Tag Archives: Hotel Guest

by | July 23, 2012 · 6:08 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: California Hotel Sued For Discrimination Under "Unruh Civil Rights Act" For Prohibiting Charitable Event

Alleging that they were the victims of discrimination, Ryan, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, and 17 other individuals later filed suit against Adaya and the hotel under California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which says no business establishment may discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color or religion. In addition to Adaya, the suit names Indus Investments Inc., the corporate owner and operator of the hotel.

Ari Ryan and other young leaders of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces gathered on the afternoon of July 11, 2010, at the Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica for a charitable event. Soon after the party got underway around the hotel’s pool, apologetic hotel staff and security guards began telling group members to remove their literature and banners, to get out of the pool and hot tub, and to stop handing out T-shirts, according to Ryan and court documents.

The employees were acting on the orders of hotel owner Tehmina Adaya, according to the statements of witnesses and hotel employees in court documents. Adaya is a Muslim woman of Pakistani descent.

In court documents, Adaya said the July event had not been scheduled with the hotel and that the participants were trespassing on hotel property. Philip E. Black, an attorney for Adaya, declined to comment.

A jury trial is slated to begin Monday in Santa Monica Superior Court. The plaintiffs are seeking more than $1 million in damages.

According to the lawsuit, the charitable event was for the Legacy Program, a branch of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces that raises funds to send children of fallen Israeli soldiers to summer camp. The party was planned by Platinum Events, a marketing firm that had organized other gatherings at the Shangri-La after the property underwent a $30-million renovation and reopened in mid-2009, the complaint said.

For more:  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-shangri-la-lawsuit-20120723,0,868164.story

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by | July 19, 2012 · 6:13 am

Hospitality Industry Parking Risks: Kentucky Hotel Guest's Auto Stolen By Man Posing As A Valet

“…(suspect) was posing as a valet at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel on June 29. After helping the owner of the vehicle into the hotel with their luggage, Gibbs then drove away with the $25,000 SUV…”

A Louisville man has been charged with theft after he pretended to be a hotel valet and stole a SUV. A short time later, the vehicle’s owner said someone told them the person who drove off in the SUV was not a hotel employee.

Police identified Gibbs as the suspect after looking at hotel security footage and said he later confessed to the crime. The vehicle was recovered that same day parked in front of Gibbs apartment.

Gibbs is charged with theft by unlawful taking of an auto over $10,000.

In a statement to WAVE 3, Jon McFarland, general manager of the Seelbach Hilton, said, “The Seelbach has not had a prior incident like this. We are aggressively looking at how it happened, and preventing it from happening again.”

For more:  http://www.wave3.com/story/19054310/police-fake-valet-steals-suv

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by | July 4, 2012 · 1:23 am

Hospitiality Industry Security Risks: Ohio Hotel Employees Accused Of Raping Two Women Guests In Hotel Room

The 44- and 45-year-old women reported being raped by both men after returning to their room from a party. The indictment states that the women were vaginally raped while they were impaired and unable to resist or consent.

A Hampton Inn security guard and a valet are accused of raping two women May 13 in the women’s hotel room. Solomon Baba, 23, of Cleveland, and Kevin Kozieracki, 37, of Middleburg Heights, are charged with rape, kidnapping and burglary.

Baba, the valet, is being held on a $100,000 bond, while Kozieracki, is being held on a $250,000 bond. They are due back in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court for a hearing Thursday.

For more:  http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/07/hampton_inn_security_guard_and.html

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by | June 30, 2012 · 6:21 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Florida Hotels And Guests Defrauded By Homeless Man; Watched Guests Leave Room And Claimed He Was That Person

“…He would apparently watch a guest leave then go into the room and claim he’s that person.  Once in the room, police told WFTV Price would call the front desk and say he wanted to extend the stay, sometimes by 10 days…”

“…At the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal, Price allegedly racked up nearly $9,000 in charges on an Ohio man’s credit card…”

A homeless man spent Friday night in the Orange County Jail.  He was busted after police said he posed as a guest at lavish hotels and went on spending sprees that his victims paid for. David Price has been homeless for the past two years.  On some nights he found shelter at the most lavish hotels in Orange County including The Ritz Carlton, Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Portofino Bay.  He stayed at those hotels on other people’s dime.

