Tag Archives: Insurance

by | January 22, 2012 · 8:39 pm

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Wisconsin Hotel "Stairwell Pipe Bursts" On Seventh Floor Damaging Eight Rooms

“… a pipe broke in a stairwell. Water poured out for at least ten minutes and ended up in the basement of the hotel.  Eight guest rooms had water logged carpets which will have to be torn out…”

The Pfister Hotel is dealing with a mess after a pipe burst and several rooms flooded Saturday. Clean up crews spent the day at the historic hotel in downtown Milwaukee Saturday.

Fans were brought in to help dry out other areas. The hotel itself is still open.  But the burst pipe foiled Tammy Spoek’s day at the hotel’s spa.  “I was down at the spa and i was hearing that there was water. Water’s coming from the ceilings. So she came to me and said Tammy, I’m really sorry but we’re going to have to cancel your appointment,” Tammy said.

Spoek says it appeared the pipe broke somewhere near the seventh floor.

Hotel management says they believe the burst pipe is due to the cold temperatures the last few days.

The Pfister’s computer system apparently went down.  But the hotel and its restaurants did remain open.

For more:  http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/137827354.html

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by | January 21, 2012 · 1:56 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Missouri Hotel Fire Started By "Overloaded Electrical Cord"; 80-Year Old Building "Still Had Original Wiring"

The fire is believed to be electrical, but Noah said he doesn’t expect to determine the exact cause of the fire because the room “flashed over” during the fire. This can produce heat as high as 930 degrees.

“The building was built in 1927, and it still has the original wiring in the building,” Orgeron said. “We ask them not to, but you can’t be in everyone’s room all the time. People do break the rules.”

The fire at the Missouri Hotel started in the room of a resident who was using multiple electrical appliances, an official said. Fire marshal Philip Noah said a 48-year-old woman in room 221 had a box fan, stereo and cell phone charger plugged into an electrical cord.

Being able to pinpoint it becomes very difficult,” Noah said. “Really it would take an lectrical engineer”.

For more: http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120120/NEWS01/301200068/0/blogs/?odyssey=nav%7Chead

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by | January 16, 2012 · 7:13 am

Hospitality Inudustry Insurance Risks: Restaurants Are Adding New "Business Innovations" That May Not Be Covered By Existing Insurance Coverages

“…Many (restaurants) are turning to innovations to grow their business. While that can be a plus for their balance sheets, it can also open the door to unexpected liabilities that their insurance policies were not designed to cover…”

Agents can head off this scenario and build a strong consultative relationship with their restaurant customers by asking key questions at renewal time. Here are some of the trends that could put restaurants at risk and the questions agents should ask their restaurant customers :

  1. Mobility. Has the restaurant added new services, such as delivery of meals using hired drivers with their own cars?
  2. Branch out businesses. Has the restaurant started a new line of business, such as catering?
  3. Trendy foods. Has the restaurant introduced new menu offerings as part of the strategy for attracting more customers, such as locally sourced foods, an emphasis on organic ingredients or assurances about non-allergenic ingredients?
  4. Additional payment methods. Is the restaurant accepting new methods of payment, such as online credit charges or smartphone purchasing?

All too often, the lack of appropriate coverage only becomes evident when a mishap occurs and a claim is filed. After someone has already threatened to sue for damages is usually a bad time for restaurant owners to discover they should have consulted with their insurance agent about their insurance needs before changing their business model.

For more:  http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2012/01/12/4-trends-that-can-put-restaurants-at-risk

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by | January 5, 2012 · 6:42 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Florida Hotel Fire Possibly Caused By Guest "Manufacturing Drugs"; $35,000 In Property Damage And Contents Loss

“…firefighters suspected that the room could have been used to manufacture drugs. Investigators noted that the occupant was seen “running away with soot and possibly with burns…”

 “Heavy fire was coming from the 4th floor southeast corner” when crews began to arrive at the hotel…

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigating to determine what caused a 1:00 a.m. hotel fire that resulted in the evacuation of dozens of guests and racked up an estimated $35,000 in property damage and contents loss during the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

First responders launched an immediate search for victims, evacuated guests on adjoining floors, established a water supply and began to attack the flames.

Once extinguished, crews searched for additional fire above, behind and beside the fire room, Aviles said. “Once the fire was extinguished crews left the scene intact for incoming investigators.” According to the fire report, the major damage was confined to the 4th floor hotel room and did not spread.

Sheriff’s representative Chuck Mulligan told reporters this afternoon that the police may have located the occupant of the room, however, details have not yet been confirmed.

For more:  http://www.historiccity.com/2012/staugustine/news/florida/injuries-reported-ramada-inn-fire-morning-21950

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by | December 26, 2011 · 8:33 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Risks: "Introduction To California's Workers' Compensation System" (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2udxkhH24Cc]

Learning the rights of an injured worker under California’s workers’ compensation system. This video follows several workers’ compensation case scenarios and provides basic information and resources for obtaining further assistance and/or information.

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by | December 20, 2011 · 7:01 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Thirty-Five Niagara Falls Motel Rooms Extensively Damaged By "Partying High School Students"; Difficulties In Collecting From Parents And School

“…The room was a prime example of the swath of destruction cut through the motel. Holes had been punched in the wall, furniture broken and bathroom ceiling tiles had been ripped out in the bathroom…”

“…Initial estimates the owners have received peg the amount of damage to between $50,000 and $100,000…”

“…(the owner) simply hopes that parents of the students will step up and take responsibility…That hasn’t happened so far…”

Thirty-five rooms at the Avenue Inn on Lundy’s Lane were rented to high school students from Welland’s Notre Dame College School the night of the school’s Christmas semiformal, which was held up the street at the Americana Resort and Conference Centre. Overnight on Friday, Dec. 9, 22 of those rooms were damaged extensively.

