Category Archives: Maintenance

by | April 29, 2013 · 7:23 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: A “Hotel Technology” Checklist For Improved Guest Safety, Security And Convenience

Hotel Technology SolutionsThe following are from the “DO’s and DON’TS of Hotel Technology v5” for improved safety, security and convenience of hotel and resort operations:

  • Have universal power sockets with USB power sockets easily available for guest-use in public areas, especially Lobby Lounges, Dining areas, Club Lounges and Poolside – also have international adaptors handy
  • Have a smartphone compliant version of your hotel data file available for download on your website at the same time make sure your website is mobile compliant
  • Check all the peep holes on guest room doors to make sure they are secure and the right way round
  • Mount irons on wall brackets in closets instead of placing them on the floor or shelves
  • Clearly display broadband charges, if your hotel has any and have a sign-on page if your Government so requires it
  • Have an emergency torch/flashlight in the guest room
  • Have a person or system to monitor social networking sites for mentions about your hotel and respond appropriately and in a timely manner
  • Monitor what is written about your Hotel on Social networking sites like Trip Advisor
  • Put a notice on your HSIA sign-up screen that your government may block access to certain websites and internet services if they apply to you. Have your IT People know how to workaround this if the Guest asks
  • Make sure the electronic door lock on the guest room door closes quickly when the door shuts
  • Add CCTV cameras inside your Data Center – one that is directed to the server racks and the other, to the entrance door
  • Use electronic locks on your Server racks – not just metal keys
  • Use a bio-metric reader or PIN pad for staff entrance/egress that is linked to the Time and Attendance/Payroll System
  • Make sure your room safe is bolted down to a floor or wall and cannot be easily removed
  • Monitor the TV volume in the guest room so that it can go down very low and not too high. Some guests like to leave the TV on all night but at a very low background volume
  • Have a very low nightlight in the bathroom/toiletConsider using Motion/Presence [PIR] detectors rather than key cards to control energy in-room
  • Check from time to time in-the-floor power sockets – the metal type which are supposed to lift up when the clip if flicked – most often they stick after a while having been covered with floor polish and dust
  • Consider having a secure place where Guests can deposit their valuables and gadgets at the poolside or beach if they want to take a dip in the pool or use the sauna
  • Test your [magnetic] key cards to see if they de-magnetize when placed next to a mobile phone – often they do and is a great inconvenience to the guest as well as an operational chore
  • Have your IT team join such organizations as HFTP and HTNG so that they keep up to date with Hotel Technology – you should also sponsor them as well as have them attend various Conferences and Exhibitions
  • Regularly check and install Service Packs and software upgrades

For more:  http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/global/154000320/4060454.html

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by | April 28, 2013 · 3:29 pm

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Texas Restaurant Is A “Total Loss” After Kitchen Fire Destroys Building; “Old Structure” Was Not Insured

“…No one was injured but the Yum Yums building was a total loss…it was not insured. Fire officials believe the fire sparked in Restaurant Firethe restaurant’s kitchen downstairs, but the exact cause is unknown. The structure is unsafe for fire investigators to go inside, so the department will not be able to determine an exact cause…”

Three people were uninjured following an early morning fire at a downtown Jacksonville restaurant Sunday. At 12:12 a.m., a man who lived in an apartment above Yum Yums Restaurant and Bakery, in the 200 block of South Main Street, woke up to an explosion sound and ran downstairs, said Jacksonville Fire Chief Paul White.

The structure fire was located about a block from the fire station, and firefighters arrived on scene at 12:13 a.m., White said. There was fire at the back of the building and heavy smoke in the front when firefighters arrived, he said. Flames were soon shooting from the roof and out windows.

The fire quickly consumed the old structure, making it unsafe for crews to be the inside the building. Five ladder trucks from numerous departments were on scene to help, White said.

