Tag Archives: Guest Safety

by | February 4, 2014 · 9:00 am

Hospitality Industry Liability Risk: “Legally Speaking: Avoiding Bath Fall Liability”

“…But knowing that shower areas present risks is not a trade secret shared only among guests. Hoteliers are also in the know. That fact imposes on inns a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable bathroom mishaps. bathThose steps include installation and ongoing maintenance of any of the following: non-skid strips on the tub or shower floor, a bathmat, handrails along the walls of the tub for gripping and/or like devices designed to reduce the dangers. Failure to provide, and keep in good form, these simple apparatus deprives the guest of protection against falling, and in many states opens the door, to a founded lawsuit…”

Some issues in hotel law come and go. Falls in slippery bathtubs have a sticking quality. Liability in this type of lawsuit can be avoided but it takes some attention to those porcelain bastions of cleanliness.

In the typical case a guest is showering, loses his balance and falls. Because floors and walls surrounding showers are customarily rock-hard, injuries are likely to occur and be substantial.

So, who’s at fault? The answer is: it depends. Yes, guests should know that tubs and shower stalls are, by their very nature, slippery and potentially dangerous. And, yes, guests should therefore use caution to protect themselves from injury.

For more: http://hlconverge.com/index.php/component/k2/item/781-legally-speaking-avoiding-bath-fall-liability

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by | January 31, 2014 · 9:00 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Health Risk: “The Bed Bugs Rise Again”

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For the full size image: http://visual.ly/bed-bugs-rise-again

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by | January 30, 2014 · 8:32 am

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “Regulating the Use of Electronic Cigarettes by Hotel Guests” Presented by Loss Control Manager Marco Johnson of Petra Risk Solutions (Video)

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/85264426 w=500&h=281]

Petra Risk Solutions’ Loss Control Manager, Marco Johnson, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Regulating the Use of Electronic Cigarettes by Hotel Guests’. 

P3 ( Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America ’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.

For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.

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Filed under Employee Practices, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Bar, Hotel Restaurant, Management And Ownership

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by | January 24, 2014 · 9:27 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: “Slaying the Silent Killer, Carbon Monoxide”

“…Fireplaces, boilers, water heaters, pool-heating equipment, gas-powered tools, barbecues and cooking equipment are the most common types of fossil-fuel-burning equipment found in hotels,” said Todd Seiders, director of risk management at Petra Risk Solutions….” 20140123_carbonmonoxide_feature

“…Carbon monoxide is a gas, so it’s going to penetrate solids and seep into any open spaces just like cigarette smoke does,” said Stephen Barth, professor of hotel law at the University of Houston and the founder of HospitalityLawyer.com. “The problem is it’s deadly because you can’t see it, taste it or smell it. They call it the silent killer….”

REPORT FROM THE U.S.—Three deaths linked to a faulty pipe that allegedly exposed guests to a lethal dose of carbon monoxide at a Best Western in Boone, North Carolina, have hoteliers stressing the importance of carbon-monoxide safety.

With rare exceptions, hotels all have sources of carbon monoxide, sources said, and without proper installation, maintenance and inspection, hotel owners and managers could be putting their guests at risk.

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Video

Hospitality Industry Legal Risk: “Parents File Lawsuit on Behalf of Teenage Girl Critically Injured in Panama City Parasailing Accident”

“…This lack of oversight means no one is keeping tabs on parasailing operators to make sure ropes that are damaged by sun and saltwater are replaced,” said Chalik who has spent years pushing for reform. “Parasailing should be a fun and safe activity, but parasailing companies that cut corners or disregard the safety of their customers can turn the popular beachside pastime into a dangerous and even deadly trip…”

PANAMA CITY, FL and ROANOKE, IN–(Marketwired – January 23, 2014) - The family of an Indiana teenage girl critically injured in a horrific parasailing accident last summer in Panama City, Fla. has filed a negligence lawsuit against the parasailing company, its owner and the hotel that operated the excursions.

On July 1, 2013, 17-year-old Alexis Fairchild of Huntington, Ind., and her friend Sidney Good of Roanoke, Ind., went up in tandem when strong winds snapped their parasail free from its boat below. Witnesses watched in horror as the girls were flung across the shoreline, smashed into a nearby condo rooftop and were dragged into a power line, before plunging into cars parked below.

“Aquatic Adventures Management Group, which operated Why Knot Parasail, not only ignored the fact that weather conditions had deteriorated, but failed to operate the boat a safe distance from shore,” said attorney Deborah Chalik, partner at The Law Offices of Chalik and Chalik, who filed the suit on in Bay County, Fla. on behalf of Alexis’ parents Michael and Angelia Fairchild. Chalik and Chalik has successfully represented a number of cases regarding parasailing accidents.

For more: http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/parents-file-lawsuit-on-behalf-teenage-girl-critically-injured-panama-city-parasailing-1871901.htm

For the original article: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/florida-parasailing-victim-sidney-good-breaks-silence-article-1.1587594

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by | January 23, 2014 · 8:41 am
by | January 21, 2014 · 8:02 am

Hospitality Industry Maintenance Update: “Hotel & Building Maintenance Tips”

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To see full size infographic: http://visual.ly/hotel-building-maintenance-tips

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by | January 13, 2014 · 8:40 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: “Kari’s Law: Murder Victim’s Family Campaigns To Change Hotel Policy”

“When we do this we want to do it right so people can feel comfortable when they have to dial 911 and they get an emergency dispatcher,” ImageGohmert told local TV station KETK. “Even adults when they’re witnessing something terribly traumatic will not be thinking about ‘what do I dial to get an outside line?’ They’d be running and dialing 911.”

