While casinos and hotels do not permit people to walk through their private property with concealed or unconcealed weapons, there is little to stop them from letting guests enter with guns hidden in bags. MGM Resorts International, which owns Mandalay Bay, declined comment Monday, pending an ongoing investigation, on how Paddock got such an arsenal into his room without being detected by security or housekeeping. Paddock used them to open fire on a crowd attending a country music concert from his room on the 32nd floor around 10 p.m.

Stephen Paddock, a 64-year old Nevada resident, sneaked 16 rifles and one handgun into his room at Mandalay Bay, where he checked in on Thursday.

Everyone should be flagging odd behavior,’’ said Mehmet Erdem, a hospitality professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. The responsibility has to be on every level and not just security personnel. “No matter what we do, there are always going to be security issues. Hotel operators will have to rely even more on the eyes and ears of regular employees such as housekeeping staff and front desk workers to detect and report unusual behavior.

Hotels can’t install metal detectors or other elements deemed intrusive without damaging the whole concept of hospitality that is at the heart of their business, academics said Monday. history will force the nation’s hotel industry to rethink security procedures, but there may be little new they can do now to prevent such events, experts say. Mandatory Credit: Photo by AP/REX/Shutterstock (9102013f)

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