“It was a big fire, and the ladder trucks saved the day,” White said. “It as too dangerous to go inside so it was basically a defensive fire. (firefighters) basically put a lot of water on it.”

For more:  http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20130428/NEWS01/130429754

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by | April 27, 2013 · 6:25 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Solutions: “Hotel Pool Safety Inspection Checklist Mobile App” Represents Latest Mobile Technology For Hotel Managers (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVDX7SqSDxk]

The Pool and Spa Inspection Operators app provides detailed checklists that can be completed on a mobile device for the following areas: signs, safety features, chemicals, water clarity and general pool conditions, water circulation, pool facilities and general operation. This app also offers customization for pool or aquatic centers needs.

For more: http://www.gocanvas.com/mobile-forms-apps/8311-Hotel-Pool-Safety-Self-Inspection-Checklist–

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by | April 25, 2013 · 7:43 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Solutions: Hotel Management Must Regularly “Test Emergency Power Supply System Generators With Load” To Ensure Guest Safety During Power Outage And Loss

“…the most important maintenance issue for emergency power supply systems is the requirement to regularly test the generators with load. Most often it becomes inconvenient to perform the test due to interruptions to delivering guest services. In order that proper testing of the Hotel Emergency Power Systemsemergency power distribution system doesn’t negatively impact hotel operations, modern technology enables a design engineer to develop an automatic power transfer system that provides a seamless transfer between the municipal utility supply and the generator system…”

Proper maintenance includes, but is not limited to, fuel filtration to reduce the possibility of contaminants, battery maintenance and replacement to ensure a successful generator start every time, and periodic load testing to reduce the possibility of failure.

Emergency generators are installed in hotels to prevent hazards associated with loss of municipal electric power supplies. The reliability of electric power supplies for Fire and Life Safety systems is critical. In a hotel, the automatic power transfer switches that transfer the electricity source to the emergency generator, must be timed to provide electric power to fire and life safety loads within 10 seconds and to standby loads within 60 seconds of loss of municipal power supply. The life safety loads include:

  • Illumination of exits from a hotel building leading to an assembly point
  • Emergency exit signs
  • Alarm and alerting systems such as the fire alarm system
  • Controlled emergency communication systems
  • Emergency generator-set room lighting
  • Fire suppression systems
  • Smoke management systems

An emergency power source cannot perform successfully unless each system component functions properly. While attention is often given to protecting the engine-generator set, components such as the fuel system, the age of the fuel (if using a fossil fuel product) and the emergency power transfer panels may not have the same degree of care. As a result, the emergency power source may fail.

For example if the engine-generator set in a hotel is installed on the roof to avoid being flooded, but the automatic power transfer system and emergency power panels are located in the basement, then in the event of a flood the system is likely to fail, regardless of the reliability of the engine-generator.

Hotel developers spend an enormous amount of money on emergency power supply systems so they are assured that in the event of an emergency, the hotel will have the power required to ensure the safety of their guests and associates.

For more:  http://www.hospitalitynet.org/column/global/154000392/4060426.html

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by | April 24, 2013 · 6:55 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Illinois Restaurant Limits Floodwater Damage Through Installation Of “Special Flood Prevention Equipment”; $700,000 Cleanup Costs In 2008 Lowered To Under $1000 In 2013

“…special flood prevention equipment (was installed) at the McDonald’s after the 2008 flooding; including shutoff valves for the sewer lines, and Restaurant Flood Risksrubberized door dams… only about a half an inch seepage (from this flood) in the building through penetrations in pipes, and stuff like that, unlike 2008, (when there was) 27 inches…(the owner estimated there was) as much as $700,000 on cleanup from the 2008 flood, but only several hundred dollars this year…”

Two eateries next door to each other in northwest suburban River Grove were in very different stages of cleanup on Tuesday, as flood waters from the Des Plaines River slowly receded. WBBM Newsradio’s Bernie Tafoya reports, next door at the famous Gene and Jude’s Red Hot Stand, a big flood cleanup was underway on Tuesday. Workers were seen donning respirators while cleaning up inside on Tuesday, and tossing out flood-damaged debris, while the McDonald’s next door was getting ready to open for business.

