Category Archives: Maintenance

by | June 3, 2012 · 6:21 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Oklahoma Hotel Fire Caused By "Hail Stone Striking Electric Sign"; Damage Estimated At $1.17 Million

“…a hail stone struck an electric sign on the front of the (hotel). The innkeeper put it out, and then extinguished a flare up in the attic, Lewis said. Believing it was over, the innkeeper did not call 911…a passer-by spotted  flames in the hotel’s roof and called 911, Lewis said. When Edmond fire crews arrived, they found a fully involved fire in the attic…”

A hail stone falling from storms that passed over the city Tuesday evening ignited a fire that burned much of an Edmond hotel, a fire official said.

By about 2:20 a.m. all guests in the front of the hotel had been evacuated, Lewis said. While a total number of guests at the time was not available, an Edmond Fire Department investigator estimated the hotel was about 80 percent full, Lewis said.  There were no injuries to firefighters or hotel guests, Lewis said.

The hotel and real estate are valued at $1.17 million by the county assessor, Lewis said. The structure, built in 1983, appeared to be a total loss, he said.

For more:  http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x234176720/Storm-related-fire-damages-1-17M-Edmond-hotel

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by | June 2, 2012 · 6:40 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Widow Sues Missouri Sports Bar For "Wrongful Death And Negligence" After Party Tent Collapsed During High Winds

The lawsuit claims the bar was  negligent in failing to properly inspect the tent and by allowing customers  underneath it, even as weather forecasts warned of dangerous conditions…Kilroy’s had obtained a city permit for the tent April 11. But city officials  noted that their inspectors have no way to test a tent for structural strength  to make sure it can withstand 90 mph winds, an industry standard cited in the  local ordinance.

The wife of a man killed in the April 28 storm accident at Kilroy’s Sports Bar has filed a wrongful death suit against the pub and the company that  leased and installed the tent that collapsed on more than  100 patrons. Alfred Goodman, 58, of Waterloo, suffered head and neck injuries when  heavy wind gusts — estimated at up to 50 mph — lifted a party tent at the bar  from its moorings and pushed it and its heavy metal posts against a railroad  trestle.

Goodman was pronounced dead at St. Louis University Hospital. Another 16  people went to the hospital, and about 100 total were treated on the scene, for  a range of injuries.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lawsuit-filed-by-widow-of-man-killed-in-st-louis/article_1a4c7cce-abfb-11e1-9dc8-001a4bcf6878.html#ixzz1we8mnojm

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by | May 31, 2012 · 6:26 am

Hospitality Industry Business Risks: Hotel Owners Must Consider "Business Loss/Interruption Insurance" As Part Of Comprehensive "Disaster Insurance" Coverage

“…many hotels don’t have business interruption insurance because it comes with higher premiums and deductibles…(one hotel) close to the Kentucky Derby area was hit by a tornado…the hotel wasn’t damaged, but they lost all of their utilities. If they hadn’t had that business loss insurance, they would have lost all of that income they would have generated during the race.”

After two tornadoes hit the same Midwest region in the United States within a year and caused extensive hotel damage, disaster insurance deductibles are on the rise and hoteliers are mulling their coverage options.

  • Higher deductibles – While premiums appear to be remaining steady, insurance companies in the Midwest are charging a higher rate of percentage deductibles to help keep costs down, he said. As an example, if a hotel had $100 million in coverage and there was a 5% deductible, the deductible would be $5 million.
  • Wind and flood insurance premiums in the Midwest remain relatively flat overall, with slight increases for some hotels. In other parts of the country, such as coastal areas, the cost of wind and flood insurance has risen 8% to 10% on average, according to sources.
  • Reinsurance options—insurance that is purchased by one insurance company from another—are available, as are percentage deductibles based on the amount of coverage rather than a flat rate.
  • Wind deductible buy-back insurance—which provides a buy-back policy that reduces the higher percentage deductible—with deductibles most likely still will be higher than the flat deductibles previously offered.
  • Storm surge coverage is available under a flood plan or wind storm plan. Some policies exclude floods altogether.
  • Business loss/interruption insurance - Hotels impacted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and hotels in California affected by the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake would have benefited greatly from business loss/interruption insurance.

