Monthly Archives: February 2013

by | February 19, 2013 · 6:58 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: New York Hotel Thieves “Smash Jewelry Cases” And Walk Out With Over $160,000 In Watches And Diamonds

“…the hotel lobby has 18 display cases…the suspects chose to smash the one filled with jewels from Jacob & Company, a designer favored by celebrities from Jay-Z to Jennifer Lopez to former New York Mayor Rudy Hotel CrimeGiuliani…(police) released images of the suspects from a surveillance camera late Sunday night, and confirmed that police are still looking for them. The men were last seen heading east on 57 Street after the heist…”

It was nearly 2 a.m. on Saturday when two men smashed a display case full of jewelry in the Four Seasons Hotel in midtown Manhattan. The men walked out of the hotel with two high-end wrist watches, a diamond chain and a pendant — together worth more than $160,000 — according to the New York Police Department. No one stopped them.

New York City hotels appear to be an easy target for criminals looking for a quick, and valuable, steal. Last year, a New Jersey man was sentenced to one-to-three years in prison for walking out of the Chambers Hotel in June 2011 with five paintings, each valued at $1,800, stuffed in a canvas tote bag. Two weeks later, the same man pilfered a $350,000 sketch by the highly regarded modern artist Fernand Leger from the Carlyle Hotel.

This is the first time a theft like this has occurred at The Four Seasons in its 20 years, according to Tiffani Cailor, a hotel spokeswoman.

“This is an unusual incident,” she said. “We are very concerned and upset over the theft.”

For more:  http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/18/news/jewelry-heist-four-seasons/

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by | February 18, 2013 · 7:09 am

Hospitality Industry Information Security Risks: Hotels, Restaurants And Retailers Accounted For 78% Of “Data Breaches By Cyber-Criminals” In 2012; “Weak Or Guessable Passwords” Is Most Common Vulnerability

“…Almost one-third of all victims had critical systems administered by a third party…Attackers had no trouble exploiting that weakness, with vulnerable remote-access systems accounting for the method of entry in 47 cybercrime in hotelspercent of the cases…in most cases, users – not software vulnerabilities – were to blame. Almost 90 percent of systems had weak or easily guessable passwords, with “Password1″ continuing to be the most common, according to Trustwave’s report…”

An analysis of breach data for 2012 found that retailers and the hospitality industry continued to command the most interest from cyber-criminals, accounting for 78 percent of the breaches documented by security services firm Trustwave.

The businesses are typically easy targets, having outsourced the administration of important servers and business data to firms that focus more on keeping the systems functioning than on security, says Christopher Pogue, director of digital forensics and incident response for Trustwave’s SpiderLabs.

“An integrator may have 1,000 customers and may do remote administration for all of them using, not 1,000 passwords, but maybe two or three,” Pogue said. “That leaves a vulnerability that can be exploited by attackers.”

For more:  http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/retailer-hotel-crime-107589

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by | February 17, 2013 · 6:57 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Illinois Nightclub Sued By Man Stabbed In The Chest By Patron Who Was “Over-Served Alcohol”

“…(plaintiff) required emergency surgery after he was stabbed in the chest…the lawsuit says (he) suffered severe and permanent injuries and “will be hindered and prevented from attending to his usual duties and Alcohol Drink Responsiblyaffairs…the suit alleges that Olaska’s intoxication played a role in the stabbing. A restaurant employee was also injured in the fight…”

A man who was stabbed during a confrontation that cost a Naperville teacher his life has filed a lawsuit against the club where the clash happened. William Hayes III is suing Frankie’s Blue Room in Naperville and owner Riff Menza, claiming the bar over-served Daniel Olaska, who is awaiting trial on charges that he wounded Hayes and killed Shaun Wild in February 2012.

Authorities have said that Hayes had been teasing Olaska about drinking beer from a wine glass when Olsaka stabbed him with a folding knife he was carrying. Wild, a second-grade teacher at a Naperville school and a friend of Hayes’, was attempting to stop Olaska from leaving the bar when Olaska fatally stabbed him, according to police.

Hayes was a senior at nearby North Central College when the incident occurred. Wild was a 2010 graduate of the college. Both played for the school’s football team.