“I don’t want to see this happen again,” David Linqi Liu, general manager and co-owner of the Avenue Inn motel said as he continued to sift through the wreckage of what was once Room 135 at the motel. As he walks around the room, the crunching of broken glass beneath his feet can be heard.
“We’ve had a lot of parties here, but we’ve never had this much damage,” said Harry Liu, David’s son who helps his dad and mother, Ling Cao run the Avenue as he flipped through an album of photos documenting the destruction. “A toilet was smashed, furniture and beds were overturned, a door was kicked in, a door was broken. Even an oven door was ripped off and its glass broken.”
According to Robert Forget, the on-duty manager the night of the incident, police were called by a motel guest not associated with the party. “They did show up for a little bit but they told us it was our responsibility,” Forget said. “They said it was a civil matter, not criminal.”

For more:  http://www.niagarathisweek.com/iphone/news/article/1262771–students-wreak-havoc-in-falls

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by | December 13, 2011 · 6:48 am

Hospitality Industry Reputation Risks: Hotel's Must Protect Against Events And Fallout From Attacks Against Company's Brand And Reputation

“… there is no shortage of reputational risks from social media and the Internet in general, from corporate manslaughter, money laundering, corporate corruption, and terrorism…”

With the boom in social media, interest in reputational risk has itself boomed. The term refers to a company’s risk of having its reputation damaged because of certain events or incidents and the fallout that takes place because of these incidents. In some cases, the effects can be severe enough to put a company out of business.

ReputationGuard was designed to help insureds cope with reputational threats, providing access to reputation and crisis communications firms Burson-Marsteller and Porter Novelli and coverage for costs associated with avoiding or minimizing the potential impact of negative publicity.

There are two categories of coverage:

  1. For reputation attacks: a public attack upon a company’s reputation. The costs of hiring communications experts from the Chartis panel and communications costs.
  2. For reputation threats: acts or events that the company believes, if made public, would have a material impact on the company’s reputation and would be seen as a breach of trust by the company’s stakeholders.

Insurers will not exclude any business segments but most interest is in those with revenues of $500,000 to $2 billion.

For more:  http://www.insurancejournal.com/uncategorized/2011/12/13/226947.htm

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by | December 5, 2011 · 7:00 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Arizona Hotel's Elevator "Free-Falls" Several Floors Injuring Female Guest

“…Right after the second-floor button lit up, she heard a loud noise and the elevator went into a free-fall mode…The elevator hit the ground. The woman broke her right ankle, and possibly her left ankle, too…”  

A woman suffered broken bones after the elevator she was riding in fell several floors at a Phoenix hotel Saturday night, fire officials said. The woman, who was not identified, was riding up to the third floor at the Embassy Suites at I-17 and Greenway, according to Capt. Scott McDonald of the Phoenix Fire Department.

It was not immediately known what caused the elevator to fall.

For more:  http://www.kpho.com/story/16185739/woman-hurt-in-falling-elevator

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by | November 26, 2011 · 6:37 am

Hospitality Inudustry Fire Risks: Georgia Hotel Is "Nearly Destroyed" By Fire That Was Started By "Cigarette That Missed The Outside Ashtray"

“… the fire started on the ground level outside the hotel near the ashtray… someone threw a cigarette and missed the ashtray, eventually igniting a bush…the fire then ignited the building, crawled up the wall and into the attic…”

The blaze that nearly destroyed the La Quinta Inn in Warner Robins apparently started outside the building, near an ashtray, fire investigator Danny Williams said Friday.

Ginaline Belcher, the hotel’s manager, said her main concern is making sure the 22 guests who were at the hotel Thursday are taken care of. They paid for the displaced guests to stay at the nearby Candlewood Suites and Hampton Inn, and bought pizza for them Friday.

Belcher called the Salvation Army and Red Cross seeking assistance for the hotel guests whose money was lost in the fire, while other guests braved the Black Friday crowds at local stores to buy necessities.

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/11/26/1800660/hotel-total-loss-after-fire.html#ixzz1ep1CqQMP

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by | November 16, 2011 · 6:48 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: Texas Hotel Damaged By Fire During Renovation From "Welding Equipment Electrical Short"

 “…the fire started in the attic and that it was electrical, possibly caused by a welding equipment shortage…”

“…The quick work of firefighters and hotel staff made sure all were evacuated without a single injury…”

People on the street in Fort Stockton told NewsWest 9 the Best Western Hotel fire forced them to evacuate just after 4:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, but when we arrived after 6 p.m. Tuesday night, orange and blue flames were still engulfing parts of the hotel and those parts were crumbling.

“I’m just saddened by all of it, for the guests, for myself, for the employees, because that’s their livelihood, that’s our life that’s gone,” Best Western General Manager, Patricia Fitzpatrick, said. These fiery, crumbling Best Western walls are a devastating sight for Fitzpatrick.

Her possessions and her work were going up in flames. “Our main concern was: ‘Yes, it’s fire. Call the fire department,'” she said. “But to get our guests out and make sure that they’re safe.”

Then, chaos ensued. She and her employees, including worker Curtis Hoard, sprang into action. “Then we ran around and just started pounding windows and doors, yelling and screaming as loud as we can to get people out of there,” Hoard said. “Before we knew it, it was smoked and that was it.”

Hoard had been helping renovate the hotel for the last three months.

For more:  http://www.newswest9.com/story/16050676/flames-engulf-fort-stockton-hotel

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