A few days ago, police arrested Price after he finagled his way into a room at the Hard Rock Hotel that was previously occupied by a hotel worker.  Security officers knew the employee had already left so they called the police.  Officers apparently found items from other hotels in the room, including The Peabody on International Drive and the Four Seasons in Miami.

For more:  http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/investigators-homeless-man-arrested-stays-hotels-o/nPjTK/

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by | June 9, 2012 · 1:13 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Texas Hotel Temporarily Closed After Legionnaires' Disease Diagnosis

The SuperMedia Hotel and Conference Center, a hotel near the Dallas airport, closed temporarily this week after a guest was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ Disease. It is not yet known if the guest contracted the disease at the hotel or elsewhere, but the hotel closed temporarily while tests are being conducted.

“A guest at the hotel attached to SuperMedia’s offices was treated for Legionnaires’ disease and released from a nearby hospital. After the one case was initially reported to us, we took the precautionary step of asking our employees to work from alternate locations while the appropriate tests were being conducted. No other cases have been reported and we don’t know that this case originated from the hotel,” Andrew Shane, a  SuperMedia spokesperson, told Food Poisoning Bulletin.

Legionnaires’ Disease is a lung infection caused by Legionella bacteria which got its name when a number of people attending a 1976 American Legion convention in Philadelphia came down with the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For more:  http://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/2012/legionnaires-case-shuts-down-dallas-hotel/

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by | June 8, 2012 · 6:07 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Guest At California Hotel Has $200,000 In Jewelry Stolen

The family believes someone took a large CD zipper case  containing $200,000 worth of gold, platinum, diamonds and once they realized  what was it in, they kept it for good.

A family visiting San Diego for a wedding lost $200,000 in  jewelry in a hotel theft.

Hangameh Mousavi says her family was visiting San Diego for  an Iranian wedding over the Memorial Day weekend and stayed at the Sheraton  Hotel on Harbor Island. It’s traditional to give jewelry to the bride and so family  members brought a lot of jewelry not only to wear, but also to give as  gifts.

“We have religious jewelry, stuff with Arabic writing,  prayers,” she explained. “Things from the revolution that they don’t make any more.  Things that have been passed down from grandparents.”

There was a conference at the hotel that weekend.

For more:  $200K in Jewelry Stolen from San Diego Hotel | NBC San Diego

Source:  $200K in Jewelry Stolen from San Diego Hotel | NBC San Diego

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by | June 1, 2012 · 7:47 am

Hospitality Industry Payment Fraud Risks: Florida Hotels Victims Of $15,000 Scam By Guests; Legitimate Credit Cards "Switched" To Prepaid Debit Cards

“…(three men) racked up roughly $15,000 in charges at several Disney hotels earlier this year and then left without paying before hotel staff ever realized what happened…Each man checked into a hotel with a legitimate credit card but then switched the room charges to prepaid debit cards that each had less than $10 in value…”

Falk, 36, told deputies they pulled off the scam by taking advantage of a loophole in the way Disney charges resort guests that he discovered during a legitimate vacation four years ago. Then they charged thousands in theme-park purchases to their rooms. Since the hotel limited charges to between $1,000 and $1,500 per room, the fraudulent purchases went undetected since they stayed below those amounts, they told deputies.

Nero, 39, told deputies they visited resort hotels seven times and reserved a total of 13 rooms from February to April. The three could still be living the high life had it not been for a vigilant cigar shop employee, a report says. The employee contacted authorities after Falk allegedly came into the shop several times to buy hundreds of dollars worth of pricey cigarettes.

The employee told police that Falk was spending more money than most of the other customers but what really made him suspicious was that Falk never seemed to care what brand of cigarettes he bought. According to the shop owner, most smokers are loyal to their brands.

For more:  http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-31/news/os-disney-hotel-scam-20120531_1_hotels-shop-owner-room-charges

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