Author Archives: Ida

by | March 25, 2014 · 8:35 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Bed Bug Lawsuits: Reducing Your Clients’ Risk”

“…Your clients, of course, are responsible for their own actions, or lack of action, when dealing with bed bugs. But there are actions you can take to help your clients avoid these kinds of deviations, minimize their risk of lawsuits, and reduce their liability if a lawsuit is ultimately filed. Of course, by doing so, you also reduce your own liability and risk from any bed bug litigation. But you must be proactive…”

Until they experience a bed bug crisis first hand, property managers usually can’t comprehend the full impact on their property. Most fail to appreciate just how difficult it is to control bed bugs once they have spread and become established.

That’s why property managers often address bed bug complaints with the same casual approach as complaints about cockroaches or ants. They typically do not respond aggressively, at the first sign of trouble, and before the bed bugs become entrenched and spread to other areas of the building. And property managers often resist investing the time, money and effort necessary to control a bed bug outbreak. That puts both of you at risk of a lawsuit.

For more: http://www.pctonline.com/pct0314-bed-bug-lawsuits.aspx

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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

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by | March 24, 2014 · 8:29 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Hotel Sues Fla. Sheriff Over Unwanted Guests”

“…Florida law ‘clearly sets forth that [as] a hotel operator of a transient establishment — you can go in and say, ‘I don’t wish to entertain you anymore,” Blair said. ‘The statute says you can call the sheriff, and he has a duty to remove them.’Image A separate group of independent hoteliers has sued along similar grounds. It is seeking a declaration on whether the Sheriff’s Office is properly interpreting state law, but that case is still pending in state court…”

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Dianna Chane says she cannot get the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office to remove unwanted guests from her HomeSuiteHome hotel, even if they aren’t paying, are using drugs or committing assault.

Once a supporter of Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Chane has sued Sheriff Bob Hansell, saying he is forcing independent hotels on U.S. Highway 192 to become homeless shelters.

“What has crushed me is I have been denied the right to manage my own property,” Chane said. “I feel like we’ve been taken hostage.”

For more: http://www.policeone.com/investigations/articles/7004783-Hotel-sues-Fla-sheriff-over-unwanted-guests/

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Filed under Crime, Hotel Industry, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

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by | March 21, 2014 · 8:23 am

Hospitality Industry Liability Update: “3 People Killed in Deadly Fire At New Jersey Hotel Read”

“…The New Jersey Hotel is only of few blocks from the beach and most of its guests work in the fishing industryImage or are building contractors in the area. Many of the residents at the hotel have been displaced by Hurricane Sandy and forced to stay in the hotel until they can afford to repair their homes…”

 

A deadly fire took the lives of three people and critically injured at least three more, when a New Jersey hotel burst into flames.

Mariner’s Cove Motor Inn at Point Pleasant Beach, suddenly caught fire early this morning and had firefighters struggling to control the flames.

The Jersey shore hotel was completely destroyed by the blaze and upon entering the building firefighters discovered the bodies of three guests that couldn’t escape the inferno.

For more: http://americanlivewire.com/2014-03-21-3-people-killed-in-deadly-fire/

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Filed under Fire, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

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by | March 20, 2014 · 8:32 am

Hospitality Industry Liability Update: “Palm Springs Hotel Guest Died of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, Coroner Says”

“…’There was a dangerous condition that posed an immediate and grave risk to the health of any customer,’ Kaufman said. Image‘It’s remarkable to me that a condition this dangerous could be allowed to persist for not days, but almost two weeks, and take the life of a successful, caring and wonderful man.’…”

An Ohio attorney whose body was found in a Palm Springs hotel room in November died of carbon monoxide poisoning, the Riverside County coroner’s office said Wednesday.

The Palm Springs Police Department has been investigating the death and will present its findings to the Riverside County district attorney’s office for possible criminal charges, said Palm Springs Police Lt. Mitch Spike.

For more: http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-palm-springs-hotel-guest-died-from-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-coroner-says-20140319,0,5611674.story#axzz2wW6yGmmP

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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Liability, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

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by | March 19, 2014 · 8:45 am

Hospitality Industry Social Media Update: “10 Social Media Strategies For 2014”

“…Marketers can’t simply create a Google+ account and be done with it, however, she said. Similar to Facebook or Twitter, the platform needs a constant stream of fresh contentImage…Online marketing should be as transparent as possible, Gutman said. Better to be honest and upfront than to fool guests at point of purchase and have them tweet their discontent when they arrive on property…”

GLOBAL REPORT—With the new year comes new strategies, and the evolving arena of social media is no different.

 The ultimate goals of those strategies, however, remains the same, said Daniel Edward Craig, founder of online reputation management firm Reknown and moderator of the webinar “Top social media strategies for 2014,” hosted by ReviewPro.

The first of those objectives is to increase brand awareness. The second is to enhance guest satisfaction. Last but not least is to drive revenue.

To help hoteliers reach them, Craig and his panel shared 10 social media strategies to adopt in 2014.

