Category Archives: Claims

by | September 27, 2011 · 6:10 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Health Risks: Illinois Hotel Sued Six Months After Guests Discovered Bed Bugs In Room

A hotel employee again offered the couple a new room, the lawsuit said, but they declined. After they returned home, they said Gonzales noticed bite marks on Layman’s shoulder. She said a doctor confirmed she was bitten by bed bugs, and the couple’s suit said a Hollywood Casino manager acknowledged the pests were bed bugs.

“..they pulled down the covers and discovered red bugs running on the sheets. Layman said she videotaped the bugs with her cell phone…”

 

A Blue Island couple is suing the Hollywood Casino Joliet and its hotel, saying they found bed bugs in their room more than six months ago. Tamara Layman and Leo Gonzales filed the lawsuit in Will County this month. Layman said she first tried asking a manager there to simply reimburse her for doctor visits, lost property and a ruined weekend. But she said she’s had no success.

The lawsuit said Layman and Gonzales checked into the casino’s hotel March 5, left their luggage in their room and went to the casino. They returned a few hours later and went to sleep. But Layman said she woke up at 1:30 a.m. and noticed a bug on a pillow.

Gonzales killed the bug, and Layman carried it in a tissue to the hotel’s front desk, where an employee offered to give them another room.

Layman and Gonzales said they threw out most, if not all, of what they brought to the casino including luggage. They also said it took 17 days for the hotel to send an exterminator to their home for an inspection.

For more:  http://news.google.com/news/more?q=hotel&hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1366&bih=497&wrapid=tlif131713187418910&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ncl=d6mgZ9jhZCUXCgMuGZI-DUW1QcQjM&ei=adaBTpPAMI7MsQLqmoiYDw&sa=X&oi=news_result&ct=more-results&resnum=10&ved=0CMsBEKoCMAk

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by | September 11, 2011 · 7:26 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: Hotel Room Mattress Fires Can Cause Expensive Damage To Room And Contents

Damage to the hotel is estimated at $15,000 and to the room’s contents at about $10,000, Victoria Fire said.

A fire in a suite at City Metro Suites overnight cost several thousand dollars of damage to the hotel.

Victoria Fire responded to the incident at Rock Bay Avenue and Gorge Road to find the mattress on fire. The room’s occupant was not inside the suite at the time.

The fire was quickly put out and didn’t cause damage to neighbouring suites. The cause of the fire is not known.

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Mattress+fire+City+Metro+Suites+causes+thousands+damage/5382797/story.html#ixzz1XeoryR3C

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by | August 6, 2011 · 8:46 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: North Carolina Hotel Ceiling Collapses After "Drainage Pipe Bursts" During Heavy Rain (Video)

“…A drainage pipe that helps drain water from the roof runs through the ceiling in the lobby…. The pipe burst causing a portion of the ceiling to collapse and flood the lobby with water…”

CLICK ON PICTURE TO WATCH VIDEO

A portion of the ceiling in a Charlotte hotel collapsed Friday afternoon after heavy rains caused a pipe to burst. Erik Slemon and his father, Allan Goldberg, are from Miami and were staying at the hotel to attend a men’s clothing trade show.

“In a matter of seconds it got a little stronger,” Erik Slemon said.  “I pulled out my phone and I shot it and the whole ceiling just came down.  The whole lobby was flooded in a matter of five seconds.” No one was injured, and there is no official damage estimate from the flooding.

For more:  http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Pipe-bursts-at-Charlotte-hotel-flooding-lobby-126844238.html

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by | August 5, 2011 · 6:38 am

Hospitality Industry Information Security Risks: "Cyber Attack Claims" Increase 56% Mainly Through "Rogue Employees, Malicious Attacks, And Mistakes By Outsourcing Firms"

“…The vast quantities of personal, identifiable information collected by the leisure and hospitality industry have made the sector a chief target for cyber attacks, according to Willis…with reports of a 56% rise in cyber claims over the past year….”

“…Rogue employees, malicious attacks, and mistakes by outsourcing firms appear to be the main culprits, with hackers getting ever-more sophisticated in their attempts to drain corporate databases of customers’ personal details…”

Willis warns that some breaches can cost in excess of $100 million and with more stringent data protection legislation coming into force, companies’ financial exposure to this type of crime will increase further.

“Recent breakthroughs include the introduction of identity theft solutions and Payment Card Industry fines coverage, which helps to protect companies from penalties linked to the mismanagement of credit card data.”

For more:  http://www.insurancedaily.co.uk/2011/08/03/hospitality-and-leisure-attract-cyber-attacks/

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by | July 23, 2011 · 7:41 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: New Insurance Offerings Cover "Bed Bug Infestation, Loss Of Revenue And Guests' Risk Of Bringing Bed Bugs Home"

“…The new offering covers lost revenue resulting from treating rooms, as well as paying for the cost of eliminating the bugs…”

“…It can also cover business or leisure travellers against the risk of bringing bedbugs home from a conference or overnight stay…”

Lloyd’s underwriters have teamed up with insurance broker Aon and Global Excess Partners, an innovator in new insurance products, to develop a comprehensive bedbug insurance solution for travellers and the hospitality industry.

According to Lloyd’s, bedbug infestations are on the rise, causing hotel owners, landlords and businesses major problems.

High levels of infestation have been reported in the US and Europe, with New York topping the list of cities in a bedbug battle.

Bedbugs are regarded as the most difficult of pest to treat, more so than cockroaches, ants and termites, as they are elusive, can live for a year or more without eating and can withstand a range of temperatures from nearly freezing to 50 degrees Celsius.

For more:  http://www.insurancedaily.co.uk/2011/07/23/lloyds-and-aon-team-with-bedbug-offering/

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by | July 19, 2011 · 4:54 pm

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: "Sales/Group Contracts" Discussed By Todd Seiders, Director Of Risk Management For Petra Risk Solutions (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r_sKI3wIPg&feature=email]

Petra Risk Solutions’ Director of Risk Management, Todd Seiders, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Sales/Group Contracts’. 

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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by | July 18, 2011 · 9:23 am

Hotel Industry Building Safety Risks: The 30th Anniversary Of The Kansas City Hyatt Regency "Skywalks Disaster" Is Remebered For The 114 Killed, 200 Injured From "Failed Building Engineering Plans"

“…Plans had both walkways hanging from the same vertical support rods. But a revision had the lower skywalk hanging from the upper one on separate rods. That increased the load on the upper skywalk and added to the stress on the bolts, which were doomed to pull free of the welded box beams to which the rods were attached. The flaw was obvious in hindsight…”

“…There were no criminal charges, but the engineers lost their licenses. There were about $140 million in judgments and settlements…”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=715wyClHTVw]

 Thirty years ago today the music stopped when the skywalks in the elegant Hyatt Regency hotel lobby suddenly crashed down on a crowd of people enjoying big-band tunes and a night out. The 114 people killed in the disaster will never age. The injured, the victims’ loved ones and the rescuers, however, are three decades older.

A broken water pipe threatened to drown those trapped. Electrical wires were sparking. People were crushed beyond recognition.

The hours went by as Ortega and dozens of other emergency responders — firemen, emergency medical technicians, citizens — carried bodies either to a temporary morgue or a makeshift emergency room. A man’s leg was amputated by chainsaw in order to free him. Ortega saw a police officer try to pull a screaming man out and his arm came off.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/16/3018298/the-hyatt-disaster-30-years-later.html#ixzz1STcYIVOk

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by | June 28, 2011 · 1:15 pm

Hospitality Industry Insurance Risks: "Employment Practices Liability Insurance" May Contain "Exclusions For Intentional Acts" That May Deny Coverage To Hotel Executives In "Disparated Treatment And Sexual Harassment" Cases

“…a panel of arbitrators found that (the executive)  “was well acquainted with the company’s policy on sexual harassment and other acts of inappropriate conduct.”  They further found that (the executive)  “did not comply with the policy on sexual harassment and that his refusal was willful.” 

“…attorneys should remind their clients to carefully review their existing EPLI policies and to understand all exclusions that may apply, as well as to be mindful of such exclusions when negotiating the purchase of a new EPLI policy…”

Exclusions typically found in EPLI policies include exclusions for Fair Labor Standards Act claims, National Labor Relations Board decisions, ERISA matters, costs of complying with accommodations mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and claims arising out of facts or circumstances known to the employer before the effective date of the policy.  Another possible exclusion is for intentional acts.  This exclusion generally is intended to eliminate coverage if an employer acts with “wonton, willful, reckless, or intentional disregard for any laws.” This exclusion is a carryover from other policies traditionally offered, including commercial general liability policies and workers compensation policies.

The question that arises is whether an intentional acts exclusion precludes coverage for disparate treatment or sexual harassment claims.  By their very nature, disparate treatment and sexual harassment require some type of intentional conduct.  If the intentional acts exclusion is interpreted broadly enough, an allegation of disparate treatment or sexual harassment may provide the insurer grounds for denying coverage under the policy.

For more:  http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=54d3b2ac-48f1-497b-ac65-ee0e32826815

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by | June 21, 2011 · 5:50 am

Hospitality Industry Information Security: "Cyberinsurance" Has Evolved Into A "Must-Have" Insurance Policy For Hotel Management As Coverage Includes "Forensics"

“…some insureds get charged $1,000 an hour by a forensics firm. It’s paying the individual walking by your house burning down with a bucket of water…” 

“…used to really focus our underwriting attention on how well they could prevent the breach, but we’ve added another phase to it,” says Whetstone. “Not only can you prevent it, but if it happens, how quickly can you respond? Do you have a plan in place? Kind of like a disaster recovery plan or a business continuity plan. It’s the same with this incident response plan.”

“…cyberinsurance is a “must-have” for most firms today…”

Demand for cyberinsurance was rising even before the most recent highly-publicized parade of breaches at major corporations and organizations. After the news of the first major Sony hack but before the subsequent reports involving Sony, Citicorp, the International Monetary Fund and others, Insurance Journal spoke with an expert to gauge how the insurance market for this coverage is doing.

James Whetstone, senior vice president and U.S. technology and privacy manager for insurer Hiscox Specialty, is a former technology geek and broker turned underwriter.

Hiscox is one of the original underwriters of the coverage. Whetstone says there are almost 30 carriers now offering cyber liability coverage, some more seriously than others. He says these times of claims are when an insurer’s commitment to a market can be tested, citing what he calls the “naive” capacity that exists.

The coverage has evolved quickly– Whetstone compares the product’s acceptance to that of employment practices liability (EPL) coverage– to where cyberinsurance is a “must-have” for most firms today.

The underwriting has also changed. “We used to really focus our underwriting attention on how well they could prevent the breach, but we’ve added another phase to it,” says Whetstone. “Not only can you prevent it, but if it happens, how quickly can you respond? Do you have a plan in place? Kind of like a disaster recovery plan or a business continuity plan. It’s the same with this incident response plan.”

For more:  http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2011/06/20/203166.htm

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by | June 14, 2011 · 6:46 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Hotel Owners Can Now Obtain "Bed Bug" Insurance Policies That Combine Insurance For Pest Control And "Lost Revenue"

“…In the past, the cost of treating bedbugs was seen as an unplanned expense that had to be paid out of pocket by the landlord…”

“…Treatment of bedbug problems and replacement of any property was excluded from property insurance policies. In recent months, some hotels have obtained loss of attraction coverage that covers losses if rooms have to be taken out of service because of bed-bug infestations…”

Aon Risk Solutions, the risk management arm of giant insurance broker Aon Corp., has teamed with Global Excess Partners, a Manhattan-based commercial property insurance company, and Terminix, the nation’s largest pest-control company, to offer the first-ever bedbug-specific insurance policy for hotels, landlords and corporations.

The new insurance plan, announced Monday, will not only cover the cost of bedbug termination, but also covers lost revenue during the time the creatures are still running riot before succumbing to pest eradication techniques that range from a new non-toxic treatment that can clean a room in five days or less, to mattress encasements.

In an effort to quell a chance of an outbreak, many companies have been hiring exterminators like M&M to conduct monthly preventive visits, which cost anywhere from $100 to several thousand dollars. Mr. Wong said his company recently conducted a $25,000 job that came as a result of bedbug infestation.

For more:  http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110613/REAL_ESTATE/110619964

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