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South Carolina Hotel fired an employee after 15 months when she could not produce required identification.
Tag Archives: Identification
Hospitality Industry Employee Application Risks: Video News Report Of South Carolina Hotel That Fired Employee After Police Inquired About "Identification Records"
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Filed under Labor Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Privacy, Risk Management, Training
Hotel Industry Information Security Risks: California Hotel Employees Union Files Suit Over Identification Cards "Encoded With Social Security Numbers"
Disney hotel union members submitted Tuesday a petition with about 1,400 signatures to managers, seeking changes to their employee cards that they say would protect them against identity theft.
Unite Here Local 11, the union that represents about 2,100 hotel workers, is fighting to change identification cards that have encoded Social Security numbers, which can be read by smartphone apps and other devices.
Already last month, the union filed a federal class action lawsuit, claiming that the cards violate state law. Union members collected signatures to emphasize that the majority of hotel workers want an immediate change to their ID cards, rather than a few listed on the lawsuit. Leigh Shelton, a union spokeswoman, said some other unions also are supporting the cause, but they did not participate in this petition.
About 20 workers took their petition to the Disney administration building in Anaheim on Tuesday morning.
“This is a very serious problem that we hope they resolve immediately,” said Eddie Chavez, a union organizer and Disneyland Hotel bellman.
For more:Â http://www.ocregister.com/news/-293152–.html
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Filed under Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Technology, Theft
Hotel Industry Identity Theft Risks: Police Arrest Three At Oregon Hotel Who Used Fake ID’s And Stolen Credit Cards
“The name on the credit card, when they swiped it, didn’t come up on the display to match the id they had,” she said.
Hotel workers tried to verify the card with Visa, but they were unsuccessful. Police arrested Patrick Marsden, Christopher Baker, and Arlene Goe for theft of services. Officers raided their room and seized credit cards, possible stolen property and equipment used to make fraudulent IDs.
Police arrested three identity theft suspects who rented a room at a downtown Portland hotel.
“For identity theft it’s pretty sophisticated,” said Detective Cheryl Waddell.
“Everyone denies ownership,” said Officer Clint Snodgrass. “They say the stuff in the room is not theirs,” he added.
Detectives say the group also made purchases up and down the coast and at REIÂ in the Pearl, all using fake id’s and fraudulent credit cards.
“They’ve gone pretty much exclusively digital,” said Waddell.
For more:Â Â http://www.kgw.com/news/local/3-ID-suspects-arrested-at-Portland-hotel-94620904.html
Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Hotel Surveillance Cameras And Guest “Identification” Procedures Are Best Deterrent To Property Theft
Gordon called the April 3 thefts at the Hampton Inns “very brazen, and quite frankly stupid,” given that the hotel lobbies have surveillance cameras.
In both cases, Gordon said, Cole checked in using a fake ID and paid in cash. Then he and Harrington left with flat-screens worth more than $1,000 each, Gordon said.
(From an AJC.com article)Â Â Jonathan Cole and Brooke Harrington have been arrested by the Atlanta Police Department, Alpharetta police spokesman George Gordon said Friday.
Police were looking for Cole and Harrington after they hit two Hampton Inns in Alpharetta on a single Saturday. They also are wanted for similar thefts in Gwinnett County and the city of Norcross, Gordon told the AJC.
“We had been looking for them for a while … They hid out really well,” Gordon said. “This was a prolific crew traveling all over metro Atlanta area.”
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/atlanta-police-nab-flat-522306.html
Hotel Industry Safety: Guest Safety Will Always Be Compromised If Hotels Do Not Demand Physical Proof Of Identity
There is a conflict of interests between guest safety and guest satisfaction, which plagues the industry. By nature, hotels — especially five-star properties — are welcoming and discreet when a guest checks in. More rigorous identification procedures that require front-desk staff to demand additional personal information or physical proof of identity could jeopardise this.
(From a HotelierMiddleEast.com article)  Identifying hotel guests used to be a simple procedure; the receptionist had to match the name of the guest with the name on the reservation and then hand over the room key. But in today’s world of cyber crime, credit card fraud and identity theft, it is more important (and complicated) than ever to ensure that the person checking in to your hotel is really who they say they are.
In GCC countries, industry standards require hotels to upload data from the passport of every guest who is staying in the hotel on to a central government portal.
Two months ago, numerous individuals who were carrying false passports managed to enter the UAE, check into hotels using fake identities and fake credit cards, and then depart the country less than 24 hours later, after they allegedly assassinated Palestinian Hamas chief Mahmoud Al Mabhouh.
The events that took place at the Al Bustan Rotana Dubai in late January have still not been confirmed, but one thing is clear; a number of individuals managed to check into the hotel under assumed identities.
According to Al Bustan general manager Mohamad Haj Hassan, hotel staff followed standard protocol when several of the suspects checked in; taking a scan of their passports and a credit card swipe before handing them their room keys and wishing them an enjoyable stay.
Hotel Security And Legal Issues: Municipalities Are Considering Enacting Legislation Which Would Force Hotels To Obtain Photo ID From Guests Or Be Fined
A proposed law before Ocean City’s Town Council would force resort hotels and motels to obtain photo ID from guests, or else face a $1,000 fine.
The board of Ocean City’s Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association unanimously opposes the idea, said HMRA executive director Susan Jones. She said having each and every guest show photo ID would be “cumbersome,” but that a majority of hotels already ask for it.
“We found it a little too intrusive,” she said. “What we were most against in that part of the ordinance was a fine, because how can you tell somebody how to run their business? That’s not a public safety issue.”
“Obviously, we want to work with the police, but in its current written form, we couldn’t support it,” she added.
The matter was on the Town Council’s agenda for this week’s meeting, but it was postponed without discussion.
Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino says it is a matter of public safety.
She asked resort leaders to consider the law as a proactive community policing idea –a tool, she said, meant to help identify any hotel guest suspected of committing a crime. It also would be a measure helping homeland security, she said.
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Filed under Crime, Legislation, Liability
