Tag Archives: Privacy

by | November 18, 2011 · 6:37 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Safety: Hotel Management Must Have "Guest Privacy" Policies To Protect Names And Room Locations

“…Privacy is key when it comes to safety in a hotel, most importantly at check-in…”

“If the person giving you your key says your name out loud or your room number, you want to be sure to get another key and another room, because anyone lingering in the lobby could overhear that.”

  • Female travelers should “never put down your name. Just put down your initials and never indicate you’re just one person.”

Greg O’Neill, who heads up security at Boston’s Mandarin Oriental, says security measures generally work, when guests use them:

  • … take advantage the in-room safe. You’ll find this in most every hotel
  • …take advantage of the peephole in the door, and be aware of the nearest exit

Here’s another tip: check crime statistics for particular neighborhoods before making a hotel reservation. Most police web sites will have those details.

Security experts also suggest taking your room key out of the little envelope they give you at check-in, because it usually has your room number on it.

For more:  http://www.14news.com/story/16068750/experts-providing-hotel-safety-tips-around-the-holidays

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by | November 3, 2011 · 5:28 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Satisfaction: Washington DC Hotel's "Women Only" Floor Offers "Safety, Convenience And Comfort" To Female Guests (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_-zWMA6JsQ]

Women seek safety, convenience and comfort when they travel. A D.C. hotel offers a “women only” floor along with other amenities targeting the growing sector of women travelers.

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by | October 19, 2011 · 8:20 am

Hospitality Industry Social Media Risks: Hotel Management Must Asses Legal Risks Related To All Advertising Media Including Trademarks, Copyrights, Privacy And Data Security

“…from a risk-management and legal perspective, social media public relations, marketing and advertising efforts frequently present legal risks that are not always fully appreciated either by managers and directors, or those charged at the operations level with implementing the plans…”

The potential legal risks are wide-ranging and cover areas such as trademarks and copyrights, rights of publicity and privacy, data security, labor and employment issues, and the like. They also include compliance with the rules and regulations of state and federal agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission.

  •  The potential legal risks are wide-ranging and cover areas such as trademarks and copyrights, rights of publicity and privacy, data security, labor and employment issues, and the like.
  • There is no reason not to proactively review the avenues of social media and begin the process of developing guidelines to mitigate risk. 
  • Fundamentally, a significant number of arising issues are no different than they are in traditional advertising mediums and require nothing more than policy tweaking.

For more: http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/6715/How-to-manage-legal-risks-of-social-media

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by | August 31, 2011 · 6:56 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Security: Police Arrest Man Taking Pictures Of Women In Bathroom At Missouri Hotel

“Right after that we got another call from another hotel saying the exact same thing,” said Ofcr. Darrin Snapp with KCPD. “A lady was in a public restroom and she was actually washing her hands, looked up and there was a gentleman standing over the stall with a camera phone appearing to take pictures of her.”

“If you stay somewhere with a big name like that you think there is security and safeguards and people aren’t walking through their front door getting inside of the hotel,”

A man is behind bars for invading the privacy of two women at Kansas City hotels. Police say the man was taking pictures of women as they tried to use the restroom. One incident happened at the downtown Mariott and the other happened at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Officers were first called to the Marriott after a woman saw a man standing on a toilet and looking over the bathroom stall.

For more:  http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-man-behind-bars-peeping-hotels-20110830,0,3067600.story

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by | August 24, 2011 · 8:00 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Privacy Risks: Virginia Hotel Sued For Violating "Fair And Accurate Credit Transactions Act"; Receipts "Bore Expiration Date Of Credit Card"

“…(the suit) would include individuals who received electronically printed receipts for transactions at Marjac Suites after June 30, 2008, and whose receipts bore the expiration date of their credit or debit card…”

A willful violation of the statute, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, can trigger damages of $100 to $1,000 per transaction, along with attorneys’ fees and costs.

A Virginia Beach hotel broke a privacy-protection law by including restricted information on a credit-card receipt, a hotel guest alleges in a suit filed in federal court in Norfolk.

The plaintiff, James T. Buechler of Baltimore County, Md., contends that Marjac Suites on Atlantic Avenue and its owner, Burlage Hotel Associates, violated a federal statute in January by printing Buechler’s card-expiration date on his receipt at checkout.

Buechler is seeking damages “on behalf of himself and the thousands of other consumers placed at risk by defendant’s unlawful practice,” according to the suit, filed Aug. 10.