“We are attempting to ensure that any person needing police, EMS or the Fire Department at any hotel or motel location may be able to dial the numbers 911 and receive emergency response,”

It was Dec. 1, 2013, and Kari Rene Hunt lie on the brink of death in a hotel room in East Texas. The eldest of her three children, a 9-year-old daughter, attempted to call 911 for help, but because she had no idea that she would have to dial 9 first to get an outside line, the call never went through and her mother succumbed to her wounds. Now, Hunt’s father Hank is out to ensure that hotels across the nation do away with systems that require dialing anything before 911 to make certain that the same scenario doesn’t happen again.

“We are attempting to ensure that any person needing police, EMS or the Fire Department at any hotel or motel location may be able to dial the numbers 911 and receive emergency response,” Hank said in a petition on Change.org. “In a panic, any underage child — or for that matter, anyone in an emergency situation — should be able to depend on dialing 911 from any phone in the United States and receiving assistance.”

For more: http://www.ibtimes.com/karis-law-murder-victims-family-campaigns-change-hotel-policy-1536166

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by | January 10, 2014 · 8:12 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: “Costa Mesa to Slap Hotels With Fines For Too Many Police Calls”

“…Under the ordinance approved Tuesday, motels and hotels could incur fines of hundreds of dollars if they generate above an average 0.4 calls per room per month for recurring “nuisance activities.” Those activities were defined as including persistent noise, gang-related crime,Image illegal use of a firearm, disturbing the peace, illegal use or sale of fireworks, drug possession or sale, underage drinking and loud parties. Violent felonies are also covered…”

Costa Mesa hotels will have to pay a fine if they attract an “excessive” amount of police attention under a new law aimed at properties run by what one City Council member referred to as “slumlords.”

Under the ordinance approved Tuesday, motels and hotels could incur fines of hundreds of dollars if they generate above an average 0.4 calls per room per month for recurring “nuisance activities.” Those activities were defined as including persistent noise, gang-related crime, illegal use of a firearm, disturbing the peace, illegal use or sale of fireworks, drug possession or sale, underage drinking and loud parties. Violent felonies are also covered.

Reporting domestic violence and summoning fire or ambulance services, however, are not considered nuisance activities under the ordinance, the Daily Pilot reported.

For more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-costa-mesa-hotels-fines-police-calls-20140109,0,1005916.story#axzz2q0jOZxiH

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by | October 17, 2013 · 6:08 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Solutions: Texas Hotel “Fire Safety Audit” Results In Installation Of $100,000 “State-Of-The-Art Alarm System”, Self-Closing Doors & Removal Of Combustible Items

“…There will be a brand new, state-of-the-art fire alarm system installed by the end of the year and will Hotel Fire Safetycost $99,950…the lack of self-closing devices installed in the doors may lead to a potential fire to jump to the other building, the audit noted…One of the problems that State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy reported was that there was a large quantity of combustible items stored in the unfinished basement area of the hotel (which) may overwhelm a fire sprinkler system if a fire occurs placing occupant safety and structural stability at risk…”

The Sam Houston State University Hotel has fixed several fire hazards and are in the process of tending to the rest after they were discovered in a State Fire Marshal audit in February, according to Steve Shields, Director of Environmental Health, Safety, and Risk Management.

The University Hotel had nine fire safety problems that needed to be addressed, according to physical plant. Five of them have been fixed and the last two have been scheduled and funded. One problem that has yet to be fixed is the fire alarm system. According to the report, the fire alarm system in the hotel is inadequate and does not have the required detection devices and alarm placement.

The current alarm can’t be heard in all of the rooms, and there is no visual notification devices for the hearing impaired in the public areas. Also, the sprinkler system will not activate the building fire alarm upon activation.

For more:  http://www.houstonianonline.com/news/shsu-university-hotel-making-adjustments-after-alarming-fire-report-1.2841696#.Ul_mvknn-M8

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by | October 11, 2013 · 5:27 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Connecticut Hotel Owners Settle “Negligence Lawsuit” For $1 Million; Woman Tripped Over “Bunched, Wrinkled Carpet” Which Required “Elbow Replacement Surgeries”

“…(the plaintiff) was walking from the restaurant to the front lobby when she tripped on a bunched and wrinkled carpet, catching her toe on it Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsand landing on her elbow…(she) had five surgeries, and when the elbow would not heal right, underwent a total elbow replacement…her medical bills totaled $240,000, which will be repaid with proceeds from the settlement, he said…as early as 2009, Holiday Inn, which was threatnening to pull the hotel’s license because of various maintenance issues, had inspected the hotel and reported that the carpet in the restaurant was loose…(attorneys) discovered that members of the hotel staff had tripped on the rug and complained to the management…”

The owners of the former Holiday Inn on North Frontage Road agreed this week to pay $1 million to a 77-year-old St. Louis woman who fractured her elbow after tripping over a loose carpet and falling as she exited the hotel’s restaurant. Heritage New London LLC, the corporation that owns the property and managed the hotel agreed to the settlement after five days of jury selection in New London Superior Court.

Norma Minke was part of a visiting tour group that stayed at the hotel on October 3, 2010, according to her attorney, Joseph M. Barnes of the Reardon Law Firm.

During the discovery process, Barnes said he deposed the corporation owner, Sunil Nayak of Princeton, NJ. Barnes said he learned that as early as 2009, Holiday Inn, which was threatnening to pull the hotel’s license because of various maintenance issues, had inspected the hotel and reported that the carpet in the restaurant was loose. The report specifically identified the location of the incident, Barnes said. He also discovered that members of the hotel staff had tripped on the rug and complained to the management.

For more:  http://www.theday.com/article/20131010/NWS02/131019970/1047

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