Tag Archives: Hotel Employees

by | December 17, 2010 · 2:13 am

Hotel Industry Employee Management: Hotel Housekeepers Are “Vital To Success Of Any Hotel” And Refined Practices Will Improve Productivity While Reducing Budget

Housekeeping is vital to the success of any hotel. It will be worth the extra time and attention it takes to refine practices and enhance productivity. Improved housekeeping makes for a tighter overall operation, along with relief to your hotel’s budget.

  • Hire the right housekeepers.  People with certain personality types will not stay and clean rooms for long periods of time – not because they can’t or will do a poor job, but because they get bored. The housekeeping job can be monotonous. Use a personality test of some sort to hire the right people.
  • Have the chemical dispensers checked by your chemical company every time the company is on property. In addition to improving how the chemicals are dispensed, this will allow for cleaner linen as well as less discoloration (in case too much chlorine or other detergent is being used).
  • Combine job responsibilities within the housekeeping department to maximize productivity and avoid downtime.
  • Make sure that time allocated to clean rooms is respected. Be creative with long-term stays – maybe wash linens every three days, and provide a very quick (five-minute) service: change towels, empty trash cans, and move on.
  • Folding within the laundry department can be a time-consuming burden. The trick is to fold as little as possible since a housekeeper will immediately undo the work diligently done by the laundry attendant anyway. Sheets and large items can be laid down flat on a rolling cart and sent to a holding area for the next day.
  • Spend a great deal of time with this important department and become a mentor. A closer collaboration between management and housekeeping will have significant benefits for your hotel.

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article50864.html

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by | December 16, 2010 · 2:41 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Issues: California Hotel And General Manager Sued For “Retaliation For Reporting Sexual Harassment, Defamation And Wrongful Termination”

The Four Seasons’ former lead massage therapist alleged in a recent lawsuit that he was demoted after complaining that the hotel’s general manager was romantically involved with a masseuse and had sought favorable treatment for her.

John B. Henning said he was instructed in August 2009 to make sure that certain massage therapists were not paid more than a masseuse who “was engaging in a romantic relationship” with general manager Thomas Gurtner.

Henning said he refused to comply with the instructions and instead told the hotel’s assistant human resources director that Gurtner was favoring the woman. One month later, Henning alleged, he was demoted and “constructively terminated” from his job. Henning said a supervisor explained that the hotel wanted “to move forward with a more positive team.”

A spokeswoman for the 270-room resort hotel declined to comment.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, seeks unspecified general and punitive damages, plus legal fees and other costs. It accuses the hotel of retaliation for reporting sexual harassment, defamation and wrongful termination.

For more:  http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/12/sexual-harassment-four-seasons-hotel-westlake-village-massage-.html

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by | December 14, 2010 · 6:36 am

Hotel Industry Employee Risks: Texas Hotel Owners “Failed To Carry Workers’ Comp Insurance And Enforce Safety Procedures” Says Suit Brought By Banquet Service Employee Who Was Injured On Job

On or about August 13, 2009, Plaintiff suffered an injury to her right shoulder area when a co-worker, Banquet Manager, Gus Garza, suddenly and without warning struck her while opening a door which was intended to be an exit door instead of an entrance door as he was using it,” the suit filed Dec. 7 in Jefferson County District Court states.

She claims the defendant companies — HTL Operating doing business as Elegante Hotel and Investment Corporation of America — did not carry workers’ compensation insurance at the time of the incident. As a result, Howard claims she should be entitled to all common-law damages.

A Beaumont woman has filed suit against the owners of a hotel where she claims she was injured while working as a banquet server. Sharon Howard alleges she was performing her duties as a banquet server at MCM Elegante Hotel in Beaumont on Aug. 13, 2009, when she sustained injuries to her shoulder.

Because of the incident, Howard suffered a severe and permanently disabling injury to her right shoulder and has not been able to work, according to the complaint.

She blames the hotel for causing her injury and for the pain and suffering she endured, as well as the medical costs she incurred.

The hotel’s owners negligently failed to enforce proper safety procedure and failed to properly equip doors, according to the complaint.

In her suit, Howard is seeking a judgment in excess of the minimum jurisdictional limits of Jefferson County District Court, plus pre- and post-judgment interest, costs, attorney’s fees and other relief the court deems just.

John Werner of Reaud, Morgan and Quinn in Beaumont will be representing her.

For more:  http://www.setexasrecord.com/news/231951-hotel-server-sues-over-shoulder-injuries

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by | December 10, 2010 · 5:51 am

Hotel Industry Employee Issues: Report Finds “Fraud And Misuse” Of H-2B Guest Worker Program By Hotel Management And Owners

The H-2B program for unskilled non-agricultural migrant workers is one of the nation’s many alien worker programs, and one that, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report, is subject to extensive fraud and abuse.

