Tag Archives: Restaurant Employees

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “The Impact of Legal Marijuana on Employers” (With Video)

“…Marijuana possession and use remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act,mary jane but federal enforcement is curtailed in states that have sanctioned the use of medical marijuana. In some of these states, laws prohibit discrimination against qualified patients in employment decisions…”

Twenty states and the District of Columbia have passed a form of legislation that decriminalizes the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and Colorado and Washington have recently legalized the recreational use of the drug. While employers are under no legal obligation to allow marijuana use in the workplace, the drug’s legality leads to questions regarding an employer’s response to an employee who fails a drug test or admits to being a medical marijuana patient.

For more: http://bit.ly/WDC3kN

For a brief video with more information on how to handle these situations, check out the video below:

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/101528983 w=500&h=281]

Petra Risk Solutions’ Risk Management Director, Todd Seiders, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Medical and Recreational Use of Marijuana and Employer Rights’. 

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.

 

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Filed under Employee Practices, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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Filed under Employee Benefits, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “Front Desk Best Practices” Presented by Loss Control Manager Marco Johnson of Petra Risk Solutions (VIDEO)

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/96622404 w=500&h=281]

Petra Risk Solutions’ Loss Control Manager, Marco Johnson, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Front Desk Best Practices’. 

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.

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

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Three Fired Workers Sue Comfort Inn in South Portland”

“…Parker’s lawsuit alleges she was closely scrutinized and was falsely accused of wrongdoing after reporting the harassment. She was fired in February 2011 for violating the hotel’s confidentiality policy. Image The lawsuit alleges she was discriminated against because of her age, which is now 69…”

Three former employees have sued the Comfort Inn in South Portland, alleging they were fired after reporting sexual harassment by a hotel maintenance worker.

The women allege in three separate lawsuits that they faced discrimination and were subsequently fired, all in 2011, after reporting that one of them was repeatedly sexually harassed by the male worker.

For more: http://bit.ly/1koKgyP

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Filed under Employee Practices, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership

Hospitality Industry News Update: “Restaurant And Hospitality News For VARs”

This week the news includes a warning that hackers are using third-parties to gain access to data through vulnerable systems. Also, hotels and other retailers are adopting new mobile technology for check-in. Image And finally, in an interview with Forest Key of Buuteeq, we find out why hotel marketing is flying to the cloud.

Hackers Lurking In Vents And Soda Machines

This article from The New York Times discusses how your clients could be vulnerable to cyberattacks through solutions and devices be tied to a leaky third party, such as online menus, or even heating and cooling providers who now monitor and adjust office temperatures remotely, and vending machine suppliers who can see when their clients are out of Diet Cokes and Cheetos. Vendors are tempting targets for hackers because they tend to run older systems, and once hackers have found a way in, the devices offer them a place to hide in plain sight.

For more: http://www.bsminfo.com/doc/restaurant-and-hospitality-news-for-vars-april-0001

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