Tag Archives: Motels

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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by | December 2, 2013 · 12:02 pm

Hospitality Law Insider: Managing The Risks Of “Bedbugs” By Stephen Barth Of HospitalityLawyer.com (Video)

HospitalityLawyer.com Education Partner II

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by | October 25, 2013 · 5:46 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Solutions: “Liability Insurance: An Essential Precaution” For Hotel And Restaurant Owners By HospitalityLawyer.com

HospitalityLawyerOnce you have the proper coverage through a financially solvent company, ascertain that the amount of the coverage meets your needs.  To ensure that you fully understand how much you actually have for the entire period, it is critical that you become familiar with the following concepts and terms: per occurrence, aggregate and umbrella or excess insurance.

Hospitality Industry Liability Insurance CoverageYou must also be aware of “claims made” policies.  The term “claims made” means that the coverage is only available if an actual claim is brought to the attention of the insurance company during the policy period.  Usual insurance policies cover claims that occur during the policy period, although they are not brought to the attention of the insurance company until after the coverage period has elapsed.

HospitalityLawyer Converge Solutions

http://www.hlconverge.com/

When you buy liability coverage for your hotel or restaurant operation, you should receive a measure of protection and peace of mind, but for some reason you remain with that gnawing feeling that all may not be well with your insurance portfolio.  You think you did what you were supposed to do.  But did you?  Do you have enough insurance?  Do you have the right kind of coverage to cover possible accidents, incidents and catastrophes?  Employer’s liability?  Liquor liability?  Auto insurance for employees who drive a car on behalf of the business?  Do you know where your liability insurance policy is?  When was the last time you read it?  Do you understand the fine print?  Do you know who the underwriter is – not the agent, but the company that is supposed to pay in the event of a claim?  Do you know whether the insurance company is financially solvent?

Insurance Policy Coverage Checklist

1.  General Liability (fire and casualty for the premises and hotel operations)

2.  Employers Liability (discrimination claims)

3.  Workers’ Compensation (injury on the job)

4.  Liquor Liability (dram shop liability)

5.  Swimming Pool/Spa/Workout Area Addendums

6.  Golf Course Operators Liability

7.  Employee Security Bonds

8.  Automobile Liability (autos, motorized carts, shuttle service, etc.)

9.  Outdoor/Water Activity Coverage Addendum

For more:  http://www.hlconverge.com/index.php/component/k2/item/665-liability-insurance-an-essential-precaution

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by | October 3, 2013 · 5:30 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Texas Hotel Faces “Wrongful Death & Gross Negligence Lawsuit” After Electrocution Of Young Boy; Pool Light System Did Not Have GFCI, Meet Electrical Codes

“…An investigation after the electrocution death found that the pool “did not meet applicable city, state and national electrical codes” Hospitality Industry Wrongful Death Lawsuitsand did not have Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) on the pool light system which are normal installations in pool construction to prevent electrical surges…Brown Electric Inc., had been hired by Hilton to bring the pool into compliance but, according to a city of Houston inspector, had performed work without obtaining the proper permits. After the death Hilton and Brown were cited for “use of electrical system which constitutes a hazard to safety, health and public welfare.”…”

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, a Missouri City family alleges “gross negligence of epic proportions” for the swimming pool electrocution death of a young man at a Hilton Hotel swimming pool. Raul Hernandez Martinez, 27, and his family spent the Labor Day weekend at the Hilton Houston Westchase hotel at 9999 Westheimer in West Houston.

They were at the swimming pool at dusk when the lights came on automatically. Eyewitness accounts, and now a civil lawsuit, detail how an electrical current immediately surged through the water. David Duran, 11, “suddenly cried out as his body convulsed and he began to float helplessly near the pool light in the deep end,” according to the lawsuit the family filed against Hilton Hotels and the Houston-area electrical contractor Brown Electric Inc., which had performed recent upgrades to the pool’s electrical system.

The boy’s mom Isabel Duran reached for her son and was shocked as well and knocked unconscious. She was revived via CPR and suffered several broken ribs when family members and bystanders dragged her from the pool. The boy’s brother, Raul Hernandez Martinez then fought through the electrical current to retrieve his little brother and push him to the edge of the pool where others helped pull him out.

