Tag Archives: Hotels

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Hospitality Industry Employment Practices Update: “The Hotel Industry Needs To Stop Trying To Please Their Customers!”

“…There is less of an attachment of what’s in it for me when you’re primarily focused on making somebody feel good about themselves, versus trying to please them. customer serviceThe motivation and incentives have to be on a much higher level when you are positioning people in your organization to attempt to please your customers, versus when you have your organization focus on making their customers feel good about themselves through their interactions with the guests…”

If they truly want their customers to be pleased by their hotels’ brand experience.

As I just talked about in my recent three-part article series, which focused on creating a new strategy for enhancing the hotels’ business model performance by decoding the hotel guest experience, I wrote about this crazy notion in part three of the series. (It’s really not about trying to please customers, per se. It’s really more about making them feel good about themselves while they are experiencing your hotel’s brand of hospitality offerings.)

You are really not there to please your customers, as crazy as that may sound. Businesses that make their customers feel good about themselves as a result of their business experience offering don’t have to play that inauthentic game of trying to please people, or try to inspire and motivate their organization to do so either. They are more focused on strategically creating and managing a business experience that generates a strong emotional connection with their customers that fosters positive memories from all the different attributes and qualities of the business experience.

For more: http://www.fivestarcustomerexperiencedesign.com/blog/2013/10/hotel-industry-needs-stop-trying-please-customers/?utm_content=buffer4b0ee&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer

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by | January 20, 2014 · 9:43 am
by | January 15, 2014 · 8:42 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “State and Local Laws that Challenge a Hotel’s Existence: Alcohol License Regimes”

“…Hotel executives cannot escape the complex ins and outs of alcohol licensing.  However, there is no reason to fear the application and renewal process or to make assumptions about the limits of your hotel’s existing license.Bar If you are armed with the right questions,then you can more competently discuss these issues with your legal counsel and local alcohol licensing staff. Ask your legal counsel if you have the appropriate license and see if any of your current practices exceed the boundaries of the hotel’s alcohol license…”

The alcohol licensing process for hotels involves a patchwork of state and local regulation that can be difficult to navigate.  Licensing is often highly localized and variable.  Nevertheless, a hotel executive should have a working knowledge of the legal questions to ask in order to understand the bounds of their existing alcohol license.  After all, the alcohol license provides a valuable source of revenue for the business and offers an avenue to provide amenities to guests that encourage repeat patronage.  Conversely, violations of local regulation can result in costly fines and revocation of existing licenses that affect the profitability and marketability of the property.

For more: http://hlconverge.com/index.php/component/k2/item/760-state-and-local-laws-that-challenge-a-hotel-s-existence-alcohol-license-regimes

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by | January 6, 2014 · 6:44 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: California Hotels And Restaurants Increasingly Face “Prop 65” Toxic Substance Disclosure Lawsuits; “Two-Week Grace Period” Enacted

“…there has been an increase in these lawsuits over the years, with some lawyers targeting small businesses for everyday exposures, like California Prop 65 Toxin Warningalcohol or cigarette smoke outside a bar…Proposition 65 suits have helped make California the most litigious state in the union, and those lawsuits disproportionately affect small businesses…mostly small businesse paid about $22.5 million in Prop 65 settlements in 2012 alone…For virtually all environmental law in the U.S., it’s the government’s responsibility to go after businesses or products that are hurting consumers… But Proposition 65 doesn’t work like that. The state just puts out a list of chemicals that might hurt you. The responsibility is on businesses to warn consumers, and on consumers to sue if they don’t…”

“…In the amendment to the law passed in 2013, small business owners faced with a lawsuit now have a two-week grace period to comply…”

All over California, signs in restaurants, parking garages and other businesses warn that you could be exposed to chemicals that can cause cancer. The disclosure is mandated by 1986 state law. If a company fails to warn consumers, it can be sued.

But a lot has changed since the law was passed: The list of toxic chemicals is longer and the lawsuits are more prolific. In October, Gov. Jerry Brown signed an amendment to ease the burden on businesses.

