Tag Archives: Hotels

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: North Carolina Hotel And Restaurant Sued By Woman “Sickened By Salmonella Infection”; Lawsuit Claims Failure To Maintain Sanitary Conditions Of Food

“…(the plaintiff), who claims to have become ill after eating at the hotel restaurant, filed a lawsuit in the Cumberland County Superior Court Salmonella Enteritidisalleging the hotel owners served food that was ‘not fit for human consumption’…she also alleges that the defendant failed to ‘maintain and monitor the sanitary conditions of it’s food, drink, water, premises and employees’…”

A Fayetteville woman is seeking in excess of $10,000 in damages after she claims she became sick after eating at a restaurant at a Holiday Inn. Last week the Cumberland County Department of Public Health alerted the public of a possible salmonella outbreak after dozens of people claimed to have gotten sick after eating at the Holiday Inn Fayetteville – Bordeaux.

The Cumberland County Department of Public Health says at least 70 people have reported signs or symptoms consistent with salmonella infections and five people were hospitalized. Twelve of those who reported symptoms are out of state. All of the people appear to have eaten at the All American Sports Bar and Grill and The Café Bordeaux within the hotel.

Health officials are worried that the outbreak could spread nationwide because the hotel is alongside Interstate 95.

For more:  http://www.wncn.com/story/22309597/woman-files-lawsuit-against-fayetteville-hotel-linked-to-salmonella-outbreak

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Filed under Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Kentucky Motel Owners And Manager Sued For “Negligence” By Woman Injured When Stairway Broke Away From Second-Floor Landing

“… stairway connecting a second-floor landing to a third-floor landing broke away at the lower end while the women were on it…(the plaintiff) states in her Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitssuit that the defendants were negligent by “specifically allowing or creating a hazardous condition in the stairwell of the premises by failing to ensure that the steps were safe for use …she also alleges the owners and manager should have known about the unstable stairwell…”

One of the women injured in a staircase collapse last month at a local motel is suing the business in Madison Circuit Court. Amanda Williams filed the suit May 15, alleging the owners and operators of the Super 7 motel, Richmond Host LLC and Alisha LLC, were negligent in maintaining the property, specifically the “unstable stairwell.”

Williams also is suing Paul Patell, who is listed in the suit as the motel’s local manager. On April 23, two women were injured when a set of exterior stairs collapsed.

Williams and another woman were taken by ambulance to Baptist Health in Richmond, and one of the women later was taken to the University of Kentucky Medical Center, according to a Madison County EMS official.

Williams said she suffered “serious and severe personal injuries” to her spinal cord and legs. She will need prolonged medical attention and may require surgery, according to the lawsuit.

Williams is suing to recover the costs of her medical care, pain and suffering, mental distress, future medical expenses and lost wages.

For more:  http://richmondregister.com/localnews/x508507707/Woman-sues-Super-7-over-staircase-collapse

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Filed under Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: EEOC Issues Revised Protections Against “Disability Discrimination” Including “Employees With Cancer, Diabetes, Epilepsy And Intellectual Disabilities”

Disability discrimination also occurs when a covered employer or other entity treats an applicant or employee less favorably because she has a history of a disability (such as cancer that is controlled or in remission) or because she is believed to have a physical or mental impairment that EEOCis not transitory (lasting or expected to last six months or less) and minor (even if she does not have such an impairment).

The law requires an employer to provide reasonable accommodation to an employee or job applicant with a disability, unless doing so would cause significant difficulty or expense for the employer (“undue hardship”).

The law also protects people from discrimination based on their relationship with a person with a disability (even if they do not themselves have a disability). For example, it is illegal to discriminate against an employee because her husband has a disability.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued four revised documents on protection against disability discrimination, pursuant to the goal of the agency’s Strategic Plan to provide up-to-date guidance on the requirements of antidiscrimination laws.

The documents address how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to applicants and employees with cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities. These documents are available on the agency’s website at “Disability Discrimination, The Question and Answer Series,” http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/disability.cfm.

“Nearly 34 million Americans have been diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, or epilepsy, and more than 2 million have an intellectual disability,” said EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien. “Many of them are looking for jobs or are already in the workplace. While there is a considerable amount of general information available about the ADA, the EEOC often is asked questions about how the ADA applies to these conditions.”

In plain, easy-to-understand language, the revised documents reflect the changes to the definition of disability made by the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) that make it easier to conclude that individuals with a wide range of impairments, including cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities, are protected by the ADA. Each of the documents also answers questions about topics such as: when an employer may obtain medical information from applicants and employees; what types of reasonable accommodations individuals with these particular disabilities might need; how an employer should handle safety concerns; and what an employer should do to prevent and correct disability-based harassment.