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/8282/Hoteliers-mull-disaster-insurance-options

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by | May 28, 2012 · 6:56 am

Hospitality Industry Health Hazards: Meth Labs Discovered At Hotels And Motels Force "Temporary Closure" As Tests And Contamination Cleanup Required; Process Can Take Weeks Or Even Months To Complete

Once a lab is discovered at a hotel or motel, owners must temporarily close their establishments while a contractor is called to test and cleanup the contamination. This process can take weeks and even months…If undetected, the poisonous chemicals in meth can circulate throughout a hotel and can lead to respiratory problems, skin and eye irritation, headaches nausea and dizziness. Short-term exposure to highly concentrated meth can cause severe lung damage and burns to various parts of the body.

Authorities say methamphetamine creation inside hotel rooms is increasing as crews work to test and clean the latest contamination closure in Kanawha County. Police and health officials have responded to at least 10 meth lab calls in hotels or motels in West Virginia since January, said Brandon Lewis, state program coordinator for the Clandestine Drug Laboratory Rehabilitation Program. In all of 2011, he said, only two or three labs were found at hotels.

Lewis said meth cooking inside these rooms is troublesome to owners and health officials alike — and it’s a problem that is not going away anytime soon.

On May 18, Kanawha County sheriff’s deputies discovered the most recent case at the Comfort Inn in Cross Lanes. Deputies arrested two suspects and charged them with attempting to operate a clandestine drug lab upon finding a Coleman fuel can and a bottle of nail polish remover, common substances used to make meth, inside their room.

The hotel remains closed until a hazardous-cleanup company can decontaminate the rooms to safe meth exposure levels, about 0.1 microgram of residue per 100 square centimeters.

For more:  http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/201205270138

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by | May 25, 2012 · 6:20 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Illinois Hotel Fire Starts In "Maid's Closet" And Forces Evacuation

“…The blaze was confined to the maid’s closet and elevator area and did not spread to other floors of the hotel…the venting system for the building was used to clear smoke from the building…”

Fire in a fourth floor maid’s closet at Holiday Inn Express hotel near Mannheim and Higgins roads caused an evacuation and fire department response Wednesday. Rosemont Public Safety spokesman Lt. Keith Kania said a hotel sprinkler system activated but additional firefighters were needed to knock the fire down.

Firefighters were dispatched at 11:10 a.m. Kania said the fire was knocked down by about 11:30 a.m. No injuries were reported. Kania did not have an estimate of the amount of damage caused by the blaze.

Witnesses at the scene reported seeing smoke billow from both the front and rear of the hotel.

For more:  http://www.journal-topics.com/news/article_1fb6b33c-a5c0-11e1-8ed9-0019bb30f31a.html

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by | May 24, 2012 · 6:19 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Oklahoma Restaurant Fire Starts On Kitchen Stove And Spreads Through Vent Onto Roof; Inspectors To Determine If Fire Suppression System Functioned Properly

“…Officials were waiting for a code inspector to determine whether the kitchen’s fire suppression system was functioning, which could determine when they would allow the restaurant to reopen…”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVNyYxPolwc&feature=player_embedded]

The blaze began on a stove at El Tequila Mexican Restaurant and briefly spread through a vent onto the roof. Damage was confined to the kitchen, the vent and a small area of the roof, he said. The restaurant had not yet opened and only a handful of employees were inside.

For more:  http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20120524_11_A8_CUTLIN842188

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by | May 21, 2012 · 6:19 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Texas Hotel Sued By Woman For "Negligence And Defamation" After Air Conditioning Unit In Room Causes Fire

 “…she lost her laptop, college course materials and “over 30 billable hours worth of work for freelance architecture jobs she was in the process of completing at the time the fire occurred.”

      She seeks damages for negligence and defamation.

A woman claims in court that she had to spend the night in a “fire-ravaged” hotel room among her charred personal belongings, while hotel employees spread false rumors that she had “tried to burn the hotel down.”      LaTanya Stevenson sued Hotel USA Partners LLC dba Crowne Plaza Austin, in Travis County Court.      Stevenson, a state worker, claims she attended a three-day regional administrative service conference at the Crowne Plaza in November 2011.      She says the hotel gave her a room where the air-conditioner was stuck on the coldest setting. Unable to budge the “black and nonresponsive” temperature controls, Stevenson says, she reported the problem to the front desk.

“When Ms. Stevenson was finally given an opportunity to speak to a member of the fire department, she learned from the fire marshal that the malfunctioning air conditioning unit, not her laptop was the root of the fire,” the complaint states. “She got back to her room to find all of her belongings either severely damaged by the water from the sprinkler system or charred by the flames, which emanated from the bad climate control unit.

