with the exit map, 112 and front desk number in every room, referenced at check-in
- Announcements: PA scripts in Turkish, English and top guest languages, rehearsed and distinct for shelter vs evacuate
- Wardens: one floor warden per shift with a named backup, with the roster on paper
- Headcount: a current guest list with check-in/out data, a printed backup, floor counts at the assembly point and a clear missing-guest trigger to report to rescue teams
- Accessibility: guests with reduced mobility identified at check-in and assigned a helper and an interim safe spot
- Supplies: water, blankets, first aid, flashlights, batteries and a battery radio, checked and dated quarterly
- Drill: an unannounced exercise within six months that times floor clearance and is reviewed in an after-action note
Questions people ask
Should guests leave their rooms and run downstairs as soon as they feel shaking?
No. Most earthquake injuries happen when people try to move during shaking, when they are hit by falling glass or objects, or when they run through stairwells. Guests and staff should drop to hands and knees, cover their head and neck, hold on to a sturdy shelter and stay away from windows and tall unsecured furniture until the shaking stops. Only then should they evacuate calmly by stairs — never by lift — to the outdoor assembly point.
Where is the safest place for a hotel's outdoor assembly point?
On open ground far enough from the building that falling glass, masonry, parapets and canopies cannot reach it, and away from transformers, trees, signposts and parked vehicles. It should be within sight of security so a headcount can be controlled and re-entry prevented. Istanbul's authorities designate assembly zones across the city, but many are small temporary lots rather than equipped shelters, so coordinate your own point with municipal plans.
How should a hotel count guests when mobile networks fail after an earthquake?
Counts should not depend on phones. The front office keeps a current paper guest list with check-in and check-out data, floor wardens sweep each floor and report, and security tallies names at the assembly point against the register. Two-way radios and a paper board support this process. Anyone unaccounted for becomes a reported missing guest to pass to rescue teams. Update the list at every shift handover.
What do we do for guests who do not understand the language of our announcement?
Expect language gaps and plan for them in advance. Provide multilingual pictogram cards in rooms covering drop, cover and hold on, the exit route and the assembly point. Record announcements in the main guest languages and use universal signs and pictograms at exits. Front desk staff and floor wardens should carry a short phrase sheet in the hotel's top five languages covering the few instructions that matter: stay inside, take cover, go to the stairs, assembly point, do not use the lift.
Does earthquake readiness differ between a historic building and a newly built tower?
Yes. A new tower designed under the 2018 Turkish Building Earthquake Code should have engineered routes and refuge design, while a historic or older building may have less ductile elements and a less predictable facade, so it needs a professional seismic assessment and often retrofitting of non-structural risks. In both cases, secure unstrapped furniture and glass, rehearse roles and keep the engineering report on file; confirm the actual building status with a licensed engineer rather than assuming it.
Sources and further reading
Sources were checked when this page was generated. Confirm changing dates, rules and prices with the original publisher.
- Türkiye: Building resilience against earthquakesPreventionWeb / UNDRR
- EEFIT report: Marmara, Turkey earthquake April 2025The Institution of Structural Engineers
- 18 Prideful Years of IPCU (Istanbul Seismic Risk Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness Project)Istanbul Project Coordination Unit, Istanbul Governorship
- Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality employees have completed their pre-disaster trainingIstanbul Fire Department, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
- Questions resurface over İstanbul's earthquake assembly zonesbianet
- Earthquake SafetyAmerican Red Cross