For more:  http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/5-15-13.cfm

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Filed under Liability, Legislation, Labor Issues, Risk Management, Management And Ownership, Employment Practices Liability

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Thirty Arizona Hotels Burglarized By “Electronic Door Hackers” Using Portable Programming Devices; TV’s, Laptops And Credit Cards Stolen

“…Surveillance video showed the suspects, both white males in their 20s, entering the hotel and then leaving with the victim’s suitcases… some Onity Electronic Lock30 local hotels — probably more — have been targeted by hotel hackers. Investigators believe there are more suspects than those caught on surveillance video…hotel hacking is not just a local problem. Because the technology used to open the electronic locks is so easy to obtain and use, hotel hacking is growing issue nationwide…”

A man and a woman have been burglarizing hotel and motel rooms in the Easy Valley and now Silent Witness is offering a reward for information about them. According to Silent Witness, the pair, dubbed “Hotel Hackers,” used portable programming devices to get into the rooms at various locations in Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale and possibly Avondale. It’s not clear how many locations the pair has hit, but Silent Witness said the crime spree started on Feb. 25.

The suspects have stolen TVs, bedding, laptop computers and guests’ personal belongings, including credit cards.

Silent Witness released surveillance video (above) and photos of the pair, both of which were taken at a Walmart store where the suspects used a stolen credit card.

For more: http://www.azfamily.com/news/Hotel-Hackers-behind-burglaries-at-hotels-motels-in-East-Valley-207552391.html

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Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Hotel And Restaurant “Integrated Ordering Systems” Feature Online Tablets Located On Tables; Increase In Productivity, Inventory Control And Customer Satisfaction

“…By eliminating the traditional step of taking down orders with pen and paper, the hotel has been able to cut down manpower needs Hotel Restaurant Online Tablet Ordering Systemby one staff member per shift (reducing walking time)…”

  • The new system also removes the extra time taken to check the availability of certain items with the kitchen
  • Customer satisfaction has climbed by five percentage points since the system was implemented
  • The new format of ordering allowed us to provide personalized service to patrons who needed it more
  • Sales of food at the atrium lounge have gone up since the automated ordering system was implemented
  • The system also allows guests to give instant feedback about the service, with comments popping up on the employees’ phones.

An initiative that was implemented last November involved linking the hotel’s atrium lounge to a full integrated ordering system. Unlike other restaurants and cafes, where tablet computers are used as electronic menus or ordering devices, the hotel goes one step further. Information is keyed in by patrons and sent via the tablets to mobile phones which are carried by all service staff.

“Guests can self-order and customise their meals by looking through the menu and browsing through the pictures,” said Mr Wehinger. “With the tablet, they can press a ‘call for service’ button, type out dietary restrictions, give feedback and view the inventory level of items which are selling fast or out of stock.

“Instead of waving their hands in the air to get the attention of a waiter, a pop-up with the corresponding table number will appear on the mobile phones issued to our staff. They will then attend to the guests’ needs.”

The atrium lounge, which is manned by about seven employees during the evening peak period, takes up much of the hotel’s fourth floor and spans an area about as large as two basketball courts, so cutting down walking time is a key improvement.

For more:  http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Relax/Story/A1Story20130515-422603.html

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Filed under Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Training

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: “Non-Smoking Rooms” In Hotels With Partial Smoking Bans “Are As Polluted With Third Hand Smoke” As Smoking Rooms, New Research Demonstrates

“…Air nicotine levels in smoking rooms were significantly higher than in non-smoking rooms; (but) they were also 40% higher in smoke free hotelsnon-smoking rooms of hotels operating partial smoking bans than in those operating total bans…findings demonstrate that some non-smoking guest rooms in smoking hotels are as polluted with [third hand smoke] as are some smoking rooms…”

Non-smoking rooms in hotels operating a partial smoking ban don’t protect their occupants from tobacco smoke, reveals new research published online in Tobacco Control. The researchers analyzed the surfaces and air quality of rooms for evidence of tobacco smoke pollution (nicotine and 3EP), known as third hand smoke, in a random sample of budget to mid-range hotels in San Diego, California.

Ten hotels in the sample operated complete bans and 30 operated partial smoking bans, providing designated non-smoking rooms.

Non-smokers who spent the night at any of the hotels, provided urine and finger wipe samples to assess their exposure to nicotine and a cancer causing agent found specifically in tobacco smoke—known as NNK—as measured by their metabolites cotinine and NNAL.

The findings showed that smoking in hotels left a legacy of tobacco pollution in both smoking and non-smoking rooms. A partial smoking ban did not protect the occupants of non-smoking rooms from exposure to tobacco pollution.

For more:  http://blogs.bmj.com/tc/2013/05/14/new-study-partial-smoking-bans-in-hotels-fail-to-protect-guests-from-tobacco-smoke/?q=w_tc_blog_sidetab

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Hospitality Industry Property Risks: California Hotel Exterior Facade Collapses Damaging Electrical System And Sprinklers, Flooding Three Floors

Hotel Property Damage“…the façade tore down sprinkler lines, sending water rushing into some of the rooms. Three floors flooded, damaging the electrical system. Officials say city engineers will be evaluating the building’s structural integrity…”

Work crews will be busy Friday cleaning up the damage left behind after part of a local hotel building collapses. Some guests at the Hampton Inn on Greenwood Street were evacuated overnight, after the hotel’s facade suddenly collapsed.