It’s not that the flooding wasn’t as bad at the McDonald’s, it was the result inside the two restaurants.

“It’s money well-invested,” Karayanes said.

For more:  http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/04/23/a-tale-of-two-restaurants-flood-damage-varies-depending-on-preparations/

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by | April 23, 2013 · 8:33 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Hotel Guests Are Increasingly “Comfortable With Transition To Digital Services”; The Increasing Benefits Of “Cost Savings And Inventory Management”

“…most guests, especially younger ones who are used to having information at their fingertips, were comfortable with the Hotel Technology Solutionstransition to digital… Some hotels, especially luxury brands, are more likely to keep both the staff interaction and the technology offeringsHotels are also using technology to save money and manage inventory. Workers used to have to count sheets, towels, robes and table linens by hand on the way out of the hotel to the laundry and on the way back in, to try to avoid theft. Some hotels now stitch in small radio frequency ID tags, which transmit radio waves, so that when a cart of laundry passes by a sensor, the number of items inside is displayed. The method saves time in counting items and has decreased theft…”

Hotels around the world are using technology in new ways, with the goal of speeding up or personalizing more services for guests. David-Michel Davies, president of the Webby Media Group, said he visited Internet companies around the world each year for the Webby Awards, which honor excellence on the Internet. He said he had found that hotels were using technology as a substitute for human hospitality.

Instead of the staff at the front desk offering advice on where to go for dinner, guests may be lent an iPad loaded with maps and suggestions for local restaurants and sightseeing. A hand-held device in the room might control the television, blinds and temperature, replacing the role of the bellman who would describe how the features in the room work when he dropped off a guest’s luggage. “Hotels are transforming service into a digital concept,” Mr. Davies said.

Barbara Kahn, who studies consumer decision-making as director of the Jay H. Baker Retailing Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said most guests, especially younger ones who are used to having information at their fingertips, were comfortable with the transition to digital. Some hotels, especially luxury brands, are more likely to keep both the staff interaction and the technology offerings, she said.

Some technology offerings extend beyond the hotel’s walls. The Park Hyatt Tokyo rents guests a pocket-size mobile Wi-Fi connector to use with an iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry or laptop to make international calls and get Internet access wherever they go during their stay.

For more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/business/electronic-smarts-at-hotels-attract-guests.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

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by | April 19, 2013 · 6:49 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Pennsylvania Restaurant Franchisee Sued By Manager Who Fractured Ankle After Slipping In Puddle Of Water; Seeking Over $50,000 In Damages

“…The suit alleges that (plaintiff) sustained an ankle fracture that required surgery after she slipped on a puddle of water at the KFC restaurant Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsthat she managed…she sustained the ankle fracture, contusions, abrasions, lacerations and nerve damage, as well as trauma, mental upset, anguish and humiliation…”

A case involving a Philadelphia-area fast food manager who claims she broke her ankle after slipping on a puddle of water at her place of employment may have to proceed in federal, not state court, after defense attorneys filed a motion to transfer the litigation. Nicholas J. Renzi, of Adams Renzi Law in Philadelphia, filed a personal injury complaint at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on April 2 on behalf of his client, city resident Benet Moultrie-Long and her husband, Curtis Long.

On that same day, employees with Temple, Texas-based McLane Foodservice Inc. and McLane Company had delivered frozen items to the fast food restaurant, which is located in Conshohocken, Montgomery County.

This week, attorney Jon Michael Dumont, of the Philadelphia firm Rawle & Henderson, filed a petition with the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia seeking to move the litigation to that venue.

The defense lawyers contend that in reading the plaintiff’s lawsuit, it appears damages would exceed the $50,000 jurisdictional limit at the Court of Common Pleas.

