Tag Archives: Safety
Hospitality Industry Safety Solutions: Hotels Must Increase “Value-Added Security Services” For Female Guests; $125 Billion Spent By Women On Travel
“…Women-young, old, single, married, widowed and gutsy are fueling an explosive growth in the travel industry. Estimates are that women will 
spend some $125 billion on travel in the next year.” With such staggering projected growth, it is exponentially beneficial for hotels to cater specifically to this market. More importantly, catering to this trend is necessary to remain competitive in the market, and a quintessential underlying value of all lodging establishments: safety for its guests with special attention to female travelers…”
Here are several security tips for hoteliers that will be perceived as value-added and appreciated services by female travelers. These suggestions from a hotel expert prospective to bolster the security for female guests include:
- When female guests are checking into the hotel, the front desk staff should not call out her name or room number as a precaution.
- Bellhops and front desk staff should be encouraged to be honest with the female guests about night travel alone. In any case the guest insists on leaving, the hotel should provide them with access to reliable transportation service that is trusted by the hotel agency.
- Hoteliers should suggest rooms that are closer to the elevators to prevent women from walking down long halls or corridors. Women should be given rooms that are not on the first floor with a window or sliding glass door.
- Place a card in each guest’s room with safety tips, like “Never place your room key card down unattended. If you do notice that the card is missing, you should contact the front desk immediately.” This is a very inexpensive way to inform women travelers that the hotel is focused on their security.
- For the safety of your establishment, discourage employees from fraternizing with guests. This opens a huge door for liability lawsuits, and it is just not professional.
- If the hotel doesn’t have valet service, female guests should be escorted to their vehicle, especially at night. The kind gesture will be appreciated and offer the female guest an added level of security. Additionally, it will add a significant amount of value to her stay with the hotel.
- When a female guest checks-in, the bellhop should perform a brief security check of the room with the female guest standing in the doorway or where she feels comfortable. This quick check includes testing the windows to make sure they are locked and an explanation of the emergency exits and how to contact the hotel staff for help.
For more:Â http://www.expertclick.com/NRWire/Releasedetails.aspx?id=46609
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Filed under Guest Issues, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training
Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: “Safety And Health Among Hotel Cleaners” Report From CDC And National Institute For Occupational Safety And Health (NIOSH)
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Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Illinois Restaurant Sued For Negligence By Woman Who Slipped On "Wet And Slick Floor"; Lawsuit Seeks $50,000 In Medical Costs And Damages
“…as she was walking to the restroom, (the woman) slipped on a wet and slick floor…she suffered severe pain 
and discomfort, incurred medical costs and endured damages of more than $50,000, the suit states…”
A woman claims she suffered severe injuries after she slipped and fell on a wet floor at a restaurant. Janet L. Althoff filed a lawsuit Nov. 26 in Madison County Circuit Court against Ali Veseli doing business as Round Table Family Restaurant.
Althoff claims she was visiting Round Table at about 2:30 p.m. on March 9 when she walked from a dining room to a unisex restroom.
Althoff blames Veseli for causing her injuries, saying the restaurant negligently failed to correct the unsafe condition and failed to warn of the wet floor. In her complaint, Althoff seeks an unspecified judgment, plus other relief the court deems just.
For more:Â http://madisonrecord.com/issues/366-personal-injury/250097-round-table-family-restaurant-sued-by-woman-who-claims-she-slipped-on-wet-floor
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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Injuries, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership
Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Hotel Guests At Risk Of Injury As Shower Door Glass Can Shatter With The "Force Of An Explosion"
“…court records (documented)…a federal lawsuit filed earlier this year against the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. A woman, who stayed at the hotel in 2007, says she opened a shower door and suddenly “the force of an 
explosion†threw here “violently across the toilet†and caused her “serious injuries.†Pictures are filed with the lawsuit showing tiny particles of glass layered on the hotel bathroom and filling the toilet…”
Hotels need to be really vigilant about this problem…(says) a glass expert who may soon testify in three cases where guests were injured when their shower doors shattered… “The two main types of injuries are where their bodies get cut and the other ones are where they are walking out on glass and cutting their feet.â€
Another couple posts video on Vimeo showing what allegedly happened to them during their Hawaiian honeymoon at the Ohana Hotel in Waikiki West. You can hear the water running from the shower, see his wife standing in the water, and feel her pain as she obviously had to find a way out through shattered glass all over the floor. The new groom, Lance Ogren, looks into his own home video camera and says, “I heard her start to open (the shower) and I heard a big crash.†Ogren tells CBS 11 news the hotel gave them an apology and a new room.