The H-2B program is both smaller than the H-1B program, for high tech workers, and subject to considerably less attention. In terms of visa issuances, one measure of the size of these programs, there were 44,847 H-2B visas issued in FY 2009, compared to 110,367 H-1B visas. These numbers are from the annual Report of the Visa Office at the State Department.

Since the H-1B program displaces American workers with college degrees, and depresses wages where the high-tech workers are concentrated, it secures a lot more public attention that the H-2B program, which operates at the other end of the labor market, where employers hire landscapers, forest workers, waiters, and other less-skilled workers.

GAO’s report on the troubles with the program are based on a solid foundation; the agency’s auditors found ten closed criminal and civil cases in which courts had decided that employers had misused the program and abused their alien workers. The highlights of these cases, as quoted in the report, are as follows:

Hotel owners forced H-2B workers to work in substandard conditions, confiscated workers’ passports, and threatened workers that they would be sent home in a ‘box’ if they disobeyed orders . . .

Workers from India paid at least $20,000 for H-2B visas to enter the U.S. but were never employed by the construction company . . .

Conspirators fraudulently obtained H-2B certifications from Labor for over 3,800 individuals, leased workers to undisclosed businesses not listed on the visa petitions, [and] defrauded the government of $7.4 million in payroll taxes . . .

The nation would do just fine without any H-2B program at all; the only “cost” would be that some marginal employers would have to increase their wages a bit to attract workers to their jobs.

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by | December 8, 2010 · 4:21 am

Hospitality Industry Insurance Issues: Santa Cruz Hotel Owners Negotiate Successful Contract With Union Employees Saving Substantial Benefits And Expenses

 In negotiating the new contract the owners and operator initially hoped to slash more than $500,000 from their operating costs; the union, meanwhile, sought to guard employees’ insurance, eight-hour workday and paid vacation.

“It was very, very challenging because the owners were spending more than a million dollars a year in benefits,” says Jane Howard, Chief People Officer for Joie de Vivre Hospitality. “We needed to work together to get the cost of that down some, and we were able to do that.” The hotel ultimately accepted an insurance plan proposed by the labor union that is expected to save it $130,000 annually.

The owners and operators of Santa Cruz’s Dream Inn can rest easy now that the unionized employees at the hotel have finally ratified a contract following nearly a year of negotiations and union demonstrations. The employees, represented by UNITE HERE Local 483, voted to accept a new four-year contract last Tuesday, Nov. 30. 

The Dream Inn is jointly owned by the Southern California real estate developer Ensemble Investments and AEW Capital Management and operated by Joie de Vivre Hospitality, which manages a number of other properties around the state.

The final agreement, which will allow employees to keep their insurance and eight-hour work day but not their paid vacation time, was reached in arbitration with an outside mediator that took place at the hotel on Nov. 23. A week later, the employees voted with a 91 percent majority to accept the contract; had they failed to ratify, the union would have moved to strike.

“I think we made some progress,” Michael Roberts, a bartender at the Dream Inn’s Aquarius restaurant, said. “We definitely got a reasonable contract, but for me, a lot of it came down to the fact that I didn’t feel like the membership would have supported a strike if it came down to that. They were willing to do certain actions, but I don’t think a strike would have been supported.”

The new contract covers 85 workers at the hotel, who, under its terms, will keep a generous benefits package that includes health, dental, vision and life insurance—all free—for the employee’s entire family. “It was very, very challenging because the owners were spending more than a million dollars a year in benefits,” says Jane Howard, Chief People Officer for Joie de Vivre Hospitality. “We needed to work together to get the cost of that down some, and we were able to do that.” The hotel ultimately accepted an insurance plan proposed by the labor union that is expected to save it $130,000 annually.

The insurance policy was ultimately the most important factor for Roberts, although he sympathized with longtime employees who, under the new contract, will lose paid vacation time accrued over many years of service. “I’ve only worked there for three and a half years, but we have employees who have worked there for almost 20 years who are taking hits for vacation—like losing a week or more days—so it was a very big deal for them.”

“That was painful for us, we really didn’t want to have to move on vacation,” says Lizzie Keegan, a representative for UNITE HERE who was present throughout negotiations. “There were some things that obviously stung a little bit, but overall we ratified with over that 90 percent because everybody feels that, in this economic recession, we will have to [make some concessions] and it will be hard, but we’re really proud that we have really good insurance and it covers us and covers our families.”