For more:  http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-15/news/chi-naperville-frankies-blue-room-stabbing-lawsuit-20130215_1_daniel-olaska-shaun-wild-naperville-bar

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by | February 16, 2013 · 6:41 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Texas Man Born Without Hands Sues Amusement Park After “Operator Refused To Let Him On Ride”

“…after (he) complained to the park, Six Flags changed its policy for the ride he was not allowed to board. Now, a person must have “one full arm and one full leg” for entry…Bench says he hopes his lawsuit will change the Hospitality Industry ADA Lawsuitsway the park handles disabled customers and safety concerns. He says he hopes to “set a precedent that there is a better solution than what’s in place now.”

A Texas man born without hands is suing a major theme park after he was barred from a ride allegedly because of his disability. Clint Bench says he had been to the Six Flags in Arlington many times and never had a problem with the staff. But on a trip to the theme park in May, an operator refused to let him on a ride.

Bench went to guest services but had no luck. So he hired a lawyer and is now suing the park for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“We repeatedly offered to resolve this with Six Flags for not a dollar. Clint was absolutely adamant when he came to me that this was not about him getting a dollar,” his lawyer Levi McCathern said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/clint-bench-flags-times-issuese-riding-knew-knew-article-1.1264187#ixzz2L4ZII2j2

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by | February 15, 2013 · 6:46 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Hawaii Hotel Employee Arrested For Stealing $11,000 Worth Of Jewelry And Goods From Luggage In Storage Room

“…a review of video surveillance of the storage room revealed that Bueno allegedly entered into the storage room through the service elevator, picked up and concealed the bags within his work cart and exited the hotel securitystorage room…a few minutes later shows (him) allegedly reentering the storage room and placing the bags back on a bellman cart, then exiting again through the service elevator…”

An employee from a hotel in Wailea was arrested on Monday on suspicion of theft after a couple visiting from Maryville, MI, reported more than $11,000 in jewelry and other goods missing from their bags after check-in, police said. Maui police arrested resort houseman, John Bueno for alleged second degree theft in connection with the incident.

According to police reports, the couple arrived at the hotel at around 1:20 p.m. on Monday Feb. 11, checked their bags with a bellman, and proceeded to the pool area to wait until their room was ready.

A few minutes later, police say the female visitor returned to the bell desk and inquired about one of the bags to retrieve an item from within. A check of the storage room found all of their bags missing, and a search of the area by security personnel and hotel managers turned up with negative results.

A few minutes later, another check of the storage room revealed that the bags were returned; however, upon checking each bag, it was learned that various pieces of jewelry and a camera totaling $ 11,100 were missing, said Maui Police Lt. Wayne Ibarra.

Bueno was placed under arrest later that afternoon, and posted bail, which was set at $1,000. He is scheduled to appear in court at 10:30 a.m. on March 14, 2013.

For more:  http://mauinow.com/2013/02/14/wailea-hotel-worker-arrested-in-theft-case/

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by | February 14, 2013 · 6:34 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Tennessee Hotel Sued By Guest Who Lacerated Leg On Bed Frame; $400,000 Sought For “Lost Wages, Suffering And Disfigurement”

“…a cap on the horizontal support bar of the bed frame extended out several inches from the box spring, and the cap, made of a stone-like material, was chipped, creating a sharp edge. The sharp edge was hidden by a bed Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsskirt draped over the box spring, “concealing the sharp edge from plaintiff’s view…(she had to be) treated for infection and other complications from the laceration (resulting in) medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and scarring and disfigurement…”

A Florida widow and freelance author and illustrator has sued the Red Roof Inn in Clinton for up to $400,000 over a leg laceration she says she received while staying at the hotel in August. Lauretta J. Evans, 76, said she was on her way home to Florida on Aug. 7 when she stopped at the Red Roof Inn on Buffalo Road, according to a lawsuit filed in Anderson County Circuit Court on Feb. 8.

As she prepared to go to sleep, Evans said, she sat on a bed in the room and “immediately felt a sharp and intense pain in her lower left leg. Plaintiff looked down to see that she had sustained a severe laceration to her lower left leg, and perceived that she was bleeding profusely,” the lawsuit said.