Buechler is asking the court to certify his suit as a class action. Members of the proposed class would include individuals who received electronically printed receipts for transactions at Marjac Suites after June 30, 2008, and whose receipts bore the expiration date of their credit or debit card.

For more:  http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/guest-claims-va-beach-hotel-violated-privacy-law

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by | May 8, 2011 · 6:51 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Privacy: Hotel Management Must Standardize Privacy Procedures For Entering, Cleaning And Inspecting Guest Rooms

“If someone has a couple of articles of clothes on the bed we will move them to make the bed…if they have expensive things on the bed – purses, electronics, cameras – we will not touch that bed.”

“…if there is something sensitive, like a closed wallet or laptop, a supervisor or manager will stand at the door for the employee’s safety…”

“…keep a log on what keys have been used on the room’s electronic doors…”

“…hotels’ insurance providers require police statements for incidents…have everyone write a written statement and sign and date it…”

While every chain hotel has a set corporate policy, each individual hotel may be less stringent and abiding for the guest’s benefit.

“According to Iowa law, we can enter a room anytime we want,” Jepsen said. Generally, hotel staff won’t enter a room if they don’t suspect something may be wrong in the room, Jepsen said. With extended-stay guests, who are staying 30-40 days, they are required to enter the room a minimum of twice a week. They mainly change the sheets and make sure garbage isn’t piling up, but also they make sure their equipment isn’t damaged. By the end of 30 days, a mattress could be ruined or the guest could be smoking in the room, Jepsen said.

There are other reasons for entering a guest’s room. “There have been instances where guests put their ‘do not disturb’ sign up but they may have a medical issue,” said King. “It could go unnoticed for long periods of time.”

“In the back of our mind, we always know what our rights are and what the rights of our guests are,” she said. “You can’t always have rules written in stone.”

Protection exists for both the hotel and the guests. Country Inn & Suites and AmericInn, like most hotels, have video surveillance systems. Both also keep a log on what keys have been used on the room’s electronic doors.

With any serious crime, such as theft, the police are immediately contacted, Jepsen said. “If a guest reports a theft, it’s investigated to its fullest extent,” she said. This is also done because the hotels’ insurance providers require police statements for incidents.

“What I always do is I have everyone write a written statement and sign and date it,” Jepsen said.

For more:  http://www.messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/538926/Hotel-rules-protect-both-operator-and-guest.html?nav=5010

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by | September 20, 2010 · 10:39 am

Hospitality Industry Cybersecurity Risk Management: Hotel And Restaurant Management Must Protect The Privacy Of Company And Employee Emails From Unauthorized Viewing (Audio)

Think no one else is reading your work email? Think again. A new survey by Cyber-Ark Software found more than 40 percent of IT administrators have indulged in a little snooping around inside their own network, using administrative passwords to view sensitive or confidential information. Adam Bosnian is the executive vice president for the Americas and corporate development at Cyber-Ark Software. He says many snoop simply because they have the access. (Click on the microphone above to hear interview with him.)

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by | July 16, 2010 · 6:27 am

Hotel Industry Privacy Risks: ESPN Reporter Erin Andrews Files “Negligence, Negligent Infliction Of Emotional Distress And Invasion Of Privacy” Lawsuit Agains Hotels

“I do hope that my experience will cause the hospitality industry to be more vigilant in protecting its guests from the time they reserve a hotel room until they check out.”

Her suit claims negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy against the hotel entities.

ESPN reporter and road warrior Erin Andrews filed a civil suit today against Marriott International, Radisson Hotels International and others involved with the hotels in which a stalker surreptitiously filmed her nude through a hotel-room peephole.

Andrews was stalked and/or filmed in rooms at the Marriott Nashville at Vanderbilt University, the Radisson Airport hotel in Milwaukee, and a third hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Andrews stays in hotels frequently for her job as an ESPN reporter “always with the expectation of privacy once checked into her room,” the release says.

“Although I’ll never be able to fully erase the impact that this invasion of privacy has had upon me and my family,” Andrews says in the release , “I do hope that my experience will cause the hospitality industry to be more vigilant in protecting its guests from the time they reserve a hotel room until they check out.”

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by | February 26, 2010 · 6:07 am

Hospitality Industry Privacy: Hotels Must Safeguard Guests’ Privacy And Provide Better Hotel Security As Erin Andrews Incident Demonstrated

On October 12, the television magazine Inside Edition aired a segment in which they visited several hotels to reserve a room next to an employee who was posing as a hotel guest. In each case, the hotel was unaware of the purported sting operation. In each case, without challenging the inquirer, the reservationist complied.

