A former manager at the Scarlet D/Mifflinburg Hotel is facing several felony theft charges after he allegedly activated a credit card in the business’ name and made purchases totaling $20,363.32.

David Alan Burns, 56, of 121 Georgetown Lane, Milton, was arrested and charged with felony counts of forgery-unauthorized act in writing, access device fraud, theft by deception, theft by failure to make required dispositions of funds received and receiving stolen property. He was arraigned and released on $25,000 unsecured bail.

The issue in Stewart v. CUS Nashville, LLC is whether security guards at Coyote Ugly are “tipped employees” who can lawfully participate in a tip pool. Stewart was a Coyote Ugly bartender, a non-salaried tipped employee. She claims that Coyote Ugly violated the FLSA by requiring employees in her category to contribute their tips to a tip pool so the tips could be shared with, among others, security guards.

 Stewart argues that the security guards are akin to dishwashers or prep cooks and thus do not meet the definition of “tipped employees” who “customarily and regularly receive tips” under 29 U.S.C. § 203(m), (t).

Coyote Ugly argues that, based on their level of customer interaction, including “hollering” to encourage people to enter, checking identification of those who do enter, being stationed in the front of the house with patrons, assisting female patrons onto and off of the bar to dance, picking up glasses and bottles, and otherwise ensuring a safe customer experience, security guards are more akin to bus boys, maître d’s, silverware rollers, sushi chefs, and other front of the house employees who courts have held may properly share in tips.

Although premature to address the merits, the court granted conditional certification to a class of bartenders, barbacks, or waitresses at company-owned Coyote Ugly saloons who were required to share tips with security guards.

 For more:   http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=5a62a28c-b81a-4014-8c9d-025b758ee10f

Mosier was the director of accounting services at Springfield University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. She admitted defrauding the hotel for more than seven years, beginning in January 2003, by inflating reports of spending from petty cash and diverting the money to her own bank account.

A southwest Missouri woman faces up to 20 years in prison after admitting she stole nearly $170,000 from a Springfield hotel where she worked.

The U.S. Attorney’s office says 47-year-old Janet R. Mosier pleaded guilty Wednesday to allegations in a federal information charging her with wire fraud.

A sentencing date will be scheduled later.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/state-and-regional/missouri/ex-employee-admits-k-theft-from-mo-hotel/article_70d0ebf8-7847-5c2a-82b4-43288b0a9560.html#ixzz1nDl3Hzry

About 50 people were inside the restaurant at about 9:15 a.m. when an employee added the wrong chemical to a dishwasher used to clean restaurant hardware.

South Charleston Fire Department Capt. Virgil White said the two chemicals — a degreaser and a chlorine-based cleaner — are used in routine cleaning at the restaurant and were mixed together in a way that created “hazardous air quality.”

Although the employees are familiar with the cleaning products used, White said, the employee “may have grabbed the wrong bottle to do his mixture with and it created this problem.”

One IHOP employee, who asked not to be identified, said “there was a big cloud of smoke and it filled up the air. It smelled like straight bleach.”

For more:  http://wvgazette.com/News/policeblotter/201202170049

The Quality Inn, 10 W. Orvis St., and Dar’s Place, which is inside the hotel, were closed after firefighters responded early Monday to a report of smoke originating in the hotel’s electrical room. All power at the hotel was still off as of 5 p.m. Monday, although a generator was providing some lighting.

“It doesn’t look like we’re going to open tonight,” Mr. Stevens said at that time. “There’s still a lot of work to do. What they’re trying to do right now is get the heat turned on in the building.”

When asked if he expected the hotel to open up today, Mr. Stevens replied, “That will depend on what they do tomorrow. There’s a lot of work left to do to get the building up and running.”

Approximately 40 rooms had guests, all of whom were evacuated safely to Emmanuel Congregational United Church of Christ, 39 W. Orvis St. There, guests were served a breakfast courtesy of the church.