For more:  http://www.khou.com/news/local/Family-files-lawsuit-in-hotel-pool-electrocution-death-226219641.html

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by | September 27, 2013 · 5:46 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Florida Hotel Group To Place “Lifeguards And Fences” At Pools During “All Open Hours”; Move Follows Death Of 13-Year Old Boy In March

“…Lifeguards will be on duty at all times while the pools are open…But guests will no longer be permitted to swim in the feature pools after Hotel Pool Drowing Riskshours. Disney plans to install fences around any of those pools that are not already gated, a process that will begin in the coming months as hotels roll through their regular renovation cycles…(the move follows) the death of 13-year-old Anthony Johnson, who was pulled from a pool at Disney’s Pop Century Resort at about 9:30 p.m. on March 10…(he) died two days later at Florida Hospital Celebration…”

Walt Disney World says it will begin stationing lifeguards at its largest hotel pools during all operating hours and then locking them down overnight, six months after a young boy drowned while a pool was unguarded. Disney says its largest and most popular “feature” pools will begin opening at either 7 a.m. or 9 a.m. and closing at 11 p.m.

Only smaller and unguarded “quiet” pools at some hotels will remain accessible at all hours. Disney has about two dozen hotels and time-share resorts across its sprawling property.

“These changes make it easier for guests to understand when our pools are open and when a lifeguard is present,” Disney World spokeswoman Bernadette Davis.

Disney would not say whether a specific event triggered the move. Though that pool was open from 7 a.m. until 11 pm., lifeguards were only on duty from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Disney said it had posted signs warning that guests who chose to swim while the pool was unguarded did so at their own risk.

For more:  http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-09-26/business/os-disney-locking-swimming-pools-20130926_1_walt-disney-world-pools-lifeguards

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by | September 19, 2013 · 6:19 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Missouri Motel Evacuated After “Meth Lab” Discovered In Room; Suspect Was “Cutting Up Batteries” Outside Door

“…on the second-floor of the motel, the officer saw a man sitting outside his hotel room cutting up batteries…the officer asked him what he was Hotel Meth Lab Risksdoing and, at the same time, noticed the door ajar and some fumes or vapors coming out of the door…(he) pushed the door open and a larger cloud of vapors came out…the man cutting the batteries had been cooking methamphetamine in his room, police say…”

A motel guest cutting up batteries outside his room stirred the suspicions of a Sunset Hills police officer, who uncovered a meth lab at the EconoLodge early today.

The officer, overcome by fumes, was taken to a hospital after complaining of being lightheaded. And all of the remaining motel guests in the entire east wing of the motel were evacuated by police and firefighters for about three hours early Thursday until the mobile meth lab was removed.

A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of drug manufacturing. “He was apparently trying to do this with the shake-and-bake method,” LeGrand said, referring to the mobile method of making the drug. “But he forgot some ingredient and, because of that, he decided to heat some of this mixture in the microwave.”

The guests who were evacauted from the hotel after midnight were allowed to return to their rooms at about 3 a.m. after the county’s drug unit removed the materials.

For more:  http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/meth-fumes-force-evacuation-of-sunset-hills-motel-police-officer/article_050e5fce-4812-5a5a-b6cd-3bbe86afe68b.html

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by | September 16, 2013 · 8:03 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: Hotel “Housekeeper” App For Smartphones And Tablets Improves Staff Efficiency; “Room Status And Problems” Reported Directly To Property Management System

“…the new ‘Housekeeper’ application is proven to deliver an average 50% reduction in the time required to carry out housekeeping and hotel Hotel Technology Solutionssupport tasks, enhanced staff communication, as well as powerful reporting capabilities…with quicker response and improved communication with the housekeeping staff we are able to better serve our guests and get a real-time picture of the room status…”

Building on its growing range of mobile applications and cloud-based services, Housekeeper provides an alternative to Quadriga’s established, fixed TV-based housekeeping solution, integrated into its Sensiq guest communications and entertainment platform. The Hibox Housekeeper application is a web-based service which can be hosted in the cloud and provides hotel staff with easy and immediate reporting capabilities via most web-enabled mobile devices. Services include the reporting of room status to the hotel PMS, minibar usage and rooms fault reporting and management, as well as a staff messaging tool.