It said emergency medical personnel were called to the scene, and Evans was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

“This concealed sharp edge constituted a dangerous condition that represented a latent defect undiscoverable by the plaintiff,” the lawsuit said.

The Red Roof Inn, also referred to in the lawsuit as Sant Partnership, had a duty to keep its place of business, including rooms assigned to patrons such as Evans, free of “latent defects and dangerous conditions,” the suit said.

For more:  http://oakridgetoday.com/2013/02/13/florida-widow-sues-clinton-hotel-over-leg-laceration/

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by | February 13, 2013 · 7:30 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Bedbug Infestations Rise In 2012 With Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles And Denver Reporting Most Treatments

“…bedbugs continue to be a problem throughout the U.S…(there is a) need to be very cautious when we travel – Bed Bugs in Hotel Roomswhether it is business or pleasure, or to visit family, friends or vacation.”

Bedbugs are on the rise again in the U.S., which means business is booming for pest control companies like Orkin. With increased travel, both internationally and domestically, and higher bedbug resistance to existing pesticides, Orkin has seen an almost 33 percent boost in bedbug business compared to 2011.

The company has just released its rankings of U.S. cities in order of the number of bedbug treatments from January to December 2012. The “Windy City” of Chicago tops the list, followed by Detroit, Los Angeles, Denver and Cincinnati.

Here are the top 50 U.S. cities, ranked in order of the number of bedbug treatments.  The number in parenthesis is the shift in ranking compared to January to December 2011:

  1.     Chicago (+1)
  2.     Detroit (+1)
  3.     Los Angeles (+2)
  4.     Denver
  5.     Cincinnati (-4)
  6.     Columbus, Ohio
  7.     Washington, D.C. (+1)
  8.     Cleveland/Akron/Canton (+5)
  9.     Dallas/Ft. Worth (-2)
  10.     New York (-1)
  11.     Dayton, Ohio (+4)
  12.     Richmond/Petersburg, Va. (-2)
  13.     Seattle/Tacoma (+14)
  14.     San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose (-2)
  15.     Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville, N.C. (+4)
  16.     Indianapolis (+15)
  17.     Omaha, Neb. (+11)
  18.     Houston (-7)
  19.     Milwaukee (+13)
  20.     Baltimore (-2)
  21.     Syracuse, N.Y. (+2)
  22.     Boston (-8)
  23.     Colorado Springs/Pueblo, Colo. (+2)
  24.     Lexington, Ky. (-2)
  25.     Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (-1)
  26.     Hartford/New Haven, Conn. (+10)
  27.     Knoxville, Tenn. (+11)
  28.     Buffalo, N.Y. (+1)
  29.     Atlanta (-8)
  30.     Louisville, Ky. (+5)
  31.     Charleston/Huntington, W. Va. (+18)
  32.     San Diego, Calif. (-6)
  33.     Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa (+12)
  34.     Minneapolis/St. Paul (+12)
  35.     Phoenix (-1)
  36.     Pittsburgh (-6)
  37.     Honolulu (-19)
  38.     Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo, Mich. (+1)
  39.     Grand Junction/Montrose, Colo. (-1)
  40.     Nashville, Tenn.
  41.     Lincoln/Hastings/Kearney, Neb. (+7)
  42.     Albany/Schenectady/Troy, N.Y. (+2)
  43.     Charlotte (-10)
  44.     Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla.
  45.     Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, Calif. (-4)
  46.     Las Vegas (-30)
  47.     Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville, S.C.
  48.     Champaign/Springfield, Ill.
  49.     Portland, Or.
  50.     Sioux City, Iowa

For more: http://ehotelier.com/hospitality-news/item.php?id=A24912_0_11_0_M

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by | February 12, 2013 · 6:59 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: New York Restaurant Sued By Woman Hit By Car Outside Building; Neglected To Install “Curbs And Bollards”

“…the (plaintiff’s attorney) said Wendy’s only installed pedestrian safety blocks after the crash in December. He said if the restaurant had curb stops and bollards in place at the time of the incident, the tragedy would Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitshave been prevented…”

Theresa DiMilia and her 11-year-old daughter Samantha walked out of the Wendy’s restaurant on December 4 in Williston Park when suddenly a car being driven by an elderly woman smashed into them and pinned them against the wall. “The pain was so unbearable. I remember my daughter Samantha asking me if she was dead — ‘Am I alive mommy, am I alive?’” Theresa DiMilia told 1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera.