For more:  http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/05/21/46648.htm

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by | May 18, 2012 · 10:12 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Dept. Of Justice Extends Deadline For ADA "Pool Lifts" Requirements Until Jan 31, 2013; "Fixed Lift" Requirements Still Apply To Pools & Spas Under Construction Or Being Altered

“…the Department of Justice (DOJ) last night announced a substantial postponement of the ADA compliance date for existing pools and spas with ADA requirements for accessible entries.  The new compliance date – January 31, 2013 – is more than an additional nine months beyond the original date of March 15, 2012…”

“The extension is fair and sensible and the lodging industry supports it,” said AH&LA President/CEO Joe McInerney.

AH&LA began its efforts immediately after DOJ first announced in a guidance dated January 31, 2012 that pool lifts used to provide accessible entries into existing pools and spas must be “fixed” unless not “readily achievable,” next to the pool/spa at all times when the facilities are open, and cannot be shared between two bodies of water even if they are in the same location.  DOJ subsequently clarified that that “fixed” means attached to the pool deck in some way.  This means that “portable” lifts brought out upon request would not be acceptable, raising new concerns among members about safety risks and costs posed by “fixed” lifts.   The hospitality and business community viewed this announcement to be a significant change from the pool lift requirements issued by DOJ in its September 15, 2010 final regulations and began its intensive campaign to both reverse these substantive changes and delay the compliance date.

For more:  http://www.ahla.com/pressrelease.aspx?id=34522&hq_e=el&hq_m=1729871&hq_l=1&hq_v=e98908d08d

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by | May 12, 2012 · 7:11 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Illinois Hotel Suffered Over $2 Million In Water Damage In 2010 After 13.5 Inches Of Rainfall Caused Flooding In Downtown Area

“…The Mechanical Rooms were flooded and heating and air-conditioning had to be taken out and replaced. The entire lower level of the building was destroyed, including irreplaceable antiques being stored down there. The structural damage was significant…”

The rain started on July 27, 2011, and by 1 a.m. on July 28, the flood gates were ordered closed. Everything the City of Galena had done to help prevent the flooding of downtown wasn’t enough as the rain came, the sewers backed up, and the water rose to 27 inches in some places. One of those places was the historic DeSoto House Hotel.

Owner Dan Kelley surveyed the damage while making sure current guests were alright. The air-conditioning was out, as well as the hot water. Some guests left, but most stayed, insisting on paying full rate for their stay. The hotel never closed its doors.

For more:  http://www.journalstandard.com/news/x1266607408/Flooded-DeSoto-House-Hotel-renovation-nears-conclusion

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by | May 11, 2012 · 6:08 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Illinois Hotel Sued For $250,000 For "Bed Bug Infestation" During 2010 Stay; Violation Of "Consumer Fraud And Deceptive Practices Act" Alleged

The suit claims hotel employees did not warn guests of the bugs before they stayed in the hotel from March 19, 2010 through May 21, 2010, according to court documents.

A couple from Nashville, Tennessee is suing an O’Fallon hotel for more than $250,000 following an alleged infestation of bed bugs during their stay. The hotel’s attorneys are fighting to dismiss the case and the hotel manager says bed bugs are not a problem.

Antwaine and Woodrow Ross allege the Days Inn O’Fallon hotel knew the critters Cinex lectularius, commonly known as bed bugs due to their tendency to be found in bedding, infested their rooms.

The Rosses seek more than $50,000 from each of five counts, which include claims the hotel violated the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act by concealing the infestation. Days Inn attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss four of the five counts claiming in part that the Rosses “misapprehend what constitutes a nuisance and a concurrent suit to stop an alleged nuisance” and they fail to show the Days Inn acted with “deliberate intention to harm.”

To prevent bed bug issues, the hotel states a program was instituted in 2010 that included:
• purchasing special box spring covers designed for bed bugs at a cost of $2,600 a piece,
• treating each with room approved anti-bed bug powder every three days,
• any room suspected of having bed bugs is locked down for three days and professionally treated,
• increasing the frequency of routine monthly extermination services,
• inspecting 5 to 10 rooms at random during each extermination service and providing a report to management, and
• cleaning each headboard with bleach.

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/05/10/2171520/days-inn-ofallon-sued-following.html#storylink=cpy

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