For more:  http://www.npr.org/2014/01/05/259925903/calif-toxin-law-warns-consumers-but-can-burden-businesses

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Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

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by | December 30, 2013 · 6:52 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Pennsylvania Hotel Faces Federal “Sexual Harassment And Retaliation” Lawsuit; Woman Terminated After Making Written And Verbal Complaints

“…the hotel’s assistant manager, told the plaintiff that (the defendant) was telling others that he possessed nude photographs of Vazquez, Hospitality Industry Sexual Harassment Lawsuitssomething the woman denied…(she) met with the hotel’s manager (and asst. manager) in the spring of 2012 to discuss the situation…Vazquez subsequently offered the human resources department a written statement about the harassing conduct…Two days after she submitted her statement, the plaintiff was placed on a five-day suspension…Vazquez was told she was being suspended for voiding a transaction at the front desk when her cash drawer was short, even though the plaintiff claims she was taught to do just that in such a situation when she first started working for the defendant…After returning from her suspension on May 16, 2012, the plaintiff was immediately fired from her job…”

A Philadelphia woman who worked as a front desk agent for the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel has filed a federal civil action against the business contending she was fired in retaliation for speaking out about harassing conduct on the part of another worker.

Crystal Vazquez, who was first hired by the defendant in May 2010, maintains that her firing exactly two years later was retribution for the plaintiff complaining about sexual harassment by the hotel’s AT&T specialist, a man identified in the complaint as Ryan Sheridan. Sheridan, who is not listed as a defendant in the litigation, allegedly told hotel employees that he and the plaintiff had been sexually intimate.

Vazquez was out on maternity leave in late December 2011, which is when Sheridan was allegedly making the comments about the supposed intimate nature of his relationship with the plaintiff, the lawsuit states.

“Needless to say, Plaintiff’s termination was a direct result of her complaints regarding sexual harassment,” the complaint reads. The lawsuit accuses the hotel of violating the Civil Rights Act and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.

For more: http://pennrecord.com/news/12512-sheraton-phila-downtown-hotel-named-in-federal-civil-rights-claim-tied-to-wrongful-firing-of-front-desk-agent

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

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by | December 24, 2013 · 7:02 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Texas Hotel Faces “Wrongful Death” Lawsuit; Guest Falls Off “Defective Treadmill”

“…During his stay, (the deceased) went to use the property’s exercise room where he got on a treadmill maintained by Exer-Tech, according to the Hospitality Industry Wrongful Death Lawsuitssuit…a “defective” condition in the treadmill caused him to fall and strike his head (causing) a serious injury to his head which in turn resulted in his death…”

The family of a man who allegedly sustained a fatal head injury while working out at a Houston hotel has pursued legal action, recent court documents say. The late William Lake III’s widow and their three minor children filed a lawsuit against Marriott Hotel Services Inc. and Exer-Tech Inc. in Harris County District Court on Nov. 14.

Houston federal court received the case on Dec. 18. At the time of the events of last May 15, Lake was a paying guest at the Houston Marriott George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

His survivors fault Marriott for failing to address the treadmill’s allegedly dangerous condition while Exer-Tech is blamed for allegedly failing to properly maintain and repair the device. Consequently, the plaintiffs seek unspecified monetary damages.

For more:  http://setexasrecord.com/news/292891-family-asserts-defect-in-hotel-treadmill-caused-mans-fatal-head-injury

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Filed under Guest Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership

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by | December 22, 2013 · 7:10 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Kentucky Motel Faces $1.1 Million “Negligence Lawsuit” After Guest Is Injured By Collapsed External Stairway

“…(the plaintiff) suffered broken heels and ankles in both legs, three broken bones in her lower back and multiple lacerations and bruises Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsfollowing the April 23 stairway collapse…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. She is asking the court to award her $200,000 in medical expenses, $500,000 for pain, suffering and mental distress and $400,000 for future impairment to earn a living…”

A woman who was injured earlier this year after an external stairway collapsed at Richmond’s Super 7 motel suffered serious injuries that may make it impossible for her to work again, according to a lawsuit she has filed. Amanda R. Williams is suing the owners and operators of the motel, Richmond Host LLC and Alisha LLC, and the motel’s local manager, Paul Patel.

Williams said she must wear a back brace and is “confined to a wheelchair.” Both her legs are in boots, and she is under the care of a orthopedic doctor and a neurosurgeon in additional to receiving physical therapy, according to her suit.

See more at: http://www.richmondregister.com/localnews/x1250993435/Woman-details-injuries-suffered-in-motel-stairway-collapse#sthash.MR4LdSyZ.dpuf

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Filed under Guest Issues, Injuries, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership

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Hospitality Industry Risk Solutions: “2014 Hospitality Insurance & Loss Prevention Summit” On February 10 Presented By Petra Risk Solutions

Hospitality Insurance & Loss Prevention Summit Feb 10 2014 Petra Risk Solutions2014-HLC-Brochure-12-13-20131

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by | December 20, 2013 · 6:45 am
by | December 19, 2013 · 7:06 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Hotels Partner With Google To Present Guests With “360-Degree Panoramic Virtual Tours” On Websites

“…Google Business Photos are 360-degree tours powered by Google Street technology. Many businesses have used the technology since Google introduced it in 2010, but a growing number of hotel companies are now adopting it… “Since the 360-degree panoramic virtual tours are taken by Google Trusted Photographers, guests know that these tours are created by a trusted, third party.”

