Tag Archives: Petra Risk Solutions

by | July 10, 2014 · 9:32 am

Hospitality Industry Security Update: “Luxury Hotel Computer Breach Impacts Thousands”

“…It’s difficult to know how many customers were impacted, Love added, because people use multiple payment forms – online presencecredit cards, cash, checks and member charges – for amenities including stays in the posh 289-room hotel, food and valet service. Membership accounts, including the items and services charged to them, were not affected, the news release said…”

At least 10,000 customers of The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa were exposed in a credit card security breach that lasted nearly six months, officials alerted guests on Tuesday.

The west Houston luxury retreat emailed 10,000 people about the “malicious software attack,” which started on December 28, 2013 and continued until June 20, information technology director Jason Love said.

For more: http://bit.ly/1rbrDDl

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

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by | July 9, 2014 · 9:23 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Update: ” L.A. Hotel Workers Could Get $15.37 an Hour — the Highest Minimum Wage in the U.S.”

“…Hotel operators point to a report from the California Hotel & Lodging Association that shows severe job cuts from the higher wage,cash which will hurt the L.A. economy. But proponents say the local economy will benefit, because workers who earn more money will spend more…”

Barack Obama wants $10.10. Seattle got $15.

Now, Los Angeles hotel workers might be outdoing them all with the country’s highest minimum wage: $15.37 an hour, thanks to a new city ordinance that is expected to pass by Labor Day.

It would be a boon for Sandra Diaz, and 10,000 workers like her, who keep the hotel industry running in L.A. by cleaning rooms, doing laundry, and working the kitchens.

Fresh off a decision by Seattle’s city council last month to raise its hourly minimum wage to $15, L.A. lawmakers say the city’s booming tourism should translate to higher wages for hotel workers.

For more: http://bit.ly/1zpDClh

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Filed under Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership

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by | July 8, 2014 · 9:00 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Perch App Helps Hotels Track Competitors”

“…While Perch is geared toward small businesses in general, Evans says it has proven to be particularly beneficial to hotel owners and managers.perch Users can stay connected with the community by watching local hotels, restaurants, and venues to discover events and activities happening nearby…”

Social media offers hotel owners and managers a wealth of information at their fingertips, but being able to access it all can be a challenge. With so many outlets that allow guests to share pictures and thoughts about a hotel—Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and Instagram, just to name a few—it’s virtually impossible for one individual to keep track of everything that’s posted online.

For more: http://bit.ly/VVryt4

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Filed under Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Management And Ownership, Social Media

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by | July 7, 2014 · 9:43 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Greenwood Village to Take Final Vote on Hotel-Motel Stay Limit”

“…The law would give long-term hotel and motel patrons in Greenwood Village until Nov. 1 to find a new place to live. Greenwood Village City Council meeting they will have first reading on an ordinance amending the Greenwood Village land development code regarding length of stay in hotels and motelsA daily fine of $499 could be levied against the hotel operator, or the occupant, for violations beyond the stay limit…The hotel operator would be responsible for moving out long-term residents on a voluntary basis. But because Colorado law gives tenancy rights to anyone residing at one location for 30 days or more, those who refuse to leave could face eviction.…”

Dozens of families living in Greenwood Village hotels and motels will have to start looking for new homes if the City Council on Monday passes a measure limiting a hotel stay to no more than 30 days.

The city claims the ordinance is needed because hotels, which lack residential zoning, are not equipped to operate as long-term living facilities.

For more: http://dpo.st/1pUIf50  

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

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by | July 3, 2014 · 9:50 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “The Hotel TV Gets Smarter”

“…Travelers, in general, have grown accustomed to hotel rooms with really bad content and as a result they have grown used to bringing their own devicesHotel TV and bringing their own subscriptions…Access my own content’ is something that growing segments of travelers want, and we know it will continue to get both more pervasive and more elegant from a process standpoint…”

The hotel room TV is now starting to look like your mobile device.

A number of hotel TV manufacturers have developed the capability to let travelers stream content from their devices to the hotel TV. Some are even making it possible for the hotel TV to mirror exactly what is on your smartphone screen.

It’s just one way that manufacturers and content providers are trying to keep the hotel TV relevant at a time when people are used to watching anything they want when they want to on their iPads and smartphones

For more: http://usat.ly/1j0ordJ

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by | July 2, 2014 · 8:28 am

Hospitality Industry Financial Update: “The New ABCs of Hotel Financing”

“…Dual branding is a mechanism that’s gaining steam and attractive to lenders.ABCs By placing two brands in one building, you’re maximizing efficiency in a number of ways: increasing the number of rooms on the land parcel; sharing a common lobby, public areas, and housekeeping staff; and employing one general manager and one salesperson…”

The fundamentals of hotel investing have never been better, and opportunities abound for getting deals done. The current funding landscape isn’t as crazy as the Wild West days of 2007, but a rebounding economy and rosy RevPAR optimism, coupled with new financing schools of thought and plenty of competition, mean opportunities are out there for buying, selling, and refinancing properties. This quick primer from hotel financing insiders tells you what’s really working now.

For more: http://bit.ly/1qy3IzU

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Filed under Finance, Green Lodging, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership

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by | July 1, 2014 · 9:27 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Mahwah Hotel to Pay $110,000 to Settle Sandy Price-Gouging Lawsuit”

“…State law prohibits price increases of more than 10 percent than normal during declared states of emergency. GavelComfort Suites Mahwah allegedly charged more than $100 more than the allowed increase in some cases, according to the state lawsuit…The state filed 27 lawsuits against businesses accused of price gouging after Hurricane Sandy…”

A township hotel will pay $110,000 to settle claims that it gouged prices after Hurricane Sandy, authorities said.

Comfort Suites Mahwah allegedly engaged in 473 instances of illegal price gouging after the storm, a lawsuit filed by the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs said.

For more: http://bit.ly/1mFywHt

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by | June 30, 2014 · 9:04 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Blame Flies Over Drowning Death in Seattle Hotel Pool”

“…The lawsuit claims that Deboch’s body was dragged by suction from a pump to a drain in the middle of the deep end,WA pool where it was held for nearly three hours. The suit claims that the pump’s emergency shut-off, which would have released suction after detecting a blockage, had failed. The suit also claims poor water quality prevented rescue attempts by firefighters…”

The family of a man who drowned a year ago in the swimming pool at the Quality Inn & Suites Seattle Center has filed a wrongful-death suit against the owners of the hotel, claiming poor maintenance made the water unusually murky and contributed to a botched rescue operation by firefighters.

For more: http://bit.ly/V2RT7K

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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa

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by | June 27, 2014 · 9:43 am

Hospitality Industry ADA Update: “Best Western Responds to Property That Refused Family With Service Dog”

“…Under the Americans with Disabilities Act,service dogservice animals can accompany people with disabilities in all areas where members of the public are allowed. Staffers are allowed to only ask two questions: Whether the dog is a service animal and what tasks he has been trained to perform…”

Best Western International has responded to its Baton Rouge property that refused the reservation of a North Carolina family traveling with a service dog by temporarily restricting the hotel from accepting reservations.

For more: http://yhoo.it/1yULoDz

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Filed under Claims, Employee Practices, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Management And Ownership, Training

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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 

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

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