Monthly Archives: December 2013

by | December 19, 2013 · 7:06 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Hotels Partner With Google To Present Guests With “360-Degree Panoramic Virtual Tours” On Websites

“…Google Business Photos are 360-degree tours powered by Google Street technology. Many businesses have used the technology since Google introduced it in 2010, but a growing number of hotel companies are now adopting it… “Since the 360-degree panoramic virtual tours are taken by Google Trusted Photographers, guests know that these tours are created by a trusted, third party.”

Hospitality Industry Technology SolutionsChekitan Dev, marketing professor at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and author of Hospitality Branding, says other hotel companies will have to think more about visuals to compete with their counterparts.

USA Today

By Nancy Trejos

Hotels are partnering with Google to change the way travelers can view hotels even before they walk through the front entrance. Best Western International on Thursday will announce the launch of Google Business Photos for all 2,200 of its North American hotels. All hotels will have the virtual tours online by the end of 2014.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, parent company of Radisson, Radisson Blu, and Country Inns & Suites, this month started a pilot program of the service with an initial rollout at its hotels in Chicago, Miami and metro Washington, D.C.

“It will allow you to virtually experience the hotel in the same way you would if you were there,” says Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Best Western. “We personally believe that this is going to be a game-changer in the industry in redefining how photos will be consumed by the consumer.”

The photos are taken by photographers trained and certified by Google. Their still photographs are stitched into 360-degree views using panoramic camera technology. Travelers can see the photos when they search for the hotel on Google Search, Google Maps, Google+, and Google Hotel Finder. They’ll be able to take the interactive tours on their computers, smartphones or tablets. The hotels also can link to the images from their websites.

For more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2013/12/18/best-western-carlson-google-business-photos/4115185/

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Hotels Partner With Google To Present Guests With “360-Degree Panoramic Virtual Tours” On Websites

Filed under Guest Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | December 18, 2013 · 7:03 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Restaurants Must Institute Rigorous Policies To Comply With 2014 FDA “Gluten-Free” Preparation Mandates

“…Done correctly, a (restaurant) cook leaves the line, washes his hands, enters a walk-in and dons a clean apron and gloves. He then assembles the Gluten Free Restaurantspizza on a manufactured crust using tongs and a ladle set aside for that item. Once baked, the pizza is cut with a specific knife on a clean cutting board…He recently had his third-party toppings maker rework its recipes to ensure they were gluten-free…”

Many restaurant chains are instituting rigorous policies for preparing and serving gluten-free offerings as awareness of gluten allergies and intolerance rises.

And while several operators said only about 1 percent to 3 percent of customers request gluten-free items, all insisted that taking extra effort to make such foods safely is good for business — and will keep them in compliance with upcoming mandates from the Food and Drug Administration.

At 60-unit Costa Vida, gluten-free corn tortillas are cooked first thing in morning so the comal can be sanitized and readied for flour tortillas. Corn tortillas are then stored in a closed container and opened only when necessary.

For more: http://nrn.com/health-amp-nutrition/restaurants-tighten-gluten-free-operations

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Restaurants Must Institute Rigorous Policies To Comply With 2014 FDA “Gluten-Free” Preparation Mandates

Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | December 17, 2013 · 9:45 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Fire Likely An Electrical Short Tied To Bathtub Overflow; “Fire Stops” Limit Damage

“…(the fire likely started in the area where) a bathtub on the second floor overflowed for an extended period of time…the fire was likely electrical Hotel Fire and Smoke Damagein nature…Most of the damage was limited to the back one-third of the hotel, thanks to the building’s design, which includes “fire stops” — concrete barriers between sections of larger buildings that help keep potential fires from spreading…”

Investigators say a fire that tore through the Days Inn in Wausau Saturday evening started in the same area where a bathtub overflowed earlier in the day. Investigators from the Wausau Police Department, Wausau Fire Department, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office were at the hotel at 116 S. 17th Ave. Sunday to look into the cause of the blaze that displaced at least 20 long-term residents.

