Category Archives: Maintenance

by | November 19, 2012 · 1:18 pm

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Superstorm Sandy Increases Interest In Commercial Flood Insurance; 40% Of Small Businesses Never Reopen After Water Damage From Disasters

Under the NFIP, non-residential businesses can purchase up to $500,000 in building and $500,000 in content coverage, while residential businesses can purchase up to $250,000 in building and $100,000 in content coverage. Marsh’s Flood Service Center can place up to $30 million in excess of NFIP flood insurance, including business interruption, with A-rated insurance capacity.

According to NFIP, almost 40 percent of small businesses never reopen following a disaster because of water damage. Over the past five years, the average commercial flood claim has been about $75,000.

Interest among businesses in purchasing flood insurance coverage from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is increasing in the wake of Superstorm Sandy’s heavy rain, record storm surge, and resulting widespread flood damage, according to insurance broker Marsh.

Although most companies purchase commercial flood insurance through the private market, more are now inquiring about purchasing additional coverage through the NFIP. When used in tandem, NFIP coverage can mitigate or “buy down” large deductibles associated with commercial flood policies or simply provide additional coverage.

For more:  http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2012/11/18/217658.htm

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by | November 17, 2012 · 7:18 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Hawaii Hotel Store Shoplifter Steals $2,000 Worth Of Merchandise; Surveillance Cameras Record Theft

A shoplifter brazenly stole more than $2,000 worth of merchandise from a small clothing and jewelry shop in a Waikiki hotel. The whole theft was recorded on surveillance cameras, and the video has been posted online in an effort to nab the suspect.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7CoKibjaDo&feature=youtu.be]

The theft happened Nov. 5 at the Angels By The Sea store at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Hotel. The surveillance video clearly shows a woman looking through some of the clothing. She then removes the clothing from its hanger, rolls it up, and casually puts it in a large bag.

The store’s owner said the woman told the sales clerk a story. According to store owner and designer Nina Thai, the woman claimed to be a jewelry designer from Kauai. “‘I make a lot of jewelry, so I want to have time to take a look so leave me alone,'” Thai said the woman told the clerk.

The store usually has two or three clerks on duty, but Thai said the store was short-handed that day, and only had one clerk at the time. And when that lone clerk was busy with a customer, the shoplifter helped herself to the jewelry.

The store’s management said they discovered the theft because the shoplifter had moved a lot of the jewelry from their usual places. “Because we stay in here more than at home,” said Thai. “So we remember every single item.”

And then they saw the surveillance video, and watched as the woman took earrings, necklaces, pendants, leggings and tops. The haul was the by far the biggest theft in the store’s three-year history.

For more:  http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/20124145/shoplifter-ignores-surveillance-cams-video-now-on-youtube

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by | November 16, 2012 · 8:58 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Major Hotels Increase Review Of Guest Security Processes After Recent Reports On Door Lock Vulnerability

“…An assault on guests or theft of their belongings during a hotel stay can result in a court case…the “reasonable person” test is used to determine the outcome. If hotel owners are made aware of a procedure or item in their property that is not keeping the guest safe, they are required to do what a reasonable person would do under those circumstances. “And if they don’t, they’re negligent…”

Recent media reports scrutinizing the vulnerability of guestroom door locks have brought hotel guest safety issues to the forefront of hoteliers’ minds. As the media and traveling public continue to express their concerns, hotel companies are taking steps to ensure a safe environment for guests.

Marriott International, for example, issued a statement on its website that said the company is in the process of implementing solutions to resolve any issues with door locks that could compromise guest safety.

Reevaluating standards and policies
As hotel management companies and major hotel brands continue to review security processes and implement solutions, there are a few points for hoteliers to keep in mind when it comes to guest safety, according to Fred Del Marva, president of hotel consulting firm Del Marva Corporation.

Guest safety starts at the front desk during the check-in process, Del Marva said. The standard policy throughout the industry is for front-desk employees not to verbally issue guests their room numbers, he said.

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx?ArticleId=9384&par1=z7Vqd2AtHfkNLvAuP25I0Q==&par2=2EAFVJU1Lms7zTjNNV7iNMJVd1wKf1Q9bx5n/Mqpu2K12/66UcXBIn1NuEvyifCh&goback=.gmp_922967.gde_922967_member_186188808

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by | · 7:12 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Data Reveals Few U.S. Hotels Have "Carbon Monoxide Alarms" Installed; 30 Incidents Of Elevated CO Levels Has Led To Evacuations And 8 Deaths

“…Few of the roughly 4.9 million rooms in 51,214 lodging properties with at least 15 rooms have (carbon monoxide) alarms…From 2010 through Nov. 8, 2102, there were 30 incidents of fire departments or government officials finding elevated levels of CO at U.S. hotels…in the 30 incidents, more than 1,300 people were evacuated, eight died, and at least 170 were affected by CO, treated by medical personnel or hospitalized…”

Neil Hampson was inside his room at a lodge in Alaska during a salmon fishing vacation three years ago when his carbon monoxide alarm sounded. Hampson, a Seattle doctor and expert on carbon monoxide, went to the basement and found the CO level four times higher. He says he turned off the gas for the water heater, and CO levels throughout the building “dropped precipitously.”