For more:  http://news.santacruz.com/2010/12/07/dream_inn_hotel_workers_keep_bennies

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by | November 23, 2010 · 5:52 am

Hotel Industry Employee Safety Issues: OSHA Will Target Hospitality Employers That Exhibit “A Pattern Of Non-Compliance” With An Aggressive Enforcement Campaign

“…if OSHA believes that the violation at a particular hotel is indicative of a pattern of non-compliance, then it will launch investigations into other hotels owned or operated by the same company. This company “profiling” should put all hotels on high alert…”

“… In light of the significant penalties and the new focus on enforcement from the government and labor unions, it is important for hotels to take worker safety issues seriously and to have a plan in place should OSHA launch an investigation into their respective properties…”

The housekeepers allege injuries arising from their daily room quotas and argue that cleaning rooms and lifting heavy mattresses lead to accidents and workplace injuries. The complaints allege that workers are discouraged from reporting injuries due to fear of retaliation and that monetary rewards for having a safe workplace discourages complaints. The housekeepers recommend several solutions, including changes to fitted sheets, mops and other equipment used to clean a room, as well as a cap on their daily room quota.

Hospitality employers must be on alert of similar OHSA complaints at its properties. OHSA has begun an aggressive enforcement campaign against employers when it unveiled its “Severe Violator Enforcement Program” (“SVEP”) earlier this year. Under SVEP, OSHA will target those employers who disregard their obligations through willful, repeated, or multiple violations. This will lead to a significant increase in OSHA inspections at workplaces that not only have a history of health and safety violations, but also allows for nationwide inspections of related workplaces.

 Thus, Additionally, because OSHA investigators are more likely to approach local managers at each property, it is important that these managers receive proper training on OSHA regulations and how to comply with an OSHA investigation. Accordingly, hotels should take the necessary steps now to ensure compliance with applicable federal and state requirements through attorney-client self-audits.

For more:  http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=c08060f9-c1d2-4b11-ba11-e20e66a39ab3

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by | November 22, 2010 · 11:04 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Issues: Hospitality Owners And Management Should Verify Employment And Utilize “E-Verify” Through The U.S. Citizenship And Immigration Services

E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.

Why E-Verify?

Why do people come to the United States illegally?  They come here to work.  The public can, and should, choose to reward companies that follow the law and employ a legal workforce.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is working to stop unauthorized employment.  By using E-Verify to determine the employment eligibility of their employees, companies become part of the solution in addressing this problem.

Employment eligibility verification is good business and it’s the law.

 

Who Uses E-Verify?

More than 225,000 employers, large and small, across the United States use E-Verify to check the employment eligibility of their employees, with about 1,000 new businesses signing up each week.

While participation in E-Verify is voluntary for most businesses, some companies may be required by state law or federal regulation to use E-Verify.  For example, most employers in Arizona and Mississippi are required to use E-Verify. E-Verify is also mandatory for employers with federal contracts or subcontracts that contain the Federal Acquisition Regulation E-Verify clause.

For more:  http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=e94888e60a405110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=

e94888e60a405110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD

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by | November 16, 2010 · 8:48 pm

Hospitality Industry Technology Issues: Hotel Management Needs To Integrate Mobile Technology Into Operations To Increase Productivity And Reduce Costs

“Hoteliers are looking to educate themselves and learn to better market to travelers on the go,” said Kim, whose study included dozens of directors and GMs. She found that hoteliers support using mobile technology to increase employee productivity and cost reduction.

Kim’s study also found that hoteliers expect a mobile device to be at least iPhone-sized with a touch screen and the ability to interface with a hotel’s property-management system.

Specific operational applications of technology included allowing engineers to remotely keep track of hotel systems, control energy use remotely and support employee multitasking while reminding them of pending tasks.

After Kim showed her survey, a panel discussion took place discussing the merits and limitations of hoteliers relying on mobile technology.

“Mobility is death by a thousand cuts,” said Alan Dabbiere of Airwatch, which manages guest wireless for more than ten thousand locations, referring to the complexity of upgrading a hotel’s infrastructure to utilize the latest mobile technology. “I think we have Steve Jobs to thank or blame for some of this. It wasn’t until he consumerized it and made it sexy, and now people are becoming very personal about their mobility.”

Sukhvinder Singh, VP of IT for Host Hotels, talked at length about the difficulties hoteliers face in updated outdated hotel infrastructure in hotels with older builds.

“There’s been a paradigm shift in hospitality–we lag behind in technology, we do walls twice and carpets four times before we do technology,” said Singh. “People should appreciate we are now looking at next wave of technology since hotels have not paid attention to infrastructure for last 20 years.

For more:  http://www.hotelworldnetwork.com/wireless/hoteliers-talk-infrastructure-upgrades-mobile-technology-seminar

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by | November 3, 2010 · 7:56 am

Hotel Industry Employee Wage Issues: Employee Unions Plan To Use Threat Of Strikes To Put Pressure On Hotel Management To Negotiate Wage Contracts Acceptable To Both Sides As Industry Recovers

The scene looks much the same among union hotel workers: bold employers, drawn-out bargaining, and unions launching intermittent short strikes to keep up pressure. Hilton is now UNITE HERE’s target because the union judges that company most likely to move—a shift in strategy after months of rolling strikes and pickets against the Hyatt chain.