  As a result of the unauthorized video release on the Internet and the suspect’s demonstrated pattern of stalking Ms. Andrews, several news media organizations are calling or visiting hotels and asking for specific rooms, next to specific registered guests (typically undercover media producers posing as registered guests) to see what security measures are in place at the hotel. Commonly referred to as “tabloid journalism,” various media outlets have resorted to these stings to entrap hoteliers doing something wrong and to boost their viewership ratings.

  On October 12, the television magazine Inside Edition aired a segment in which they visited several hotels to reserve a room next to an employee who was posing as a hotel guest. In each case, the hotel was unaware of the purported sting operation. In each case, without challenging the inquirer, the reservationist complied.

So, what can and should hotels do to avoid falling prey to investigative reporters and more importantly ensure the safety and privacy of their guests? Here are eight steps to get started:

  1. ESPN's Erin Andrews

    Immediately start discussing this case with the hotel’s front desk and reservation staff. Make sure that everyone realizes the widespread magnitude and fallout of the privacy violation of Ms. Andrews. If you need more info, “Google” Erin Andrews, and you can get all the latest news from the Internet. In fact, just by searching the keywords “hotel” and “peeping tom” more than 213,000 hits will be revealed in Google, almost all referring to the Erin Andrews incident. And of course the name of the hotel where the incident occurred appears in nearly every hit.

  2. Revisit basic hotel security and privacy procedures, and do some staff training at your hotel. Now more than ever it is appropriate to ask more questions of guests, challenge suspicious people on your property, and evaluate your security cameras, security policies, locking entrance doors, elevator and stairwell access, etc. And expect the stings by investigative journalist to continue into the foreseeable future.
  3. Empower hotel employees to challenge requests for rooms next to other guests. Hotel staff members should ask the requestor why they would like a specific room, and what their relationship is with the person they are requesting to be housed adjacent to. Do not grant the special room request without contacting the other guest and securing their permission; ask them if they know the person who is requesting the special room. We all hate to say “NO” to anyone for anything, but times have changed, and a hotel must take a more proactive stance in guest safety and privacy.
  4. To the extent possible, do not block VIP guests or celebrities in rooms until the morning of arrival. Only advise non-management employees about the name and room number of the celebrity on a “need to know basis” and never in advance of arrival. This will help prevent the identity and location of the celebrity from becoming known outside the hotel and individuals seeking accommodations near the celebrity’s guestroom.
  5. Be more curious and suspicious, and allow staff members some leeway in also being more careful. Do not criticize or punish employees for being too safe. Remember, it is a different world out there from a few years ago. Safety and privacy must be the first priority of every hotel nowadays. Guests expect nothing less.
  6. If a guest complains, IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU DID SOMETHING WRONG! I have to keep reminding my clients of this fact. Sometimes guests “think” they know a law, or industry standard, when in fact many do not know what they are talking about. Hotel employees have every right to ask more questions of a guest who is requesting a room next to someone else, to refuse to connect a caller to a room number where they do not know the registered guest’s name, or to ask questions of a guest loitering around the hotel.
  7. Change your mindset from an immediate “YES” to a more carefully thought out response to guest requests that places safety and privacy at the forefront. Start evaluating guest requests more carefully, and how they may apply to guest security issues. “YES” is always the appropriate response if the request does not compromise the safety and privacy of others or the hotel. If it does, then the correct response is a courteous “NO” with the offer of a suitable alternative (if possible).
  8. Remember, Management retains the right to ask any news media personnel off hotel premises. You do not “have” to answer questions, especially if the media “ambushes” you with cameras in your face. If you find someone walking around your property doing a secret undercover investigation, you can order them off your property immediately. Hotels are considered private property and Management retains complete control of who can and cannot be on your property, as long as such ejection does not violate regulations, statutes or ordinances designed to eliminate illegal discrimination in hotels. Train all employees to refer all media requests only to the hotel’s designated spokesperson and discipline or terminate employees who fail to comply with the workplace rule. Finally, call the police for assistance if media refuse to comply with requests to leave the hotel’s premises.  

(Todd Seiders, CLSD, is director of risk management for Petra Risk Solutions, which provides a full-range of risk management and insurance services for hospitality owners and operators. Their website is: www.petrarisksolutions.com. Todd can be reached at 800-466-8951 or via e-mail at: todds@petrarisksolutions.com.)

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