Pieces littered the ground with debris, making a mess on the north side of the building. People staying at the hotel said they heard a loud noise, grabbed their stuff and got out.

Guests were either moved to other rooms, or sent to other Hampton Inn locations.

No word what caused the collapse.

For more:  http://www.cbs8.com/story/22216647/guests-evacuated-after-hotel-facade-suddenly-collapses

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Hospitality Industry Risk Solutions: Hotel Housekeeping Carts Are Now Smaller Leading To Increased Room Security, Less Employee Injuries And Reduction In Amenity And Towel Theft

 ”Items are not exposed to people walking through hallways so theft of amenity items or towels is greatly reduced…there’s a safety issue, too…Housekeeping staff would park the larger carts outside and keep the door open while they cleaned…not so with the Hotel Housekeeping Safety & Securitysmaller version…the guest comes back and sees the door wide open (and would) think anyone can get in the room…”

“Linen closets (are now) situated closer to the rooms for easy access, eliminating the need for the larger carts. The housekeeping staff has been more productive with the smaller carts because they can move around more quickly, he says. They’re also less prone to injury as the larger carts were heavy to push around…”

Big, rolling housekeeping carts are disappearing from many hotel hallways, just like the floral polyester linens they used to carry. Hotels say they’re replacing cumbersome carts with smaller ones sometimes akin to golf caddie bags out? of necessity, in addition to convenience and even appearance.

Among those saying goodbye to the hall-blocking carts: The Staybridge Suites Times Square in New York, The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte and the Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark Hotel.

Hotel general managers say there are a number of reasons why smaller is better.

  • Hotels don’t use duvets and bulky linens anymore, so there’s no need for large carts, they say. Plus, storage space is at a premium, and smaller carts don’t take up much space.
  • The bags are small enough to take into the room and leave the hallways clear and safe. They also don’t nick the walls of elevators and corridors like the large carts did.
  • But more important, the guests prefer them, says Rich Hotter, general manager of the Staybridge Suites Times Square.

For more:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/hotelcheckin/2013/05/10/hotels-housekeeping-carts/2146993/

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Filed under Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Labor Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Risk Management, Theft

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Texas Hotel Undergoing Renovations Suffers Fire Damage As “Hot Temperatures, Matresses Fuel Blaze”

Hotel Fire Investigation“…workers said they think mattresses might have fueled the blaze, but Dallas  Fire officials said they do not have an official cause of the fire…the fire was escalated to three alarms due to the size of the building and the hot and humid temperature inside…the renovated building was set to open as a new hotel in August 2013…”

A building being renovated into a new Homewood Suites was damaged after a  three alarm fire midday Wednesday. Officials with the hotel chain told FOX4 workers were installing dry wall and  flooring when the fire broke out on the fifth floor of the nine story building  shortly before noon.

Construction workers were in the building at the time and were evacuated. The  fire was put out by 12:30 p.m.

Fire officials said they believe the fire was accidental.

Management for the hotel told FOX4 they believe they will be able to make  repairs and still open on schedule.

Read more: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22195836/fire-guts-part-of-downtown-dallas-building#ixzz2SnqpzXUa

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Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Ohio Motel Sued For $25,000 By Guest For “Bed Bug” Bites Requiring Medical Treatment; Staff Should Have Recognized Signs Of Infestation

“…in the morning, she claims she had bed bug bites, which were severe enough she required medical treatment. The bugs also reportedly infested the luggage she had with her. When she arrived home, the bed bugs reportedly infested her home…(the Bed Bugs in Hotel Roomsplaintiff) contends the staff should have been trained to recognize the signs of bed bugs, identified the problem, reported it to management and called in proper pest control measures to eradicate the creatures. She also believes she should have been alerted of the unsafe conditions of the room…”

A lawsuit was filed in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court this week seeking damages from bed bugs allegedly discovered last summer by a guest at Barnett’s Motel on U.S. Route 62 west of Salem. Jacki Covert, of Antiock, Ill., claims she rented room 110 on June 24, 2012 and spent a night at the motel.

According to the lawsuit, Hemiptera, which are also known as bed bugs, suck blood and rapidly reproduce. The bugs can be difficult to control, even in the cleanest facilities. The bugs shed their skin as they grow, leaving behind proof of their existence on sheets, pillow cases, couches, chairs, carpets and floors throughout the room.

She is seeking in excess of $25,000 in relief.

For more:  http://www.salemnews.net/page/content.detail/id/565283/Woman-sues-Barnett-s-Motel-over-alleged-bedbug-infestation.html?nav=5061

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