Author Archives: Ida

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “New I-9 Documents” By Petra Risk Solutions’ Director Of Human Resources Sharyn Maldonado, PHR

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P3Petra Risk Solutions’ Director Of  Human Resources, Sharyn Maldonado, PHR , offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Update – ‘New I-9 Documents’.

P3 (Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.

For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.

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

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Texas Motel Sued By Guest Injured When “Defective Chair” Collapsed; “Latent, Unreasonably Dangerous Condition”

“…As he prepared for bed, he sat down in a chair to remove his boots…the chair collapsed under plaintiff causing him injury, the suit states. The Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsdefective chair presented a latent, unreasonably dangerous condition…(the plaintiff) injured his left forearm, ribs and back when the chair collapsed, for which he seeks damages within the jurisdictional limits of the court…”

While staying at a Comfort Inn in Orange, Allen Doverspike, an Oklahoma resident, sat in a chair and began to take his boots off when the chair collapsed. Seeking less than $1 million for his injuries, Doverspike filed suit against Hospitality Operations on Aug. 5 in Jefferson County District Court.

According to the lawsuit, on Jan. 30 Doverspike checked into the Orange Comfort Inn.

The suit asserts the defendant should have repaired or replaced the chair.

For more:  http://setexasrecord.com/news/288232-man-sues-motel-after-chair-collapses-while-taking-off-boots

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

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Hotel And Restaurant “Mobile Websites” Rank Highest In Performance, Customer Engagement According To Recent Study; Mobile Payments To Reach $90 Billion By 2017

Hospitality Technology Reveals Results of 2013 Customer Engagement Tech Study

For more:  http://hospitalitytechnology.edgl.com/home

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

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Pennsylvania Restaurant Sued By EEOC For “Gender Discrimination”; Female Workers Paid “Lower Hourly Wage”, “Fewer Regularly Scheduled Hours”

“…These women were subjected to a double whammy of discrimination,” said District Director Spencer H. Lewis, Jr., of the EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office. “They were paid a lower hourly wage and regularly scheduled for fewer work hours than their male counterparts. That’s why we EEOCredoubled our efforts to win justice for them…EEOC Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence added, “The EEOC is strongly committed to enforcing the equal pay laws and will take whatever action necessary to defend people’s rights in the workplace…”

Enforcement of equal pay laws and targeting compensation systems and practices that discriminate based on gender is of one of six national priorities identified by the EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan.

Market Burgers, L.L.C., doing business as Checkers, a fast food restaurant chain, violated federal law by paying women less than men and scheduling them for fewer hours than their male counterparts because of gender, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it announced today.

EEOC General Counsel David Lopez said, “This case demonstrates the significance of the agency’s strategic enforcement plan, reminding employers that the agency will exercise its authority to eliminate sex-based wage disparities in the workplace.”

According to the EEOC’s suit, LaToya Snyder began working as a cashier/sandwich maker at the company’s Checkers restaurant in West Philadelphia and was promoted to a shift manager position in 2010. The EEOC charges that Checkers routinely paid Snyder and other female shift managers lower wages than male shift managers even though they performed the same duties, including giving assignments and directions to other employees and scheduling and approving breaks. Checkers also paid female cashiers/sandwich makers less than their male counterparts even though they did substantially equal work, according to the lawsuit.

The EEOC further charges that Checkers suppressed the wages of Snyder and other female shift managers and cashiers/sandwich makers by scheduling them for 20 to 25 hours per week, even though they had requested full-time hours, while their male counterparts routinely were scheduled to work, on average, more than 30 hours per week. The general manager also required female employees to leave work early if the restaurant was not busy while male employees were permitted to work a full eight-hour shift.

For more:  http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/8-12-13.cfm

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

Hospitality Industry Information Risks: “Cyber-Risk Insurance” Protects Businesses Against “Data Breaches”

…CFOs are looking for insurance against cyber threats. In the past few years,  cyber-risk coverage has become one of the fastest- Cyber Risk Insurance Graphicgrowing businesses for insurers…Businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools in  the U.S. reported 343 data breaches this year through July, reports CFOJ’s  Maxwell Murphy. That exceeds the number reported in all of 2006 and puts 2013 on  pace for 588 breaches, the most since 2010…”

Data breaches have been on the rise after a dip in the past two years, and experts say the publicly disclosed breaches of computer networks may be only a  fraction of the total.

Cybersecurity used to be something that Ciena CFO James Moylan Jr. delegated. But now he spends as much as 10% of his time making sure  Ciena and its technologies are protected from hackers, cutthroat competitors and other potential cybercriminals. “With all the things that have been in the  news—hackers and, frankly, the Chinese—it’s all caused us to think about” how to cut the potential cost of a data breach, he says. The average cost of a breach  is about $188 per stolen record, and the average loss per incident is $9.4 million, according to a study last week from the Ponemon Institute.