Wausau Police Capt. Greg Hagenbucher said investigators were notified of an incident earlier on Saturday where an amount of water damage was caused when a bathtub on the second floor overflowed for an extended period of time. The damage occurred in the same area where the fire was discovered. Hagenbucher said the fire was likely electrical in nature and does not appear suspicious.

For more: http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/article/20131215/WRT01/312150299/Updated-Days-Inn-fire-likely-electrical-tied-water-damage-from-overflowing-bathtub

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Fire Likely An Electrical Short Tied To Bathtub Overflow; “Fire Stops” Limit Damage

Filed under Fire, Guest Issues, Maintenance, Risk Management, Structural Damage

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | December 16, 2013 · 7:05 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Idaho Hotel Suffers Water Damage To Lobby And Parking Garage When “Frozen” Fire Suppression Pipe Bursts

“…it took some time for Boise firefighters to stop the broken line, drain the water and help dry out the lobby of the hotel and Hotel Water Damagethe parking garage…(hotels must) take some precautionary measures to keep pipes from freezing and especially as they start to thaw (such as) wrapping the pipes with heating tape…”

Saturday night at the Hampton Inn in Boise’s downtown a thawing fire suppression pipe burst and sent water surging. A first person video shows the amount of water that came flowing inside the parking garage, which Captain Ramey said was due to a frozen fire suppression pipe that was expanding and thawing.

It was not the first time the fire crews responded to the report of burst pipes as the temperatures in the Treasure Valley started to warm after our recent cold snap. Last Tuesday, pipes burst at the Tavern at Bown Crossing causing damage inside the building and forcing the restaurant to close for a couple days. Also, United Power workers were out last week helping more than 70 customers thaw  their pipes.

General Manager of the Hampton, Erik Hansen, said the pipe burst in the garage area, which is not heated and the water poured below denting one car and covering another with water.

Hansen said they actually had a fire suppression pipe burst during last winter’s cold snap. It was in a completely different area of the building. He says they will now likely be wrapping the pipes with heating tape.

For more:  http://www.ktvb.com/news/Pipe-bursts-and-surges-through-Bodo-hotel-and-parking-garage-235964821.html

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Idaho Hotel Suffers Water Damage To Lobby And Parking Garage When “Frozen” Fire Suppression Pipe Bursts

Filed under Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | December 14, 2013 · 7:10 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: New Restaurant Smartphone App Integrates “Ordering & Reservation System”; Customized Menus Along With Table Availability And Wait Times

“…the portable electronic device can be used to review a menu, place an order, and be billed for an order…In other examples, the Hände mit Handys im Restaurantportable electronic device can also transmit personal information or a personal profile of the operator of the portable electronic device to the restaurant so that the restaurant can personalize the menu or provide recommendations for items to order. In one example, the personalized menu can be configured to remove items from the menu that contain substances that the customer is allergic to…”

“…(the app is) capable of providing recommendations for restaurants in response to a search query for a particular restaurant type, cuisine, ethnicity, price point, rating, or a combination of a few of these factors. The recommendations provided to the customer can be based on the wait time for the next available table at the restaurant…”

“…the recommendations can contain only restaurants with a table available within a predetermined period of time. As another example, the recommendations can contain only restaurants capable of providing the customer with a table within a period of time after the customer arrives at the restaurant…”

On December 12, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new ordering and reservation system that could work with various Apple iDevices. Although the system can be modified to be apply to movie theaters, repair services, museums and the like, Apple’s main focus is on a restaurant market application Our cover graphic was taken from Apple’s “Life on iPad” promotional video where they illustrated a chef or short order cook using the iPad as part of an ordering system.

