Category Archives: Risk Management

by | May 20, 2014 · 8:48 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “Texas Teen Found Dead in Hotel Room After Her High School Prom”

“…When police arrived at Gomez’s hotel room, they found evidence of that after party, including what police referred to as ‘an indication of alcohol.’ ImageInvestigators are also looking into the possibility that prescription painkillers may have been involved…Another teen guest staying at the Hyatt Friday night said he could hear partying going on all night in Gomez’s room. ‘We knocked on the door to see if anything was going on, but they didn’t answer,’ he said…”

On May 18, homicide police in north Houston are still investigating the death of a high school senior found dead in a Hyatt Hotel room yesterday morning following her MacArthur High School prom.

The deceased has been identified as 17-year-old Jacqueline Gomez, a senior at MacArthur High, according to ABC News. Gomez has been described by other news outlets as being 18.

For more: http://exm.nr/1jn8ufg

 

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “Texas Teen Found Dead in Hotel Room After Her High School Prom”

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | May 19, 2014 · 8:32 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Your Hotel”

“…When working with contractors, make sure to check references and ensure that the company has the proper permits before starting construction on a project, says Stephen Barth, the founder of HospitalityLawyer.com and professor of hotel law at the University of Houston…ImageNew requirements from the International Code Council (ICC) for the International Building Code and the International Fire Code state that carbon monoxide alarms should be installed in any location that includes a device that could potentially produce carbon monoxide…”

Last spring, three people died from carbon monoxide poisoning after staying at the Blue Ridge Plaza Best Western Hotel in Boone, N.C. The victims—elderly couple Daryl and Shirley Jenkins and 11-year-old Jeffrey Williams—visited the property seven weeks apart and all stayed in room 225.

Though the initial investigation following the Jenkins’ deaths was inconclusive, toxicology reports eventually revealed that the deadly gas was to blame for the tragedies. The pool heater’s exhaust pipe, which ran directly under room 225, was the source of the lethal leak.

For more: http://bit.ly/1khYBQb

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Your Hotel”

Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Industry, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | May 15, 2014 · 8:36 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “Roving Prostitution Ring Busted in Hotel Sting”

“…Detectives then watched as the women received texts from Tatum, police said, and peered through a peephole of the hotel room’s door as Tatum paced outside in a hallway. ImageFinally, police arrested Tatum along with one of the women, a 19-year-old described as helping Tatum oversee the other women. She faces a charge of promoting prostitution…”

Armed with a handgun, a convicted felon slipped from state to state in recent months with several prostitutes forced to work for him, according to Indianapolis metro police.

Terrence Tatum ran Internet ads that lured men to enjoy sex with five women for $500, police said, or choose from several other less expensive options with women nicknamed “Marvelous,” “Candy” or “Vegas,” among others.

For more: http://indy.st/T6NeB6

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “Roving Prostitution Ring Busted in Hotel Sting”

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | May 14, 2014 · 9:02 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Benton Police Bust Crime Ring Based Out of Hotel”

“…Police said detectives found four stolen vehicles, a large amount of stolen property and numerous articles of evidence related to identity theft and forgeries in the suspects’ possession.Image Methamphetamine, prescription medication and ecstasy were also found on the scene…The suspects purportedly used multiple rooms at the hotel to avoid detection and used stolen license plates and vehicles to avoid being caught, the release states…”

The arrest of a burglary suspect on Monday led Benton police to discover and bust a Saline County criminal enterprise ring, officials said.

Officers responded to a burglary in progress around 12:45 p.m. Monday on River Heights Drive. While police were unable to locate the suspect — identified as Jason Hamilton, 33, of Benton — at the time of the burglary, Hamilton was later located in Pulaski County and taken into custody, the Benton Police Department said in a news release.

For more: http://bit.ly/1gE0r9o

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Benton Police Bust Crime Ring Based Out of Hotel”

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | May 9, 2014 · 8:29 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Sex Predator Busted at Cleveland Hotel Trying to Arrange Sex With Teen Girls”

“…Marquand is currently serving a five year prison sentence for attempted rape and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor….ImageAssistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Brett Kyker is the task force Director and warns, ‘We aren’t sitting waiting for crime to be committed, we’re going out, actively trying to identify predators living among us.’…”

An exclusive 5 On Your Side investigation reveals a sex predator caught on tape during an undercover operation by the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

James Marquand, 31, traveled from his home in Flint, Michigan to a Cleveland area hotel where he believed he had arranged to have sex with two young girls ages 12 and 14.

