Before a gunman killed more than 50 people in Las Vegas on Sunday, the police said he brought an arsenal of rifles past security and up to his 32nd-floor room at the Mandalay Bay hotel.

That the shooter — Stephen Paddock — was able to take at least 17 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition up to a room starkly highlights the security priorities of hospitality companies: Wishing to appear inviting to guests, many hotels employ a lighter touch.

Security at most hotels instead focuses on limiting theft, corralling unruly drunks and ferreting out people wandering the halls without a room, said Mac Segal, a security consultant for an executive protection company, AS Solution.

Hotels in the United States and Europe have been “much slower on the uptake” regarding the chances of violence, compared to the Middle East and Africa, where he does most of his business, he said.