For more: http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2013/12/apple-invents-restaurant-ordering-reservation-system.html

http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2013/12/13/opentable-slips-apple-patent-describes-eating-at-a-restaurant/

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: New Restaurant Smartphone App Integrates “Ordering & Reservation System”; Customized Menus Along With Table Availability And Wait Times

Filed under Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | December 13, 2013 · 12:06 pm

Hospitality Industry Employment Risks: Florida Hotel Settles Federal “Wage Violation” Investigation For $30,000 In Back Pay; Failed To Maintain Accurate Payroll Records

“Even when an employer contracts with a payroll service company, as this one did, the employer is required by federal labor laws to record and Hospitality Industry Wage Violation Lawsuitsmaintain accurate records of hours worked by employees. The employer is responsible for submitting accurate data for the preparation of employees’ paychecks,” said James Schmidt, director of the Wage and Hour Division’s Tampa District Office. “It is illegal for an employer to falsify the number of hours worked by employees.”

The division has noticed the noncompliance in the hospitality industry and is concentrating its resources on investigating and remedying violations, informing workers of their rights and providing compliance assistance to employers. Since 2009, the division has concluded nearly 5,100 cases involving hotel and motel employers, resulting in more than $16.1 million in back wages for more than 30,000 workers nationwide.

Olympia Development Group LLC, doing business as Safety Harbor Resort and Spa in Tampa, has paid 37 employees $30,786 in back wages after an investigation by the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor identified violations at the resort of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime, minimum wage and record-keeping provisions.

The investigation disclosed that management changed employees’ time records, removing hours they had worked before and after their scheduled shifts, and deducting meal breaks, regardless of whether those breaks had actually been taken. These deductions from employees’ timecards, in addition to violating record-keeping provisions, resulted in both minimum wage and overtime violations when hours worked went unpaid.     Additionally, tipped employees were paid in violation of FLSA minimum wage requirements when, in addition to their direct cash wages they received from the employer, they did not collect enough in tips to earn minimum wage, yet the employer failed to make up the difference. Tipped employees were also paid in violation of FLSA overtime requirements when their overtime rates were based on time and one-half their direct cash wages rather than the full minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

The employer has paid all the back wages found due and has agreed to comply with the FLSA in the future.

The FLSA requires that covered, nonexempt employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, as well as time and one-half their regular rates of pay for hours worked over 40 per week. In general, hours worked includes all time an employee must be on duty, or on the employer’s premises or at any other prescribed place of work, from the beginning of the first principal work activity to the end of the last principal activity of the workday. Additionally, the law requires that accurate records of employee’s wages, hours and other conditions of employment be maintained.

The Wage and Hour Division’s Tampa District Office can be reached at 813-288-1242. Information on the FLSA and other federal labor laws is available by calling the division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or by visiting http://www.dol.gov/whd.

For more: http://www.dol.gov/whd/media/press/whdpressVB3.asp?pressdoc=Southeast/20131210.xml

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Employment Risks: Florida Hotel Settles Federal “Wage Violation” Investigation For $30,000 In Back Pay; Failed To Maintain Accurate Payroll Records

Filed under Employment Practices Liability, Labor Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

by | December 12, 2013 · 10:55 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Hotels Work With States To Reduce “Sex Trafficking” At Super Bowl Sites; Tens Of Thousands Of Women And Minors Victimized During Annual Event

“…The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking has taken several steps to raise awareness about the issue, training hotel managers on Child Sex Traffickinghow to detect and address trafficking in their establishments, and holding an informational rally replete with “elected officials, community activists, students, [and] artists.” Efforts like those in New Jersey and Arizona are aimed at duplicating past success at Super Bowl host sites…”

Before Super Bowl XLVI, held in Indianapolis in 2012, efforts from nonprofits and other activist groups helped generate a law making it easier to convict and punish pimps for victimizing people under 16 years of age. Those efforts don’t just fight sex trafficking around the Super Bowl — they also leave in place laws that are effective in limiting the practice long after the game is gone.

The enormity of the Super Bowl provides an ideal setting for traffickers to maximize profits. In Florida, for instance, “tens of thousands of women and minors” were victimized around Miami in 2009. Due to the influx of sports enthusiasts, there are more opportunities for sex solicitation – which pimps capitalize on. Additionally, the number of escort ads multiply closer to game day.