For more:  http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120221/NEWS07/702219855

Santa Cruz Dream Inn, the city’s largest hotel, reopened about noon Friday after a 24-hour shutdown triggered by flooding on three floors that forced the hotel’s evacuation and relocation of 130 guests.

General manager Robin Donovan said Friday morning her staff has been working 24/7 to reopen the 163-room hotel. Because of the water damage, 30 rooms on the first three floors are “out of order,” she said.

Damages range from “light” to “extensive,” she added, estimating it would take 10 days up to three weeks to reopen those rooms. A dollar estimate was not available.

The hotel was empty Thursday night with guests relocated to other accommodations, including the Beach Street Inn & Suites, Chaminade, Holiday Inn Express and Scotts Valley Hilton.

For more:  http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19988957

The EEOC and the Comfort Suites Hotel in Mission Valley have agreed to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of an autistic desk clerk who sought state assistance to perform his job but was fired instead. It’s a case that shows how the threat of litigation can sometimes result in greater good.

The man asked California to provide a state-sponsored job coach. Even though the job coach’s serv­­ices were free, the hotel wouldn’t allow the coach to help the clerk. Eventually it fired the clerk, despite previous work experience showing that autism didn’t prevent him from being a solid employee.

After the clerk filed an EEOC disability discrimination suit, the two sides agreed to settle.

But Tarsadia didn’t stop there. In addition to totally revamping its reasonable accommodation procedures and policies, it will hire a consultant to train all employees about disability rights and reasonable ac­­­­com­­modation procedures. The consultant will hold supervisors and managers accountable for their actions in regard to disabled employees.

For more:  http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/29400/socal-hotel-steps-up-after-firing-autistic-employee

“…The employees also reported they found a man…in the bathroom. It appeared that Gifford had pulled himself up into the dropped ceiling and was attempting to crawl across it when he fell through… the hotel’s main office, which was locked at the time, is next to the bathroom…”

A Pennsylvania man was arrested at a downtown Mankato hotel this morning after employees there reported he had fallen through a bathroom ceiling. Police responded to the call from employees at the City Center Hotel, 101 E. Main St., at 12:46 a.m. They said they found damage in the men’s bathroom after hearing a loud noise.

When Garrett was questioned by an officer, he said he was downtown with some friends and he “thought it would be fun” to crawl through a ceiling.

Police are requesting charges of disorderly conduct, criminal damage to property and attempted burglary.

For more:  http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x913139853/Fall-through-ceiling-foils-alleged-burglary

Marg is a registered sex offender and was convicted in 2002 of showing sexually-natured material to juvenile females in Wisconsin. Police are now searching Marg’s computer to see if it contains recordings of other hotel guests.

Honeymooners celebrating their wedding are recorded having sex at a St. Paul hotel. The couple had been hearing noises while staying at The 340 Hotel recently. Initially, the honeymooners thought they heard a noise near the hot tub. Later they learned the scary truth.

After noticing a large gap between their door and the floor the couple noticed a recording device. Police say the device contained a recording of the couple having sex.

Police say the device belongs to a 28 year old hotel desk clerk, Jeremiah Marg.

For more:  http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2488883.shtml?cat=1&loc=interstitialskip

“…One suspect allegedly distracted the maid … while it is alleged that the other suspect may have been looking around the room for items of value,”

High-security airport badges and a laptop computer were among items reported missing in one of three incidents at St. Lucie West hotels thought to be the work of people who distract cleaning staff to try to steal things, according to a Port St. Lucie police spokesman Wednesday and reports.

In a Feb. 4 case at a SpringHill Suites on Northwest Courtyard Circle near Interstate 95, a man said he noticed several things missing from his room after he returned from having breakfast. The 48-year-old man said “several FAA and FCC high-security clearance airport ID badges” were stolen, along with a computer, camera, binoculars, curling iron, cash and other items.

For more:  http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/feb/15/thieves-target-hotel-rooms-while-housekeepers-in/