Tag Archives: Motels

by | June 26, 2014 · 9:09 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Hot-Sheets Bronx Motel Kept Bloody Mattress in Room Years After Customer Died of Overdose on Bed”

“…A room attendant who photographed the soiled mattress in room 230 weeksbronx hotel before the inspection told an arbitrator it had been in use up until April, 2014…The firm also found that hotel management had failed to properly train staff on how to handle sheets and towels contaminated with human waste and other substances…”

Working in this Bronx motel is a bloody hell.

The owners of a hot-sheet motel where union laborers have been protesting wage and benefits cuts failed to replace a bloody mattress two years after a dead man was found on the bed, workers claim.

Owner Ankoor Naik has also ignored two independent reports that found inadequate training and protection for employees at the 94-unit flophouse despite hazardous conditions and bedbug infestations, workers and safety experts attest.

For more: http://nydn.us/1qL4QQD 

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Hot-Sheets Bronx Motel Kept Bloody Mattress in Room Years After Customer Died of Overdose on Bed”

Filed under Bed Bugs, Claims, Employee Practices, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Industry, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Training

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 25, 2014 · 9:21 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Should You Use Internal or External PR Staff?”

“…But in certain situations, outside agencies can bring their own set of attributes, including: a fresh, “out-of-the-box” perspective;Meeting specialized expertise on such issues as brand/property marketing or positioning, big events, labor relations, financial communications and crisis work; digital/social media; specific media contacts; and arms-and-legs support for internal staff. Additionally, from a cost standpoint, you can turn the faucet on and off as needed…”

When tackling a public relations issue (positive or negative), be it at the property or at a corporate level, the factor to be weighed most carefully and objectively is the understanding as to what resources are at your disposal and how they should be utilized.

Generally speaking, the most important decision is whether to use internal PR staff (to the extent it exists) or an outside PR firm. There is no one right answer, but this large and potentially expensive decision does require several factors to be carefully considered.

For more: http://bit.ly/1lTAd9H

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Should You Use Internal or External PR Staff?”

Filed under Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Social Media

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 20, 2014 · 9:30 am

Hospitality Industry Health Update: “Food and Water Quality an Ongoing Challenge for Hotels”

“…While a wide variation of food and water quality practices exists from country to country,water it’s a misconception that safety concerns are limited to poor areas in developing regions. Many germs have no boundaries, so the NSF StaySafer program will play an important role in establishing a universal set of standards that can be used as a benchmark and complement local requirements…”

From the buffet salad bar greens to the ice clinking in drinks served poolside, hotel administrators are finding that protecting guests from food and water illness outbreaks is a continuous challenge.

It’s also a necessary undertaking to demonstrate the hotel’s commitment to its patrons’ well being. Travelers won’t soon forget the awful stomach cramps if they experience a sickness during their stay, and such episodes can cause nearly irreversible damages to a hotel’s reputation.

For more: http://bit.ly/1kVhmFd

For a brief video on some of the steps you can take to help prevent Norovirus outbreak at your hotel, check out the video below:

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/98741016 w=500&h=281]

Petra Risk Solutions’ Loss Control Manager, Matt Karp, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Preventing Norovirus at Your Property’. 

P3 ( Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America ’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.

For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Health Update: “Food and Water Quality an Ongoing Challenge for Hotels”

Filed under Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Bar, Hotel Restaurant, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 19, 2014 · 9:31 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Handheld Hospitality to Showcase SmartHuest App at HITEC 2014”

“…With SmartGuest, hotels can provide their guests with up-to-date information on hotel services and activities,handheld hospitality including special offers, room service, and restaurant menu selections.  Management can also send notifications of any kind in real time…SmartGuest also offers the options of sharing information on social media, or one-click-dialing or emailing for reservations.  In addition, quick search and GPS mapping allow guests to find their way in and around the hotel properties with the touch of a finger…”

HandHeld Hospitality, LLC, a leader in mobile hospitality technology, announced today that it will showcase its SmartGuest app at HITEC 2014, the world’s largest hospitality technology show.  SmartGuest is a customizable application that enables hotels to communicate directly with guests and increase revenue.

For more: http://bit.ly/1rbWmzo

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Handheld Hospitality to Showcase SmartHuest App at HITEC 2014”

Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Technology

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 16, 2014 · 9:50 am

Hospitality Industry Restaurant Update: “The Main Ingredients for a Successful Hotel Restaurant”

For many hotels, especially in the boutique and lifestyle segments, restaurants are a calling card, Morgan explained.hotel restaurant To help chefs gain notoriety, especially a local following, it’s important to invest in marketing and PR efforts as well. ‘The hard part when you’re underwriting a restaurant is to say how important marketing and PR is, because most people look at that as a money pit,’ Morgan said. ‘But if you do it right, and you’re using the right resources or firms, it can be very successful’…”

Restaurants play a bigger role than ever before in boutique and lifestyle hotels. And with the right concept, owners can make a healthy profit, said a panel of food and beverage experts at the Boutique Hotel Investment Conference in Manhattan last week, presented by the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association.

