Category Archives: Maintenance

by | September 24, 2011 · 6:18 pm

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Hotel Pool Guests Face Outbreaks Of "Acute Gastrointestinal Illness" As "Cryptosporidium" Parasite Proves Chlorine Resistant

Outbreaks of illness related to recreational water exposure have increased substantially in recent years, largely because of the emergence of Cryptosporidium, according to a CDC report.

In the years 2007/2008, 74% of cases of acute gastrointestinal illness associated with recreational water exposure were caused by this parasite, and in all but two of the outbreaks the venue was a treated-water facility such as a chlorinated swimming pool.

The dominance of Cryptosporidium in treated recreational water facilities “is related to its chlorine tolerance, which allows it to survive in properly chlorinated recreational water for longer than ten days,” the agency stated in the Sept. 23 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

For more:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/PublicHealth/28692

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Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Insurance, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management, Training

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by | September 19, 2011 · 5:58 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Security Risks: Hotels Must "Reset Factory Codes" On Hotel Safes To Prevent Unauthorized Opening Using "000000"

“…Being able to unlock a hotel safe by entering in all zeros, he said, is pure ‘negligence on the hotel’s part’…. every safe has a factory code, whether it is all zeros or all ones, and it is each hotel’s responsibility to reset this factory code when they take the safe out of the box…”

The hotel safe you use to stash your passport, laptop and other valuables might have a major security flaw, according to a traveler’s YouTube.com video highlighted by Web tracker DailyDot.com.

In his video headlined, “Don’t Trust Your Hotel Room Safe,” traveler “skyrangerpro” shows himself unlocking his hotel room’s safe by entering all zeros.

He was given the “000000” security code by the front desk when he told them he’d forgotten the password he’d previously chosen.

For more:  http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/09/hotel-safe-youtubecom-video-questions-safety/547821/1

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Filed under Guest Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Privacy, Technology, Theft, Training

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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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Filed under Claims, Fire, Guest Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

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by | September 9, 2011 · 10:39 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Hurricane Irene Damage Forces Closure Of North Carolina Hotel Until 2012

 “…(a review of)…the situation with repair and restoration companies, insurance and safety inspectors, and a host of others, we have regretfully concluded that the safest option for our guests and associates is to temporarily close the hotel in order to thoroughly and efficiently complete the work,”

Damage from Hurricane Irene has forced the Sheraton Atlantic Beach to close for the remainder of the year. The hotel is now contacting all the groups and individuals who were booked through December 31.

An employee meeting is being held this afternoon. Ninety employees will be furloughed during the repair process, according to Barnes.

“We will be communicating with employees twice a week regarding our process and sincerely look forward to the opportunity to welcome everyone back after the first of the year, ” Barnes said. “Until then, we are working to place our employees in temporary positions and we welcome calls from employers who are looking for quality staff.”

For more:  http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/129527083.html

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by | September 7, 2011 · 12:17 pm

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Florida Motel Damaged By "Minor Tornado" That Tears Roof Off

“…the storm was accompanied by 35 mph winds but it was a wind burst, or a minor tornado according to eyewitnesses, that pulled the roof off the motel and placed a good portion of it next door on top of… Condos (next door)…”

Sixteen residents of the Holiday Isle Resort at 14711 Gulf Blvd., were displaced early Sept. 7 after a wind storm took about one-third of the roof off the building.

No injuries were reported when the storm struck shortly after 1 a.m. but the American Red Cross was on the scene to help the motel’s residents find temporary housing.

For more: http://www.tbnweekly.com/pubs/beach_beacon/content_articles/090711_bhb-01.txt

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by | September 2, 2011 · 5:42 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Washington Hotel Replaces "300 Tempered-Glass Panels" After Glass "Disintegrates" And Falls 11 Stories

“…(This was) …the third time in a year that glass has rained down from condominium balconies at the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences just south of Pike Place Market…”

The balconies, all on the condo levels between the 11th and 21st floors, will be closed until new panels or a new railing system are installed.

 

Now the owners are taking out all 300 tempered-glass panels in the building, panels similar to those that fractured and fell this summer at high-rise condos in Austin and Toronto.

“Our only priority here is the safety of everybody involved, either residents or people passing by,” said the hotel’s general manager, Ben Trodd. “We’ve taken a very proactive step now. The general contractor is now removing all of the remaining panels that are on the building.”

No one was injured in the three incidents. Falling pieces of glass cracked, but didn’t break, five large sections of the glass awning that covers the sidewalk outside the hotel entrance. A car was slightly damaged in the July incident, Trodd said.

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by | August 29, 2011 · 9:07 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Hotels Are Targeted By Terrorists For "Worldwide Attention"; Housekeepers Should Be Trained To "Report Suspicious Activity"

“…Terrorists are increasingly targeting hotels because of the worldwide attention such attacks receive…so it’s important to have a plan in place. Marriott, for one, uses a multi-point crisis management program that is reviewed semiannually…”

Preparedness should extend beyond a company’s executives, said Tom Whitlatch of Hospitality Risk Controls. Housekeepers, those employees who spend a considerable amount of time in hotel hallways and guestrooms, need to be trained to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior.

Housekeepers, he said, should not be afraid to challenge people they see in hallways to show room keys. “We have to train them and get them to understand it’s OK to do that,” Whitlatch said.

Further, housekeepers need to keep their eyes open for suspicious activity in guestrooms, too, Durham said.

“It’s the housekeeper who might go into the room who might notice something unusual about a piece of equipment or luggage sitting on the bed,” she said.

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/6312/Experts-detail-hotel-security-plans

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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 | 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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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Health, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

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by | July 14, 2011 · 7:14 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Credit Card Security: Tips For Securing Hotel Computer Systems Against Credit Card Data Theft (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCmZ9DlrI9o]

Sue Zloth, is a member of the HFTP PCI Compliance Roundtable, provides key tips for securing guests’ credit card data at the 2011 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) conference.

  • Change default passwords on all new information systems
  • Do not allow remote access into hotel computer systems
  • Minimize areas where credit card data is stored

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