For more:  http://pennrecord.com/news/9790-defense-lawyers-petition-to-remove-kfc-injury-case-to-federal-court

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by | April 13, 2013 · 7:24 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Tennessee Motel Fire “Driven By High Winds” To Attic And Roof; Results In $550,000 Of Damage To Twenty Rooms

Motel Fire“…Firefighters tried to cut the roof to keep the fire from spreading, but that effort failed…The Clinton Fire Department report estimated property losses at $300,000 and damage to contents at $250,000…”

A Thursday afternoon fire at the Motel 6 in Clinton that apparently spread from a mulch bed outside the building to the roof and attic damaged at least 20 rooms and caused an estimated $550,000 damage, authorities said.

The flames went up the side of the building and, driven by high winds, made it to the attic, where the fire burned through the roof, WYSH Radio in Clinton reported. Officials said at least 20 rooms were damaged by fire, and a large part of the rest of the building received smoke and water damage.

Firefighters used a ladder truck to spray water on the fire, and utility workers were called in to turn off power, natural gas, and hotel water.  The American Red Cross responded to help the people staying at the hotel, which is owned by Rocky Daya of Clinton, the report said.

For more:  http://oakridgetoday.com/2013/04/12/motel-6-fire-in-clinton-causes-estimated-550000-in-damages/

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by | April 9, 2013 · 6:37 am

Hospitality Industry Health Solutions: Hotel And Restaurant Kitchen Cleanliness Reflects Employees’ “Commitment To Businesses’ Success”

“…the cleanliness of a kitchen is an indicator of workplace culture and the commitment of your employees to contribute to enterprise success Hospitality Industry Kitchen Cleanlinessand value. If you see it getting  messy, you may have underlying problems that need to be addressed immediately…if (employees) are not washing the kitchen in the workplace, it means that they see  themselves more as renters than as owners. It means that they feel transitory,  that they’re passing through. They don’t have a real psychological contract with  the company, space, workplace. That’s a problem.”
So stop what you’re doing and deal with the problem…”

One of the best ways to predict the quality of meals and service at a  restaurant is to examine the restroom. Restrooms — including toilets, tiles and washbasins — are among the  easiest rooms to clean. If a restaurant staff can’t keep the restroom clean,  then you can be sure that the kitchen will be worse. It doesn’t matter if it’s a  fancy, upscale restaurant or simple diner.

Messy kitchens tend to breed foodborne pathogens, poor quality food and  indifference to customers. Conversely, clean kitchens reflect healthiness,  passion for quality and desire to delight customers. That’s why the world’s best  kitchen staffs — even many quick-serve restaurants — consider organization and  technique the foundation of everything else.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/197645/what-workplace-kitchens-say-about-the-health-of-yo.html#ixzz2PyRj0cDc

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by | March 30, 2013 · 1:10 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Alabama Hotel Guests Hospitalized After Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Caused By “Malfunctioning Heating Unit And Faulty Duct Work”

“…the problem likely had to do with a heating unit that malfunctioned in addition to some faulty ductwork. The carbon monoxide poisoningissues impacted the fifth and sixth floors of the hotel…in addition to the 11 total guests exhibiting symptoms on Friday morning, a family of four also were said to have been experiencing flu-like symptoms. The family was urged to seek medical treatment and did so before returning to their home in Florida…”

Fifteen guests at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Hoover were taken to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning on Friday. According to Hoover Fire Department Lieutenant Rusty Lowe, firefighters received a call at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Friday morning about an unresponsive guest at the hotel.

Upon arrival, fire officials discovered ten additional guests who were exhibiting symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. The guests’ symptoms ranged from headaches and nausea to mental problems.

All of the impacted guests were transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment.

For more:  http://www.cbs42.com/mostpopular/story/15-guests-at-Birmingham-hotel-treated-for-carbon/BDBQeW5_70mbg122MdCg5Q.cspx

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