Hospitality Industry Technology SolutionsChekitan Dev, marketing professor at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and author of Hospitality Branding, says other hotel companies will have to think more about visuals to compete with their counterparts.

USA Today

By Nancy Trejos

Hotels are partnering with Google to change the way travelers can view hotels even before they walk through the front entrance. Best Western International on Thursday will announce the launch of Google Business Photos for all 2,200 of its North American hotels. All hotels will have the virtual tours online by the end of 2014.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, parent company of Radisson, Radisson Blu, and Country Inns & Suites, this month started a pilot program of the service with an initial rollout at its hotels in Chicago, Miami and metro Washington, D.C.

“It will allow you to virtually experience the hotel in the same way you would if you were there,” says Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Best Western. “We personally believe that this is going to be a game-changer in the industry in redefining how photos will be consumed by the consumer.”

The photos are taken by photographers trained and certified by Google. Their still photographs are stitched into 360-degree views using panoramic camera technology. Travelers can see the photos when they search for the hotel on Google Search, Google Maps, Google+, and Google Hotel Finder. They’ll be able to take the interactive tours on their computers, smartphones or tablets. The hotels also can link to the images from their websites.

For more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2013/12/18/best-western-carlson-google-business-photos/4115185/

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

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by | December 17, 2013 · 9:45 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Fire Likely An Electrical Short Tied To Bathtub Overflow; “Fire Stops” Limit Damage

“…(the fire likely started in the area where) a bathtub on the second floor overflowed for an extended period of time…the fire was likely electrical Hotel Fire and Smoke Damagein nature…Most of the damage was limited to the back one-third of the hotel, thanks to the building’s design, which includes “fire stops” — concrete barriers between sections of larger buildings that help keep potential fires from spreading…”

Investigators say a fire that tore through the Days Inn in Wausau Saturday evening started in the same area where a bathtub overflowed earlier in the day. Investigators from the Wausau Police Department, Wausau Fire Department, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office were at the hotel at 116 S. 17th Ave. Sunday to look into the cause of the blaze that displaced at least 20 long-term residents.

Wausau Police Capt. Greg Hagenbucher said investigators were notified of an incident earlier on Saturday where an amount of water damage was caused when a bathtub on the second floor overflowed for an extended period of time. The damage occurred in the same area where the fire was discovered. Hagenbucher said the fire was likely electrical in nature and does not appear suspicious.

For more: http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/article/20131215/WRT01/312150299/Updated-Days-Inn-fire-likely-electrical-tied-water-damage-from-overflowing-bathtub

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Filed under Fire, Guest Issues, Maintenance, Risk Management, Structural Damage

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by | December 16, 2013 · 7:05 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Idaho Hotel Suffers Water Damage To Lobby And Parking Garage When “Frozen” Fire Suppression Pipe Bursts

“…it took some time for Boise firefighters to stop the broken line, drain the water and help dry out the lobby of the hotel and Hotel Water Damagethe parking garage…(hotels must) take some precautionary measures to keep pipes from freezing and especially as they start to thaw (such as) wrapping the pipes with heating tape…”

Saturday night at the Hampton Inn in Boise’s downtown a thawing fire suppression pipe burst and sent water surging. A first person video shows the amount of water that came flowing inside the parking garage, which Captain Ramey said was due to a frozen fire suppression pipe that was expanding and thawing.

It was not the first time the fire crews responded to the report of burst pipes as the temperatures in the Treasure Valley started to warm after our recent cold snap. Last Tuesday, pipes burst at the Tavern at Bown Crossing causing damage inside the building and forcing the restaurant to close for a couple days. Also, United Power workers were out last week helping more than 70 customers thaw  their pipes.

General Manager of the Hampton, Erik Hansen, said the pipe burst in the garage area, which is not heated and the water poured below denting one car and covering another with water.

Hansen said they actually had a fire suppression pipe burst during last winter’s cold snap. It was in a completely different area of the building. He says they will now likely be wrapping the pipes with heating tape.

For more:  http://www.ktvb.com/news/Pipe-bursts-and-surges-through-Bodo-hotel-and-parking-garage-235964821.html

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