Housekeeper is already deployed in hotels across the Nordic region and is now available worldwide. Juha Peltonen, Hotel Manager at Hotel Haikko Manor, Porvoo, Finland, says, “The Housekeeper application gives us an easy-to-use tool to manage the housekeeping tasks. Also we are able to reduce the housekeeping costs with improved monitoring and reporting.”

For more:  http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4062156.html

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by | August 20, 2013 · 6:06 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Florida Hotels Plagued By “Mini Meth Labs” Transported In Suitcases; Thousands To Make Room Safe Again

“…the (hotel) manager said despite the lab being small it had cost thousands to make the room safe again and he felt there was little he could do to stop it happening again…mix of precursor chemicals and substances used in drug production, drug lab Hotel Meth Lab Riskssites have been known to cause explosions, flash burns, fires, toxic fumes, poisonous gases, damage to the environment, injury to members of the community and even death…the equipment used to make the labs was easily sourced from hardware stores and included anything from jars and beakers, to soft drink bottles and plastic tubing…for each lab uncovered, there are about 10 that aren’t…”

MINI drug labs small enough to fit inside suitcases are being set up in high-end, inner-city Gold Coast hotels to feed an illicit substance epidemic.  And Gold Coast hotel managers say they are unable to stop it. Police and even hotel cleaners reveal the city is one of the most popular targets for drug makers, who use hotel bathrooms to “cook” methamphetamines and then take them in limited supplies to popular Coast nightspots.

Statistics obtained by a Gold Coast Bulletin Right to Information request show 32 clandestine drug labs have been busted on the Coast since January 2012, and at least nine were found in units.

Meth Lab Cleanup director Jenny Boymal said they were just the tip of the iceberg.

For more:  http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2013/08/20/456662_crime-and-court-news.html

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by | August 17, 2013 · 7:12 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Texas Motel Sued By Guest Injured When “Defective Chair” Collapsed; “Latent, Unreasonably Dangerous Condition”

“…As he prepared for bed, he sat down in a chair to remove his boots…the chair collapsed under plaintiff causing him injury, the suit states. The Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsdefective chair presented a latent, unreasonably dangerous condition…(the plaintiff) injured his left forearm, ribs and back when the chair collapsed, for which he seeks damages within the jurisdictional limits of the court…”

While staying at a Comfort Inn in Orange, Allen Doverspike, an Oklahoma resident, sat in a chair and began to take his boots off when the chair collapsed. Seeking less than $1 million for his injuries, Doverspike filed suit against Hospitality Operations on Aug. 5 in Jefferson County District Court.

According to the lawsuit, on Jan. 30 Doverspike checked into the Orange Comfort Inn.

The suit asserts the defendant should have repaired or replaced the chair.

For more:  http://setexasrecord.com/news/288232-man-sues-motel-after-chair-collapses-while-taking-off-boots

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by | August 13, 2013 · 6:00 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Louisiana Motel Sued For “Negligence” After Guest Falls Down Flight Of Stairs; Claims Poor Lighting Led To Injuries

“…The lawsuit is seeking an award of damages for medical expenses, loss of impairment of earnings or earning capacity, physical pain, mental Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsanguish, physical impairment, physical disfigurement, mental impairment, loss of society and/or consortium, mental anguish, loss of household services, interest, court costs and attorney’s fees…”

A Super 8 Motel in Alexandria, La., is being sued after a guest fell down a flight of stairs due to poor lighting. Sonya Lynn Moore and J. David Moore filed suit against Super 8 Worldwide Inc., H.L. & H. Holding Co. Inc., Wyndham Worldwide Inc., individually and doing business as Wyndham Hotel Group, on July 3, 2013 in Jefferson County District Court. The defendants removed the case to Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division on Aug. 8.

The plaintiffs were guests on the premises of the Super 8 Motel in Alexandria on Jan. 24, 2013, when Sonya Moore allegedly fell down a flight of stairs.

The defendants are accused of negligence due to a lack of adequate lighting.

For more:  http://setexasrecord.com/news/288075-super-8-motel-sued-after-guest-falls-down-stairs

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