Their legs were crushed. Samantha DiMilia was treated and released after suffering a severely fractured leg. Now, two months later, Samantha is walking again, but Theresa DiMilia is still in a wheelchair after having both legs fractured in the incident.

The lawsuit names the driver of the vehicle who hit the DiMilias — 75-year-old Margaret Hogarty of Mineola — as well as Wendy’s International Inc. and Westbury Properties, LLC, which owns the property where the restaurant is located, as defendants.

For more:  http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/02/11/wendys-named-as-defendant-in-multimillion-suit-filed-by-injured-mother-daughter/

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by | February 11, 2013 · 7:15 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Hawaii Restaurant Kitchen Fire Caused By Gas Leak In Deep Fat Fryer; Flames Spread Through Ventilation System Resulting In $2.5 Million In Damage

“…the cause of the fire was an accidental gas leak to a deep fat fryer.  The cause of the leak is undetermined.  A pilot light in the appliance was the source of ignition for the leaking gas…the flames spread quickly through Restaurant Firethe ventilation system, creating a challenge for firefighters…”

Honolulu Fire Department investigators said the fire started in the kitchen of The Cheesecake Factory at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center just before 3:30am Friday.

Damage is estimated at $2,500,000.  This includes damage to the restaurant’s kitchen, exhaust duct and smoke damage to adjacent businesses in the shopping center.

A restaurant cleaning employee described hearing an explosion and tried putting out the fire with an extinguisher.

“The ducting system is designed to move cooking grease and smoke up to the roof where there’s penetration,” said Capt. Terry Seelig, HFD spokesman. Shocked employees watched helplessly as crews worked to contain the fire.

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by | February 10, 2013 · 8:14 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: “Norovirus Food Poisoning” Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Wyoming Restaurant; Health Department Report Confirms Outbreak Source

“…according to the WDOH, 31 employees who worked at the Golden Corral restaurant were infected with norovirus while working…the lawsuit was filed on behalf of (those who) purchased food or drink at the Golden Norovirus OutbreakCorral Casper restaurant between November 20, 2012 and December 13, 2012 and (were exposed to) diarrhea and vomiting from multiple employees of the Golden Corral…”

Customers of the Casper, Wyoming Golden Corral filed a class action lawsuit against the restaurant Friday, alleging they were part of a norovirus food poisoning outbreak that was traced to food served at the restaurant in December. The lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court in Wyoming (Case Number 13CV024J) by Jason Ochs of The Ochs Law Firm and William Marler of Marler Clark.

According to a Wyoming Department of Health (WDOH) report, at least 305 patrons of the Casper Golden Corral restaurant became ill with norovirus infections after eating at the restaurant between November 17, 2012 and December 19, 2012. Norovirus infection causes nausea, diarrhea and/or vomiting and is highly infectious. Investigators from the Wyoming Department of Health Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program and Casper-Natrona County Health Department stated in their report that they were not able to determine exactly how norovirus was introduced to the restaurant, but said ill food-handlers could have contributed to the spread of norovirus among Golden Corral patrons.

The complaint states that named plaintiff Paul Feyhl, a Casper resident, ate at the Golden Corral restaurant on December 8, 2012 and subsequently fell ill with norovirus. According to court documents, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Mr. Feyhl and “others similarly situated” who purchased food or drink at the Golden Corral Casper restaurant between November 20, 2012 and December 13, 2012 and whose exposure to norovirus was caused by:

1.    Exposure from diarrhea and vomiting from multiple employees of the Golden Corral
2.    Consumption of contaminated food and drink prepared by Golden Corral employees
3.    Exposure to, or close proximity with, persons who ate food or drink at the Golden Corral restaurant or were exposed to the restaurant’s infected employees.

For more:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10414517.htm

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