Led by Cindy McCain, the wife of Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), the task force issued 28 recommendations for reducing sex trafficking in the state. The task force, for instance, recommends increased protections for sex trafficking victims who are minors and the recognition of girls as victims in need of help instead of prostitutes. It suggests changing current state law to treat 15-, 16-, and 17-year-old victims of sex trafficking the same way it treats girls who younger than 15. It also suggests increasing penalties for johns and devoting resources to public awareness campaigns to combat the prevalence of sex trafficking.

Anti-trafficking outreach before the annual event is not unique to the Copper State, and advocacy campaigns have produced tangible results around past editions of the Super Bowl. Activists in New York and New Jersey are bracing for Super Bowl XLVIII – which they’ll host in February at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

For more: http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2013/12/12/3050121/combating-human-trafficking-arizona/

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Hotels Work With States To Reduce “Sex Trafficking” At Super Bowl Sites; Tens Of Thousands Of Women And Minors Victimized During Annual Event

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | December 11, 2013 · 9:24 am

Hospitality Industry Employment Risks: New York Restaurants Settle Federal “Wage Violation” Lawsuit For $288,000; Failed To Pay Workers Overtime, Operated “Illegal Tip Pool”

“…The restaurants’ failure to pay them overtime dropped their pay below the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour, the department said. Employees Hospitality Industry Wage Violation Lawsuitscovered by federal minimum-wage and overtime laws must be paid at least 11/2 times their regular hourly wage they when they work more than 40 hours a week…the restaurants operated an “illegal tip pool” in which tipped employees were forced to share their tips with the kitchen staff…”

Two Nassau sushi restaurants and an executive have agreed to pay more than $288,000 to settle federal charges that they “willfully” failed to pay 70 workers minimum wage and overtime, the U.S. Labor Department said.

Xaga Sushi in Merrick and Hewlett, and their president, Mei Yu Zhang, agreed to pay $261,887 in back wages and $26,322 in penalties, the Labor Department announced Monday.

The department contends the restaurants failed to pay the servers, busboys and kitchen staff overtime, even when some employees regularly worked as many as 50 hours a week. Instead, they were paid a flat monthly rate no matter how many hours they worked, the department said.

For more: http://www.newsday.com/classifieds/jobs/2-nassau-sushi-restaurants-to-pay-288g-to-settle-wage-charges-1.6581960

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Employment Risks: New York Restaurants Settle Federal “Wage Violation” Lawsuit For $288,000; Failed To Pay Workers Overtime, Operated “Illegal Tip Pool”

Filed under Employment Practices Liability, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

by | December 10, 2013 · 6:47 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: National Restaurant Chain Settles “Age Discrimination” Lawsuit With EEOC For $575,000; “Discriminatory Barriers To Hiring” For Applicants Over 40

Ruby Tuesday, Inc. will pay $575,000 and provide significant equitable relief to settle a class age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S Equal Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionEmployment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC alleged that Ruby Tuesday engaged in a pattern or practice of age discrimination against job applicants who were 40 years of age or older at six of the chain’s restaurants located in West Mifflin, Greensburg, Altoona, Du Bois, and Indiana, Pa., and in Beachwood, Ohio, in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA).

The restaurant chain also failed to preserve employment records, including employment applications, as required by the ADEA and EEOC regulations, the EEOC charged in its lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of the Western District of Pennsylvania (EEOC v. Ruby Tuesday, Inc., Civil Action No. 09-1330).

“This case demonstrates the agency’s ongoing commitment to challenge discriminatory barriers to hiring,” said EEOC General Counsel David Lopez.  “Vigorous law enforcement efforts on behalf of older workers are critical to the EEOC’s mission to eradicate barriers to employment.”

