Tag Archives: Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Guest Issues: “Can You Legally Smoke Marijuana in a Seattle Hotel Room?”

“…According to the Washington Lodging Association, there are no universally enforced protocols within the hospitality industry as to smoking marijuana inside the hotels for medical or recreational purposes. Image Because of this, it is completely up to the hotel owners whether to allow marijuana use in the designated smoking rooms or not…”

With legal recreational pot shops set to open for business at some point in the spring, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes and others have been pushing the state to okay places where marijuana tourists in Seattle can smoke up. (So far to no avail.)

Their fear is that our streets will be crowded with tourists smoking in public and annoying everyone, as well as breaking the law against public “display” of weed. The fine is only $27, but the backlash could be bigger with too many puffers wandering around.

But in a state where it is illegal to smoke anything inside or around public places, things can get tricky for these tourists wanting to exercise their newfound freedom in hotel rooms.

For more: http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2014/02/05/answered-can-you-legally-smoke-marijuana-in-a-seattle-hotel-room/#14194103=0&20036105=0&20340101=0

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Filed under Green Lodging, Guest Issues, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Hospitality Industry Security Update: “Mission Valley Travelodge Owners Agree to Increase Security Measures to Thwart Prostitution”

“…Tourism is one of San Diego’s largest industries, guests to our city should feel safe and secure during their stay,” said City Attorney Jan Goldsmith.Image “Our office will continue to combat illegal activity such as prostitution and will work diligently to hold business owners accountable and clean up neighborhoods…” 

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – The owners of the Travelodge motel in Mission Valley have agreed to increase security measures to thwart prostitution activity, the San Diego City Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

Mission Valley Travelodge Joint Venture and WW Lodging Ltd. are to hire onsite security guards and reimburse the city of San Diego more than $18,000 in investigative costs, according to the deal reached last week.

The partnership that owns and manages the motel at 1201 Hotel Circle S. already have installed more security cameras, posted signs to deter criminal activity and improved registration policies to include the photocopying of all guest and visitor identification cards and registering of all guest and visitor vehicles, the City Attorney’s Office said.

For more: http://www.sandiego6.com/story/owners-of-mission-valley-travelodge-agree-to-increase-security-measures-to-thwart-prostitution-activity-20140203

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Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Liability Risk: “Legally Speaking: Avoiding Bath Fall Liability”

“…But knowing that shower areas present risks is not a trade secret shared only among guests. Hoteliers are also in the know. That fact imposes on inns a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable bathroom mishaps. bathThose steps include installation and ongoing maintenance of any of the following: non-skid strips on the tub or shower floor, a bathmat, handrails along the walls of the tub for gripping and/or like devices designed to reduce the dangers. Failure to provide, and keep in good form, these simple apparatus deprives the guest of protection against falling, and in many states opens the door, to a founded lawsuit…”

Some issues in hotel law come and go. Falls in slippery bathtubs have a sticking quality. Liability in this type of lawsuit can be avoided but it takes some attention to those porcelain bastions of cleanliness.

In the typical case a guest is showering, loses his balance and falls. Because floors and walls surrounding showers are customarily rock-hard, injuries are likely to occur and be substantial.

So, who’s at fault? The answer is: it depends. Yes, guests should know that tubs and shower stalls are, by their very nature, slippery and potentially dangerous. And, yes, guests should therefore use caution to protect themselves from injury.

For more: http://hlconverge.com/index.php/component/k2/item/781-legally-speaking-avoiding-bath-fall-liability

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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Maintenance Update: “Hotel & Building Maintenance Tips”

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To see full size infographic: http://visual.ly/hotel-building-maintenance-tips

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Filed under Guest Issues, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

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

HospitalityLawyer.com Education Partner II

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Filed under Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: California Hotel To Manage Electricity Costs With Innovative Battery Storage System; 30 Percent Savings On Peak Demand Usage Seen

Intercontinental Hotels has run a trial with a 15-kilowatt Stem storage system for the past year, and though Hobbs would not discuss dollar Hotel Utility Costssavings he says he’s seen between a 17 percent and 30 percent improvement in his ability to manage demand. The hotel has 17 Stem systems on order and plans to install two 54-kilowatt battery packs at the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco, which would supply 20 percent of the hotel’s demand.

If a hotel’s energy consumption spikes—say on a hot day when guests all turn on their room air conditioners at once—the utility ratchets up the electricity rate they pay. To avoid these so-called demand charges—which can account for half of a monthly power bill—businesses can participate in programs that cut their bills if they allow their local utility take control of their air conditioners or lighting to reduce electricity use when the grid is overloaded.

Letting hotel guests who pay $300 a night sweat, however, is not an option. So Hobbs has pulled the plug on his utility by storing electricity in lithium-ion battery packs when rates are low for use when demand and prices rise. The battery and sophisticated software was built by a Silicon Valley startup called Stem and is another example of how technological innovation is upending utilities’ century-old stranglehold on power.

Patel says a 54-kilowatt system costs about $100,000, though California state incentives cover about 60 percent of that price. But thanks to a $5 million fund financed by Clean Feet Investors, Stem will offer customers no-money-down installation of battery storage in exchange for monthly fee paid out of the savings on utility bills. Such lease deals unleashed an explosion in residential solar systems and Patel expects to see a similar result in battery storage. Stem has orders for 6 megawatts’ worth of systems and Patel expects that to jump to 15 megawatts over the next year.

For more: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/11/the-100-000-battery-that-could-help-hotels-save-bundles-of-money/281194/

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Filed under Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

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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Filed under Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “Innkeeper’s Limit Of Liability” By Petra Risk Solutions’ Director Of Risk Management Todd Seiders (Video)

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/52513786 w=630&h=354]

Petra Risk Solutions’ Director of Risk Management, Todd Seiders, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Innkeeper’s Limit of Liability’. 

  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, Injuries, Insurance, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Hospitality Industry Risk Management: “P3 Risk Report – Knox Boxes” By Petra Risk Solutions’ Director Of Risk Management Todd Seiders (Video)

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/52470586 w=500&h=281]

P3Petra Risk Solutions’ Director of Risk Management, Todd Seiders , offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Knox Boxes’. 

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 Crime, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “Hotel Power Outage Checklist” Presented By Director Of Risk Management Todd Seiders Of Petra Risk Solutions (Video)

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/52513104 w=500&h=281]

P3Petra Risk Solutions’ Director of Risk Management, Todd Seiders , offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Hotel Power Outage Checklist’. 

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, Insurance, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training