For more: http://bit.ly/1iyvByL

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Sex Predator Busted at Cleveland Hotel Trying to Arrange Sex With Teen Girls”

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aside

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “The Power of Cloud for Hotels”

“…Early adapters like InterContinental Hotels Group have seen a vast improvement in the operational systems and guest services with cloud systems. The cloud being cost effective, flexible, and easy to integrate, Image with increased data security eliminates chances of owning a capital investment that is outdated. Cloud PMS is now the go-to choice for the intelligent hotelier who wants to stay ahead in the competitive hospitality and travel industry…”

Technology and innovation has stopped taking us by surprise. Every year numerous new innovative solutions and technological concepts enter into the market addressing issues, solving problems, easing operations and keeping the industry vibrant and ever changing.

For more: http://bit.ly/St7jRO

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “The Power of Cloud for Hotels”

by | May 5, 2014 · 8:37 am
by | May 2, 2014 · 8:46 am

Hospitality Risk Solutions Technology Update: “A Child’s Efforts To Save Her Mother Lead To Changes In Hotel 911 Calls”

“…According to a survey conducted by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, which found that guests can’t simply dial 911 for help in 55 percent of all franchised hotels…But Imagethe good news here is it seems like the majority of hotels who do not have direct-dial 911, those changes can be made by reprogramming the equipment rather than replacing it…”

As her mother was being attacked, a 9-year-old girl frantically dialed 911 for help from inside an East Texas hotel room. She dialed once, twice… four times that December day, but the call never went through.

Her mother took her last breath.

What the girl did not know was that the hotel’s phone system requires a “9″ first to reach an outside line. “She told us she did what she was supposed to do,” said her grandfather, Henry Hunt. “And it didn’t work.”

For more: http://cbsloc.al/1oa8Vtw

Comments Off on Hospitality Risk Solutions Technology Update: “A Child’s Efforts To Save Her Mother Lead To Changes In Hotel 911 Calls”

Filed under Claims, Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | April 29, 2014 · 8:40 am

Hospitality Industry Liability Update: ” Hotel Horrors, Avoiding the Silent Killer”

“…The organization issued a statement about the deadly gas saying  in part: proper installation andImage maintenance of fuel-fired equipment including adhering to the manufacturers  product warnings are the best measures to ensure no adverse carbon monoxide exposure occurs…”

South Carolina hotels will become a home away from home for many across the nation this summer. But a nice relaxing vacation and time by the pool could turn deadly.

“It depends how much you breath in,” says Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins. Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins is talking about Carbon Monoxide. It’s often called the “silent killer.” That’s because you can’t smell the gas or see it.

For more: http://www.wach.com/news/story.aspx?id=1036737#.U1_CNK1dXnw

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Liability Update: ” Hotel Horrors, Avoiding the Silent Killer”

Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Industry, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | April 25, 2014 · 8:21 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Woman Suing Syracuse Hotel for $1 million After Falling Off Bar Stool, Injuring Wrist”

“…The lawsuit alleges that the bar stool was too high off the ground, built to ‘coordinate with the height of the bar top.’ Image The hotel management knew of other problems with the height of the stools, the lawsuit claims…”

An Ohio woman is suing Syracuse’s Crowne Plaza Hotel after falling off a bar stool in the public lounge.

Antoinette Allison, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, is seeking up to $1 million for her injuries after falling off the “defective” bar stool on April 14, 2011, according to her lawsuit.

The wooden, high-back bar stool landed on her wrist after the fall, which caused multiple fractures, her lawsuit claims. The injury required surgery.

For more: http://bit.ly/QFlDFo

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Woman Suing Syracuse Hotel for $1 million After Falling Off Bar Stool, Injuring Wrist”

Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Injuries, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | April 24, 2014 · 8:57 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Update: “Safety Concerns About Legal Marijuana Edibles”

“…Friends say he ate the recommended dose of one-sixth of a marijuana-infused cookie on March 11. Image When he felt no effects he ate the entire cookie: six times the recommended dose. He later became irrational and jumped off a hotel balcony to his death…”

Two recent deaths and increased emergency room visits in Colorado have highlighted concerns about the safety of legal marijuana edibles.

Dr. George Sam Wang of Children’s Hospital Colorado says part of the problem is that the effects of edible marijuana begin more slowly than smokeable pot, though they tend to last longer.

“One of the dangers that we’ve been seeing with adult recreational retail use is they’ll take the recommended dose, wait, feel no effects and then continue to stack doses. Then before they know it they have a pretty large amount in their system and then they get potentially pretty severe effects,” he said.

For more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/04/23/safety-concerns-about-legal-marijuana-edibles/

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Safety Update: “Safety Concerns About Legal Marijuana Edibles”

Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,