“Today more than ever, eating is a lifestyle, so people want to go to hotels where they know they have a good restaurant, good chefs, and it’s a full experience,” said Richard Sandoval, chef and owner of Richard Sandoval Restaurants, which has about 30 self-operated restaurants around the world and 10 hotel concept developments.

For more: http://bit.ly/1pB8wUH

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Restaurant Update: “The Main Ingredients for a Successful Hotel Restaurant”

Filed under Hotel Bar, Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Management And Ownership

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 9, 2014 · 8:21 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Update: “2 Teens Shot at West Berkeley Hotel Party”

“…According to unconfirmed scanner traffic, one person had been shot in the face and one person had been shot in the leg.Berkeley Hotel Both were taken by ambulance to a local hospital for medical treatment.Authorities received a report of a third person who had been shot in the chest, but had not located anyone matching that description as of 11:15 p.m. They planned to call local hospitals to see if that person had gotten to the hospital in some other way, according to the scanner…”

Berkeley Police spokeswoman officer Jennifer Coats confirmed that two teenage juvenile boys were shot at La Quinta on Saturday night.

She said she could not comment on their injuries due to medical privacy laws, but said the wounds did not appear to be life threatening. Both were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Police have not located a third gunshot victim, though one initially had been reported. Authorities have asked area hospitals to alert the Berkeley Police Department if they become aware of one.

For more: http://bit.ly/1kWZQF9

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Crime Update: “2 Teens Shot at West Berkeley Hotel Party”

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 6, 2014 · 9:00 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Union Fight Divides Workforce at DoubleTree”

“…Organizers have been walking picket lines with workers and visiting employees at their homes,Double Tree and guests have been approached by union supporters in the lobby and have had fliers slipped under their doors. Over one weekend in early May, a push to get groups to cancel room reservations accounted for more than $30,000 in lost business, according to workers who reject calls for a union…”

An effort to organize employees at Hilton’s DoubleTree Suites has turned the hotel near the Charles River into a workplace that is sharply divided. On one side are housekeepers and other staff members fighting for more affordable health care and a collective voice. Resisting their efforts are administrative workers, restaurant servers, and others who don’t want to lose benefits offered by Hilton, which they say is a generous employer.

Both groups say they are in the majority.

For more: http://bit.ly/Sgavz6

2 Comments

Filed under Employee Benefits, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 5, 2014 · 8:17 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Grass Valley Hotel Bust Results in 15 Arrests”

“…Through that investigation 15 people were arrested on variety of charges,grass valley including suspicion possession of controlled substances and firearms. Police believe the suspects were using the rooms to take drugs…Police confiscated methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, firearms and ammunition. A hidden trap door under the carpet in one room led to a storage room…”

Grass Valley police arrested 15 people on various drug and gun charges at a hotel.

The arrests occurred on May 30 after police learned that people were staying at the Holiday Lodge on East Main Street who were not registered. Police suspected they were involved in narcotics.

For more: http://bit.ly/1kNa4mA

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Grass Valley Hotel Bust Results in 15 Arrests”

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 2, 2014 · 8:00 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “Methamphetamine Labs Pose Growing Problem, Expense for Hotel Owners”

“…The ingredients for meth and their byproducts, including ammonia, hydrochloric acid gas, lithium, sulfuric acid and pseudoephedrine,Meth Labs carry a plethora of possible side effects depending on the length of exposure….The size of most hotel rooms and the self-contained air-handling systems in them work in favor for decontamination crews. Since each room has its own heating and air-conditioning unit, the chances of the vapors getting into the rest of the building are slim…”

Gone are the days when making meth on the go was confined to low-end hotel rooms. The drug’s cooks are now finding their ways into hotels that any family might choose for road trips or weekends at various lake communities in the area.

“It’s not just happening in low-level hotels or strip hotels. It’s starting to happen in middle-class hotels,” said Joe Clark, operations manager for water and special projects at Protechs, a Fort Wayne company that does meth lab decontamination.

For more: http://bit.ly/1pzPNsk

 

 

 

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “Methamphetamine Labs Pose Growing Problem, Expense for Hotel Owners”

Filed under Business Interruption Insurance, Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Restaurant, Liability, Management And Ownership

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | May 30, 2014 · 8:57 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “An Introduction to Data-Driven Decisions for Managers Who Don’t Like Math”

“…Companies are vacuuming up data to make better decisions about everything from product development and advertising to hiring.Image In their 2012 feature on big data, Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson describe the opportunity and report that “companies in the top third of their industry in the use of data-driven decision making were, on average, 5% more productive and 6% more profitable than their competitors” even after accounting for several confounding factors…”

Not a week goes by without us publishing something here at HBR about the value of data in business. Big data, small data, internal, external, experimental, observational — everywhere we look, information is being captured, quantified, and used to make business decisions.

Not everyone needs to become a quant. But it is worth brushing up on the basics of quantitative analysis, so as to understand and improve the use of data in your business. We’ve created a reading list of the best HBR articles on the subject to get you started.

For more: http://bit.ly/1kcQXa5

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Management Update: “An Introduction to Data-Driven Decisions for Managers Who Don’t Like Math”

Filed under Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,