For more:  http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-300092/

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Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Theft

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Louisiana Motel Sued For “Negligence” After Guest Falls Down Flight Of Stairs; Claims Poor Lighting Led To Injuries

“…The lawsuit is seeking an award of damages for medical expenses, loss of impairment of earnings or earning capacity, physical pain, mental Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsanguish, physical impairment, physical disfigurement, mental impairment, loss of society and/or consortium, mental anguish, loss of household services, interest, court costs and attorney’s fees…”

A Super 8 Motel in Alexandria, La., is being sued after a guest fell down a flight of stairs due to poor lighting. Sonya Lynn Moore and J. David Moore filed suit against Super 8 Worldwide Inc., H.L. & H. Holding Co. Inc., Wyndham Worldwide Inc., individually and doing business as Wyndham Hotel Group, on July 3, 2013 in Jefferson County District Court. The defendants removed the case to Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division on Aug. 8.

The plaintiffs were guests on the premises of the Super 8 Motel in Alexandria on Jan. 24, 2013, when Sonya Moore allegedly fell down a flight of stairs.

The defendants are accused of negligence due to a lack of adequate lighting.

For more:  http://setexasrecord.com/news/288075-super-8-motel-sued-after-guest-falls-down-stairs

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

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Florida Resort Building Damaged As “Large Sinkhole Opens Up”; 30 Percent Of Three-Story Structure Collapses

“…(guests) could hear a cracking sound as the villa began sinking. A large crack was visible at the building’s base…most sinkholes are small. Hotel Resort Sinkhole DamageSinkholes can develop quickly or slowly over time…they are caused by Florida’s geology — the state sits on limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water, with a layer of clay on top. The clay is thicker in some locations making them even more prone to sinkholes…Other states sit atop limestone in a similar way, but Florida has additional factors like extreme weather, development, aquifer pumping and construction…”

A sinkhole caused a section of a central Florida resort villa to partially collapse early Monday, while another section of the villa was sinking, authorities said. About 30 percent of the three-story structure collapsed around 3 a.m. Monday, Lake County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Tony Cuellar said. The villa at the Summer Bay Resort had already been evacuated and no injuries were reported. Cuellar said authorities were also concerned about another section of the villa, which was sinking.

The sinkhole comes five months after one elsewhere in Florida killed a man. Monday’s sinkhole, which is in the middle of the villa, is about 40 to 50 feet in diameter, Cuellar said. He said authorities think it was getting deeper but couldn’t tell early Monday if it was growing outward.

The villa houses 24 units and about 20 people were staying in it at the time, Cuellar said. Authorities were called to the scene, about 10 miles west of Disney World, late Sunday where they found that the building was making popping sounds and windows were breaking.

For more:  http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23843301/huge-florida-sinkhole-causes-resort-villa-partially-collapse

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Filed under Guest Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Structural Damage

“2014 Hospitality Law Conference” Sponsored By HospitalityLawyer.com On February 10-12 Features Industry Legal, Safety And Security Solutions

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2014 Hospitality Law Conference-page-002

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Filed under Conferences, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Virginia Restaurant Kitchen Fire Spreads Inside Walls And Ceiling; $100,000 Interior And Water Damage

“…After extinguishing the flames in the area of a kitchen broiler, firefighters discovered “there was fire in the wall behind the burner … and up in Restaurant Fire Risksthe ceiling…part of the wall had to be torn away and ceiling tiles had to be removed to finish quelling the blaze…a rough estimate put the damage to the restaurant at $100,000 — “a lot of that due to the cleanup that will be necessary…”

The TGI Fridays restaurant at the entrance to the Downtown Short Pump shopping center remained closed Monday after a fire erupted Saturday night. A manager said Monday that the restaurant could reopen in about two weeks.

The restaurant, at 11600 W. Broad St., was closed Saturday night after a kitchen fire erupted about 9:40 p.m. and the Henrico County Fire Department was called. Firefighters responded and had the blaze under control in about 30 minutes.

For more:  http://www.timesdispatch.com/business/retail/tgi-fridays-restaurant-in-short-pump-remains-closed-after-fire/article_69e0e0bb-5790-5505-9dca-031e13fd3ac2.html

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Filed under Fire, Insurance, Risk Management, Structural Damage

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Washington Restaurant Destroyed By Fire Caused By Cleaning Towels Left In Dryer “Spontaneously Combusting”

Restaurant Cleaning Towel Combustion Fires“…It was the second restaurant fire in Olympia in two years caused by towels in the dryer, and the fifth in five years to other businesses including hair salons…the cleaning towels that were left inside the dryer smolder for hours and then spontaneously combust.  The greases and oils used in the cleaning process apparently don’t all get washed out…”

Investigators have determined a fire that destroyed the Oyster House restaurant in Olympia started in the dryer, when cleaning towels spontaneously combusted. Now, they’re sending out a warning to all restaurants, hair salons, and even bowling alleys where towels are used to clean things and then washed and tossed in the dryer.

Olympia fire investigator Brian Schenk gave KOMO News a close look at the dryer where the Oyster House fire started. “I see a very distinct burn pattern here that shows me the fire came from the inside out,” Schenk said. “It just looks like it’s towels.”

The restaurant manager said the night of the fire that they used the dryer just before closing.

“And so when they get thrown in the dryer and left, they’ll continue to spontaneously heat even after the dryer cycle has stopped and people have all left,” said Assistant Chief Robert Bradley, the Olympia fire marshal.

For more:  http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Spontaneous-combustion-deemed-cause-of-Olympia-restaurant-fire-218925741.html?tab=video&c=y

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Filed under Fire, Insurance, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Structural Damage