The union hopes to establish a pattern at the bargaining table with Hilton that other hotels will follow.

Chicago hotel workers authorized strikes at four Hilton-owned or -operated properties. They struck the Hilton Chicago for three days in October, coordinating with Hilton workers in Honolulu and San Francisco. Those strikes ended October 19, but more may be on the way.

Workers in Toronto took advantage of the Toronto International Film Festival in September to gain visibility for their struggle. Rolling one-day strikes at three hotels, including festival headquarters, caused actors Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez to join the boisterous picket line. The blare of vuvuzelas added to picket-line noise.

Workers rolled out a red carpet and offered passersby the opportunity to have their photo taken with a hotel worker. Inside, workers spotted the housekeeping manager doing bell work.

Six additional one-day strikes have cascaded through Toronto hotels since the film festival. And 500 workers walked out of the Delta Chelsea, a large downtown conference hotel, on October 28. Delta Chelsea workers say they’ll stay out for two weeks.

Cristal Cruz-Haicken of UNITE HERE Local 75 said the two-week strike was necessary because “they weren’t even taking us seriously” at the bargaining table.

Unstable work schedules and job security are a serious problem. Feliz Serrano, a server, said he has worked there 30 years and still usually only gets 30 hours of work a week, but only if he works six days in a row.

Room attendant Jian Ying Liu said the hotel has tried to get rid of her three times because of injuries she received in her 18 years of work there.

Several conferences immediately moved because of the strike.

LOCKING IN THE RECESSION

In the U.S., Hilton workers have been working without a new contract since August 2009. They charge their employer with trying to lock the recession into their wages and workloads even as the hotel industry recovers profitability.

Blackstone, the private equity group that controls Hilton, upped third-quarter profits by 23 percent, to $340 million. This April, the New York Federal Reserve wrote off $180 million of Blackstone’s debt, allegedly to create jobs.

But the hotel chain is trying to squeeze more work from the existing staff. Hilton is proposing that workers who currently clean 14 rooms a day clean 20, with the result that some workers will be laid off.

UNITE HERE members call Hilton’s push to increase their workload the “dirty rooms” program, pointing out that Hilton is reassuring workers they won’t have to meet the same high standards of cleanliness when they’re required to clean 40 percent more rooms.

The average Local 2 member in San Francisco makes $30,000 a year, and if Hilton gets its way workers will soon be paying $173 a month for family health care coverage.

According to Local 2 staffer Riddhi Mehta-Neugebauer in San Francisco, workers have foregone raises over the years, preferring to maintain affordable health coverage. The new $173 per month amounts to a huge takeaway.

Hilton is resisting the union’s proposal that the company put aside an extra 12 cents per hour for pensions, which, UNITE HERE calculates, would mean the difference between a $900 and a $1,200 monthly pension.

Meanwhile, management’s pay is up. According to a Wall Street Journal survey, Blackstone’s executive team got a 12 percent pay increase this year.

For more:  http://labornotes.org/2010/11/unions-reach-short-strikes-stop-concessions

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by | October 5, 2010 · 5:39 pm

Hospitality Industry Guest Relations: “Problem Prevention” Is The Key To Customer Satisaction

J.D. Power and Associates continues to observe that high levels of customer satisfaction are dependent on problem prevention, rather than problem resolution. That is not to say that service recovery is not required when a guest experiences a significant problem; however, it is more difficult to achieve the satisfaction level of those guests who don’t experience a problem in the first place, than for guests who experience problems that are eventually resolved.

Across the industry, overall satisfaction is 144 points higher when guests did not experience a significant problem (781), compared with when they did (637). While there is a significant gap in satisfaction among the guests for whom the problem was resolved (705), compared with those for whom the problem remained unresolved (582), satisfaction still falls significantly below that of guests who did not experience a problem in the first place.

While it is possible to so impress and exceed a guest’s expectations during recovery that they are more satisfied after recovery than if they never had a problem, these are rare occurrences.  We certainly would not advocate creating false problems in order to heroically swoop in and solve the problems for guests as a business model, but it does reinforce the important opportunity recovery represents. It makes a statement to guests about your brand and how you value their business.

You might wonder, what are the most frequently occurring problems that guests cite?

Across the industry, the top three problems guests cited are:

  1. Noise
  2. Hotel/room maintenance
  3. Heating ventilation and AC problems

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/4128/Guest-problems-better-prevented-than-resolved

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