EEOC District Director Spencer H. Lewis, Jr. said, “The EEOC is committed to combatting unlawful age discrimination in the workplace and will hold employers responsible if they make hiring decisions based on age rather than the applicant’s ability to do the job.”

In addition to the $575,000 in monetary relief, the three-and-one-half-year consent decree resolving the lawsuit enjoins Ruby Tuesday from engaging in future age discrimination or retaliation and provides substantial non-monetary relief at the affected Ruby Tuesday locations.

Among other things, Ruby Tuesday, Inc. will:

  • Implement numerical goals for hiring and recruitment of job applicants age 40 and older at the affected locations;
  • Review its job advertisements to make certain they do not violate the ADEA’s prohibitions against age discrimination;
  • Conduct audits, including random reviews of hiring decisions, to ensure non-discrimination and compliance with the terms of the consent decree;
  • Evaluate the job performance of people with hiring authority for the six stores named in the consent decree and set their compensation (including bonuses), in part, based on their degree of success in helping Ruby Tuesday achieve its goals of ensuring that its recruitment and hiring practices provide equal employment opportunities for people who are 40 or older;
  • Designate a decree compliance monitor for oversight of compliance with the requirements of the ADEA and the terms of the consent decree;
  • Provide extensive training on the requirements of the ADEA and the consent decree to the decree compliance monitor, human resources personnel and hiring authorities of the six stores named in the consent decree; and
  • Report to the EEOC and keep records about its hiring practices and compliance with the consent decree.

Philadelphia Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence added, “We are pleased that Ruby Tuesday worked with us to craft a comprehensive settlement that will benefit all employees and applicants.  In addition to the monetary compensation for the class members, the extensive training and equitable measures are designed to improve recruitment and hiring of older workers and protect all applicants from age discrimination.”

According to its website, www.rubytuesday.com, Ruby Tuesday, Inc. has nearly 800 company-owned and franchised restaurants and more than 40,000 corporate and franchise team members.

Eliminating barriers in recruitment and hiring, especially class-based recruitment and hiring practices that discriminate against racial, ethnic and religious groups, older workers, women, and people with disabilities, is one of six national priorities identified by the EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan.

The Philadelphia District Office of the EEOC oversees Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and parts of New Jersey and Ohio.  The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.  Further information about the agency is available at its website, www.eeoc.gov.

For more: http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/12-9-13.cfm

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: National Restaurant Chain Settles “Age Discrimination” Lawsuit With EEOC For $575,000; “Discriminatory Barriers To Hiring” For Applicants Over 40

Filed under Employment Practices Liability, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | December 9, 2013 · 6:53 am

Hospitality Industry Security Solutions: Hotels Increasingly Providing Dedicated “Women’s Floors”; Increased Security And Amenities For Female Travelers

“…The Crowne Plaza Bloomington in Minneapolis also has a Women’s Floor with additional security features and amenities…The hotel saw a Hotel Safety Concerns For Female Travelersneed, given that females now make up 47% of the guest population at Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, says Gina LaBarre, vice president of brand management for Crowne Plaza…”

“…Hotels are responding by setting aside floors with special key access and amenities that women typically prefer…The Naumi Hotel in Singapore has dedicated the third floor, which has nine rooms, to female travelers. Guests have to use a special access card to get in. Amenities include hair straighteners, sanitary products and yoga mats…”

Book a room on the 11th floor of the Hamilton Crowne Plaza here,  and you’ll get special bath salts and body products, a magnifying mirror, nail polish, nail files and a curling iron. They’re not exactly the types of amenities that men would go for, but that’s the point.

The Hamilton Crowne Plaza is one of a small, but growing number of hotels offering floors dedicated to female travelers. These hotels are particularly trying to appeal to female business travelers, who are moving up the career ladder and hitting the road more often.

For more:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2013/12/08/hotels-women-only-floors/3910931/

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Security Solutions: Hotels Increasingly Providing Dedicated “Women’s Floors”; Increased Security And Amenities For Female Travelers

Filed under Guest Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , ,