Category Archives: Guest Issues

by | July 14, 2013 · 8:51 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Washington Hotel Guest Drowns In “Murky Swimming Pool”; Firefighters’ Rescue Pole Failed To Locate Victim

“…Just over a month earlier, health officials had closed the pool when an inspection revealed the water had no chlorine and was cloudy a Hotel Pool Drowing Risksspokesman for the health agency (stated)…It was reopened two days later after hotel management corrected the problem…firefighters conducted a grid search of the pool using a rescue hook and thermal-imaging camera but were unable to find (the victim), according to a fire department statement…”

The Seattle Fire Department is reviewing why its first responders could not find a Washington State University student who had sunk to the bottom of a murky hotel swimming pool and eventually drowned, The Seattle Times reported Friday. Tesfaye Girman Deboch, 27, died in the pool at the Quality Inn & Suites Seattle Center on June 30, after firefighters using a rescue pole failed to locate his body.

Officials for Public Health – Seattle & King County say the pool has a history of problems and should not have been open because of the murkiness of the water. The health agency has launched its own investigation, the Times reported.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/07/12/2675373/drowning-death-in-seattle-leads.html#storylink=cpy

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by | July 10, 2013 · 12:00 pm

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Florida Hotel Guest Room Thief Arrest Assisted By Surveillance Camera Footage; Followed Housekeepers Into Rooms To Steal Cash, Personal Property

“…(the defendant) walked into a room that a maid was cleaning, flashing a hotel card and telling the maid that it was his mother’s Hotel Room Theftroom…after the maid finished and left, Johnson took off with $1,800 in cash, $10,000 in jewelry, an iPad and Chanel purse…Miami Beach Police caught a break when they obtained hotel security camera footage of the suspect leaving the building…”

Miami Beach Police arrested a suspect Thursday in a month-old burglary case, only to find that he was wanted by six other police departments and was responsible – by his own admission – for 14 other burglaries in Miami Beach alone. Johnson, of Miami Gardens, was brought in for questioning in connection with a June 8 burglary at the Miami Beach Resort and Spa Hotel where $20,000 in cash, jewelry, and electronics were stolen.

The room’s actual residents, Brazilian tourists Aparecida Pata, 58, and Denize Ferreira, 73, returned from breakfast to find their room ransacked.

After he was arrested and read his Miranda rights, Johnson confessed to the other burglaries.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/04/3485443/man-arrested-in-beach-hotel-theft.html#storylink=cpy

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by | July 9, 2013 · 5:28 am

Hospitality Industry Insurance And Legal Solutions: “Live Webinar” On “Lodging And The ADA” Presented By HospitalityLawyer.com On July 17

HospitalityLawyer Lodging and the ADA WebinarHospitalityLawyer Lodging and the ADA Webinar 2HospitalityLawyer Lodging and the ADA Webinar 3

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by | July 8, 2013 · 6:12 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Hotels Are Providing “Customized Apps For Guests’ Tablets And SmartPhones” That Facilitate Constant Interaction During Stay

“…hotels are starting to adopt (new apps) for guests’ SmartPhones and tablets. A number of companies—including Handheld Hospitality, iRiS Hotel Technology SolutionsSoftware Systems and Cardola– have developed apps (such as mobile phone acting as TV remote and pre-ordering dinner at hotel restaurant) that facilitate constant interaction between hotels and their guests before, during and after their stay…”

The apps can be customized for each hotel. But they typically work like this: When guests book their rooms, hotels send them emails letting them know about the app. They can then download the app and start planning their trips. The apps act as virtual concierges with information about local restaurants and attractions.

For those guests who want to spend time inside the hotel, they can use the apps to order room service, book spa appointments and golf tee times, and learn about in-house events or happy hour specials. In other words, the apps eliminate the need for an in-room directory or a concierge.

“Apps, like 16 different types of pillow, are seen as a must-have for hotels, particularly at the top end of the market,” says Katherine Doggrell, editor of Hotel Analyst Distribution & Technology.

But, she says, hotels run the risk of overloading the apps with too much information and too many functions. “What the customer often wants is the chance to cut down the time spent in queues trying to check in and out and pay, and that’s what apps can help do,” she says. “Apps should be functional, first and foremost.”

For more: http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130708/BUSINESS10/307080046/Mobile-apps-let-guests-order-room-service-more

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by | July 2, 2013 · 1:07 am

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “Hospitality Hoaxes And Scams” By Petra Risk Solutions’ Director Of Risk Management Todd Seiders, CLSD

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/52048409]

P3Petra Risk Solutions’ Director Of Risk Management, Todd Seiders, CLSD , offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Update – ‘Hospitality Hoaxes And Scams’.

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 1, 2013 · 9:09 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Hotel Rooms Continue To Have “High Levels Of Bacteria” From Diversity Of Guests; “Infection Risk” As Sanitizing Equipment Goes “Room To Room”

“…a hotel is  not an operating room, and bugs may lurk, despite tip-top cleaning efforts.” The  amount of guests who check in at hotels Hotel Health And Bacteria Risksfrom different parts of the world may  increase the exposure of germs…Cleaning items used by housekeepers such  as sponges and mops were also found to have high levels of bacteria which  increases the risk of infection as they go from room to room using the same  sanitizing equipment…”

On average, hotel housekeepers spend 30 minutes cleaning each room — about 14  to 16 rooms in an eight hour shift. In a study conducted at the University of Houston,  researchers took 19 bacteria samples from items found in three hotel rooms in  three states: Texas, Indiana and South Carolina. While high levels of bacteria  were discovered in bathroom sinks and floors, the dirtiest areas were light  switches and TV remotes, which contained 112.7 colony-forming unites of bacteria (CFUs)  and 67.6 CFUs, respectively. Moreover, light switches had the highest levels of  fecal matter bacteria with 111.1 CFUs.

“Guests  should not assume that their hotel room, not to mention all common surfaces  around the hotel such as doorknobs, front-desk pens … while (hopefully) clean,  are not sterile,” Matilde Parente, MD, a California-based  physician, biomedical safety consultant, and author board certified in pathology  and integrative holistic medicine, told Medical Daily.

Read more at http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/16908/20130626/hotel-health-risks-chronic-illnesses-long-stay.htm#Iobk2OkS3QmG1emv.99

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by | June 28, 2013 · 6:33 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Oklahoma Motel “Forced To Close” By City Officials Over Bed Bug Infestation, Mold, Water And Sewer Issues

“…City officials said the motel has been under surveillance for about a year and the owners have been told numerous times to fix problems with Hotel Bed Bugs Infestationbed bugs, mold issues, as well as water and sewer…Code enforcement officers said an angry customer called them to complain after noticing bed bug bites on her children and roaches falling from the ceiling…”

A motel in Ardmore is shut down after bed bugs and other issues pose a threat to customers. The Regency Inn located on 2705 on North Commerce St. in Ardmore was forced to close its doors after it failed a city code inspection.

The motel was shut down and customers were forced to leave the building. They said the motel will stay closed until the owner’s fix the issues and it meets city codes.

The owners declined to comment but said they’ll take care of the issues.

For more:  http://www.kten.com/story/22708184/ardmore-motel-shuts-down-after-bed-bug-investation

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by | June 24, 2013 · 6:27 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Georgia Restaurant Propane Gas Line Explodes Severely Damaging Building’s Interior And Roof; Five People Injured

“…workers installing a new air conditioning unit Saturday smelled gas and shut the propane line off at the building in Lake Park. When the line Restaurant Gas Explosion Riskswas turned back on, it exploded and destroyed the building’s roof and one of its walls…”

Authorities in Lowndes County say a propane explosion at a restaurant left five people injured and caused severe damage to the building.

Fire Chief Richard Guyton says between 80 and 85 percent of the building’s interior was damaged. Four employees and a customer were injured and information on their conditions wasn’t immediately available. Witnesses said some of the victims suffered cuts from falling ceiling tiles.

Lake Park is about 15 miles south of Valdosta.

For more:  http://www.11alive.com/news/article/296578/3/5-hurt-in-south-Ga-restaurant-explosion

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by | June 18, 2013 · 10:14 am

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “Hotel Pool Preparation, Maintenance And Checklist” By Petra Risk Solutions’ Risk Manager Joe Fisco, CLSD (Video)

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/52436189]

P3Petra Risk Solutions’ Risk Manager, Joe Fisco, CLSD , offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Update – ‘Hotel Pool Preparation, Maintenance And Checklist’.

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 | June 14, 2013 · 6:10 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Florida Hotel’s Restaurant Deck Collapses Into Water Injuring More Than Twenty People, Two Seriously

“…(the restaurant) lost power when the collapse happened, casting victims and rescuers alike into the dark…bartenders were diving into the water Florida Restaurant Deck Collapseto help rescue patrons. Fire trucks pulled to the water’s edge and extended their ladders to help patrons climb to safety…approximately 100 people were on the deck when it fell into the water. The deck’s official capacity was not immediately known…”

As fans packed Shuckers Waterfront Grill to cheer on the Miami Heat against the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night, the waterfront patio deck gave way, crashing into Biscayne Bay, spilling dozens of terrified patrons into the water. The accident happened at the popular North Bay Village spot, in back of the Best Western Plus on the Bay Inn & Marina, 1819 79th Street Causeway.

As many as two dozen people were injured. By 11:20 p.m., 15 people had been transported to various hospitals, two of them in serious condition, said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. Eugene Germain Jr. Another fire captain said one person might be missing and that a search was underway as rain fell.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/13/3450248/breaking-deck-collapses-at-shuckers.html#storylink=cpy

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