For more: http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Article/12811/10-social-media-strategies-for-2014

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by | March 18, 2014 · 8:39 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Management Update: “Stamford Hotel Worker Arrested for Sexually Assaulting Guest”

“…Police say that Oyola-Bandara knocked on the woman’s door at the Super 8 motel at 32 Grenhart Road at about 3:30 a.m. and told the woman, who has been a resident of the motel for some time, that he is there to fix something. ImageThe woman recognized the man as a hotel worker and let him in. Oyola-Bandara then pulled out a bottle of liquor and put two glasses on the table and began pouring the liquor into the glasses…”

A West Side hotel maintenance worker who talked his way into a 60-year-old woman’s room early Saturday morning and tried to force himself on her was arrested after police found the man asleep in the woman’s hotel room.

Carlos Oyola-Bandera, 35, of 501 West Main St., Stamford, was charged with attempted rape, unlawful restraint, criminal trespass, fourth-degree sexual assault and breach of peace. He was held over the weekend by police in lieu of a $50,000 court appearance bond and is being arraigned at the Stamford courthouse Monday.

For more: http://blog.ctnews.com/stamford411/2014/03/17/stamford-hotel-worker-arrested-for-sexually-assaulting-guest/

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Filed under Claims, Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Liability, Management And Ownership, Privacy, Risk Management

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by | March 17, 2014 · 8:31 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “The ‘Beacon-Enabled’ Hotel Of The Digital Age”

“…I mainly focused on automation and making the experience easier. The next step is to look at ways hotels can increase revPAR (revenue per room),Image which I will focus on in the next article. People have been talking about smart housing for a long time but that is over now. Smart hotels will be realised. The only question is: By who?…”

Our homes are becoming more and more connected to so-called ‘smart homes’ with smart tv’s, smart fridges, and smart lights. Hotels want to give the feeling of comfort and one way to achieve this is to replicate the feeling of being at home. Smart homes are the future and Hotels should embrace change and be at the forefront of technological innovation.

I have been blogging about iBeacon technology and how it could create a whole new experience in stadiums and museums. While many have been focusing on the marketing and shopping benefits of implementing the latest technologies I want to help you look further than that. I would like to introduce the smart hotel.

For more: http://www.hospitalitynet.org/column/global/154000392/4064433.html

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by | March 14, 2014 · 8:56 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Management Update: “Code Violations Plagued The Majestic Hotel Before Fire”

“…In an evaluation of the hotel in 2012, the fire chief predicted the hotel’s ultimate demise stating, “In the event of a fire it is anticipated portions of the yellow brick will begin to fail at an early state in the fire’s development.Image To place the cities firefighters inside the yellow brick building under those firefighting conditions is to needlessly expose them to injury or death…”

Two weeks ago today an historic hotel, more than 100 years old, went up in flames. Tonight, we’re learning more about what Hot Springs city leaders did to try and prevent the Majestic Hotel fire. Talk to just about any Hot Springs resident and they’ll give you a memory of the Majestic.

One bystander said, “That was the restaurant there and 20 years ago my husband and I had our first date there.” Another person said, “We had our wedding reception in the Majestic.” In the 1950’s the hotel became so popular, construction crews added on to it.

For more: http://www.arkansasmatters.com/story/d/story/code-violations-plagued-the-majestic-hotel-before/52879/rJ44s7w9-ku2EpG5lLKoGw

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Filed under Fire, Hotel Industry, Insurance, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Structural Damage

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by | March 13, 2014 · 8:43 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Management Update: “NWC Student Dies in Fall at Denver Hotel”

“…Thamba’s death remains under investigation, according to Sonny Jackson, a spokesman for the Denver Police Department, but foul play is not suspectedImage….Thamba fell from a balcony at the Holiday Inn Denver East at 3333 Quebec St. between 3-4 a.m. Tuesday, Jackson said. How far he fell, and what caused the fall, have not been determined, Jackson said…”

An international student attending Northwest College died early Tuesday morning when he fell off a balcony at a Denver hotel.

Levy Thamba, of the Republic of Congo, Africa, began attending Northwest in late January. He apparently traveled to Denver during the college’s spring break.

For more: http://www.powelltribune.com/news/item/12164-nwc-student-dies-in-fall-at-denver-hotel

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by | February 18, 2014 · 8:43 am

Hospitality Industry Liability Risk: “Carbon Monoxide Leak At Westin Sends 9 To Hospital”

“…A total of 20 guests and employees were evaluated by paramedics, resulting in the transport of nine people to the hospital.  Four employees who worked in the area of the hotel’s laundry roomImage were transported by paramedic unit to the Hyperbaric Chamber at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.  Five additional patients, four employees and one guest, were transported to local hospitals…”

For the second time in as many months, Anne Arundel County paramedics were alerted to the presence of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide on the scene of a call by carbon monoxide detectors carried on their medical equipment.  On Sunday February 16th just after 1:30 p.m., paramedics responded to the Westin Hotel, located at 1110 Old Elkridge Landing Road in North Linthicum to assist an employee who felt faint.  While assessing and treating the patient, the paramedics were alerted to the possible presence of carbon monoxide by their CO alarm.  They immediately requested additional assistance to the scene and began to evacuate the patient and others in the area.

Additional responding units checked other areas of the hotel and found excessive levels of carbon monoxide in various locations in the hotel.  Some levels were in excess of 700 parts per million- levels capable of causing serious injury with just two hours of exposure.  The seven story hotel was evacuated by firefighters going room to room on each floor to ensure all employees and guests had been evacuated.

For more: http://www.eyeonannapolis.net/2014/02/17/carbon-monoxide-leak-at-westin-sends-9-to-hospital/

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