A plumber later found that the water heater was improperly vented, he says, and the lodge owner installed CO alarms in each sleeping room. Guests and staff at the lodge near Alaska’s Kenai River were fortunate Hampson carries an alarm which detects the odorless, colorless poison gas that can cause brain damage or be lethal.

Only a handful of state or municipal laws require them, although more than 1,300 people were evacuated nationally from hotels because of high CO levels in recent years.

CO, often called “the silent killer,” is such a threat that the National Fire Protection Association says CO alarms should be near bedrooms in every home.

For more:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2012/11/15/hotels-carbon-monoxide-alarms/1707863/

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by | November 11, 2012 · 7:36 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: New York Restaurant Kitchen Workers Seriously Burned As "Gasoline Stored In Container" Spills And Ignites

“…the sushi chef… had asked a dishwasher to carry a five-gallon soy sauce container filled with gasoline through the kitchen to his car…The gasoline (had been acquired) a day earlier from an acquaintance and had been stored in the restaurant’s basement…as the dishwasher was carrying the gasoline through the kitchen, it spilled and ignited. Another chef was immediately engulfed in fire, receiving first- and second-degree burns to his face, neck, arms and legs before bystanders extinguished the flames…”

A sushi chef has been arrested after a soy sauce container he had filled with gasoline ignited at a restaurant close to Sutton Place in Manhattan, starting a blaze that severely injured three people.

The fire, which occurred about 10 p.m. Friday, raced through the kitchen of Eno Asian Bistro and Lounge on 1066 First Avenue at East 58th Street, the Fire Department said.

A busboy and another woman also sustained second- and third-degree burns to their legs. As of Saturday, the victims were still recovering at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

For more:  http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/10/chef-charged-in-fire-at-restaurant/

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by | November 9, 2012 · 6:49 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Tennessee Hotel Rooms Broken Into By "Convicted Burglar" Using "Chiseled Tip Knife" And Keycards Stolen From Cleaning Carts

“…Police said Brown was carrying seven keycards from several hotels as well as knife with a chiseled tip that could be used to defeat locking mechanisms…He told police he had taken the keys from a cleaning cart…”

Police are investigating whether a man who allegedly broke into a hotel room in downtown Nashville had any involvement in ten other similar hotel burglary since January.

Police said the victims were inside their hotel room on the 13th floor of the Renaissance Hotel when 35-year-old Antoun Brown came in and asked where the ice machine was, and then made his way into the bathroom before leaving.

The victims told police they heard someone messing with their door lock before he came inside.

Hotel security apprehended him on the 4th floor and held him until police arrived to take him into custody.

Brown, who is a convicted burglar, was charged with aggravated burglary and possession of a burglary tool.  His bond was set at $13,000.

For more:  http://www.newschannel5.com/story/20040554/man-allegedly-broke-into-downtown-hotel-room

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by | November 8, 2012 · 11:50 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: California Hotel Evacuated As "Carbon Monoxide" Gases From Malfunctioning Boiler Force Ventilation Of Building

A carbon monoxide alarm forced hundreds of guests out of their hotel rooms overnight at the Embassy Suites in Burlingame, near San Francisco International Airport. The hotel’s emergency alarms started sounding around 1 a.m. Thursday morning.

Ralph Gallegos said he didn’t think much of it at first.”At first I thought someone had tripped the alarm,” he said. “About 15 minutes later the police department came on and said we had to evacuate the building.”

“I got out of bed thinking it was a prank and started looking around for some hoodlums so I could give ’em some grief,” said Jim Heller. “Then I looked out the window and saw first responders waving their flashlights at us, so I decided to evacuate.”

Between 400 and 500 people could be seen wrapped in blankets and curled up on benches outside the hotel, trying to get some sleep as emergency crews went in to test for carbon monoxide.

Investigators traced the poisonous gas to a malfunctioning boiler. Fire crews opened windows and doors in most of the hotel rooms to ventilate the building.

For more:  http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/Hotel-Evacuated-for-Carbon-Monoxide-Gas-177864481.html

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by | · 7:48 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Iowa Restaurant Fire Burns "Undetected For More Than An Hour"; More Than $450,000 In Damage

Fire fighters crawled through the restaurant and extinguished small fires and burning embers throughout the interior…They spent hours on scene dealing with hot spots in the above-ceiling crawl space and attic of the one-story building…the building didn’t have a sprinkler system and damage is estimated at more than $450,000.

A fire in a Des Moines restaurant likely burned for more than an hour before being detected and it took firefighters several more hours to completely extinguish all the hot spots, officials said. Crews responded to Montana Mike’s, 5030 NE 14th St., around 5:10 a.m. Tuesday to find dark gray smoke from floor to ceiling, fire officials said.

Heavy smoke and heat made seeing initially impossible and limited the use of a thermal imaging camera, officials said.

The fire started in the back of the restaurant, near office equipment, storage and laundry machines, authorities said. The cause is still under investigation.

For more:  http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/11/07/fire-burns-undetected-for-an-hour-at-local-restaraunt/article?nclick_check=1

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by | November 7, 2012 · 7:48 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Florida Hotel And Management Company Ordered To Pay $1.7 Million To Victim Of "Car Jacking" In Parking Lot; "Inadequate Hotel Security And Burned Out Lights In Parking Area"

“…evidence showed “security was present, but spent more time delivering bed items, towels, and bell carts to guests rather than patrolling the exterior of the hotel and serving as a deterrent to crime. The hotel provided a ‘uniformed housekeeper,’ not security…”

In addition, lights that would have illuminated the area where the crime occurred were burned out and hadn’t been replaced for months.

An Orange County jury Friday ordered Hilton Embassy Suites, Interstate Management Company, and SecurAmerica to pay a combined $1.7 million dollars in restitution to Troy Anderson, who was shot in 2008 while parking his car at the Hilton Embassy Suites on Jamaican Court, near International Drive.

Anderson filed a lawsuit in 2009 for the shooting that occurred on the premises of the Hilton Embassy Suites on September 26, 2008, when he was shot multiple times during a car jacking. He sustained serious and life-threatening injuries as a result. (Troy Anderson v. Hilton Hotels, et al., Case No. 2009-CA-040473-O, Fla. 9th Judicial Cir.).

A former Regional Manager, Chuck Klawitter, testified the hotel would “wait until enough lights were burned out to justify getting a ‘hi-light’ to replace the burned out lights.” Klawitter and two other former SecurAmerica employees, Emmanuel Denau, a former Quality Assurance Supervisor, and Rob Wombolt, a former Operations Manager, testified they brought their security concerns to the attention of the hotel and the security company.

Witnesses testified that the area where hotel personnel instructed Mr. Anderson to park his vehicle was “very dark,” even though it was only 50 or 60 feet from the hotel entrance. Crime Scene Investigator (CSI), Gerardo Bloise, Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSO), photographed and documented the scene and his photographs confirmed that a critical floodlight intended to illuminate the area where Mr. Anderson parked was not working on the night he was shot. CSI Bloise confirmed in his testimony the area was “very dark.”

Assistant Hotel General Manager, Victor Vergara, claimed and testified at trial, contrary to the evidence, that all the lights were working and the parking lot lighting was “perfect.”

Jurors also learned that a similar strong-armed robbery had occurred in the parking lot of the Embassy Suites ten days prior. Deputy Lourdes Clayton of the OCSO appeared on the scene of the armed robbery ten days earlier and was on the Hilton Embassy Suites’ property for approximately an hour. The hotel and security company denied knowing she was on the property though in following protocol she would have arrived with lights and sirens on as the call was a Code 3 emergency. She also completed an “incident report,” which is a public record and which was brought out in her testimony at trial where she verified she was on the property for “approximately an hour.” The victim who was robbed at gunpoint, 72-year-old Roger Kraft from Ohio, stayed an additional two nights at the hotel, yet the hotel and security company argued he did not tell anyone about being robbed despite the fact his wallet, cash, and credit cards were stolen. Allen told the jury the assertion was “ridiculous.” Mr. Kraft unfortunately passed away a year and a half ago.

For more:  http://news.yahoo.com/orlando-hotel-ordered-pay-1-7-million-dollars-082430903.html;_ylt=A2KJjakMeZpQcGcAaXDQtDMD

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by | November 6, 2012 · 6:56 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Indiana Hotel Fire Caused By "Electrical Malfunction Of Room's Heating Unit"

“…investigators discovered an electrical malfunction in the room’s heating unit…the sprinkler system put the fire out, saving a large portion of the building from catching fire…”

An electrical malfunction forced several occupants of the Fort Wayne Marriott to evacuate after a fire broke out in a second floor room. Fort Wayne firefighters were called to the hotel on East Washington Center Road just after 11:30 Monday night.

According to Fort Wayne Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Pinkham, the fire was confined to a second floor room on the hotel’s west side.

Fire officials and hotel management didn’t know how many occupants were in that wing of the building, but 12 to 14 rooms were occupied. No one was inside the room where the fire started.

Heavy smoke filled the entire wing on the second floor. Fire alarms sent most occupants outside into frigid temperatures. Pinkham said officers with the Fort Wayne Police Department helped evacuate several occupants while fire crews were arriving.

For more:  http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/marriott-hotel-evacuated-after-electrical-fire

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