Meshulam says most shower doors have tempered glass which is heated and then cooled creating tension for durability. He demonstrated how hard it is to break slamming a hammer into a tempered glass shower door several times before it finally shatters. He says the door are considered safe because under stress they shatter into tiny pieces; however, he says there are several reasons why a shower door might explode.
One is a small crack, like the one in your windshield, that just slowly grows out like a spider web. “When it hits a certain part of the glass where all those internal tensions are residing then everything blows up.†He also says towel bars might not be installed properly. Or, doors may not slide on the tracks correctly. These can cause pressure over time. Finally, there could be a problem during the manufacturing process if a microscopic grain of nickel sulfide gets trapped inside the glass. This manufacturing defect is a “ticking time bomb.â€
For more:Â http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/09/28/cbs-11-investigates-shattering-shower-doors/
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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management
Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: California Hotel Sued By Family Of Woman Killed Crossing Street To Parking Lot; "Duty To Ensure Safety Of Guests"
“…The civil complaint alleges The Cliffs Resort has a duty to ensure the safety of its customers but failed to do so…the location is dangerous because resort patrons who do not use valet service must park on the east side of Shell Beach Road…they must cross the busy street without the benefit of a crosswalk, traffic controls, warning signs, or proper lighting…the lawsuit claims.”
The family of a woman struck and killed by an SUV while crossing Shell Beach Road in Pismo Beach nearly a year ago has filed a lawsuit seeking to improve safety at the site. The lawsuit was filed April 11 against The Cliffs Resort and the city of Pismo Beach by San Luis Obispo personal injury lawyer Ryan Harris on behalf of the family of Tricia Rittger.
The Los Osos resident was 39 when she was struck Nov. 19, 2011, in front of the hotel and subsequently died, leaving behind husband Aaron and a 4-year-old daughter.
Harris said the lawsuit seeks to force The Cliffs and the city to improve safety for customers walking from the parking lot across Shell Beach Road to the hotel and restaurant.
For more: http://www.timespressrecorder.com/articles/2012/09/28/news/news54.txt
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Filed under Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management
Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: "Strong Smell" Leads Police To Meth Lab In Florida Motel Room
“…It’s a huge public safety issue. The chemicals involved are volatile, can be volatile especially when mixed together. People that don’t know what they’re doing, even people who are experienced at cooking, still cause 
fires, explosions…”
Two men are accused of setting up a meth lab in a Tallahassee motel. It happened at the Super 8 motel on North Monroe Street. Deputies say a tip led them to room 229 and the strong smell led them to a meth lab inside.
Jack Peppers and Kevin Smith – both of Thomasville – are accused of trafficking in meth, manufacturing meth and having the ingredients to make more. Deputies say one batch of the meth was ready and divided up for use. Another batch, they say, was being chemically cooked upstairs.
“The dry product, we had about 16 grams which is worth about $1600 on the street which is pretty significant for what they consider a small lab,” said SGTÂ Ed Cook with LCSO’s Vice and Narcotics Unit. “They also had another 500 grams of product that was still cooking.”
Deputies had to ventilate the room for hours before going inside to clean it up. They say all of the adjoining rooms were vacant so they did not have to evacuate any other motel guests.
For more:Â http://www.wctv.tv/news/headlines/Meth-Bust-at-Tallahassee-Motel-171177501.html
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Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Health, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership
Hospitality Industry Guest Safety: California Hotel "Re-Emphasizing Safety Policies" After Woman Falls From 11th-Floor Balcony In Apparent Suicide
After the latest incident, Wood emphasized to hotel employees the importance of their training for Intervention Procedures certification, a program designed to help employees prevent intoxication, underage drinking and 
drunken driving…”A lot of people don’t understand that we are not a public place. This is a private business, and we have the right to refuse service to anyone,” Wood said. “We want to protect our guests, and that’s where our training comes into play.”
Officials at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel say they are re-emphasizing safety policies after the death of a 36-year-old Santa Barbara woman who recently fell from an 11th-floor balcony. The woman’s death was determined to be a suicide, according to Ventura County medical examiners. The woman fell from the balcony about 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30 and hit the roof of the C-Street Restaurant below,Ventura police said.
Douglas Wood, general manager of the Crowne Plaza, said the hotel’s balcony rails measure between 42 and 42.5 inches in height. According to guidelines set by the International Building Code, hotel balcony railings must be at least 42 inches high, and the space between rails cannot be greater than 4 inches.
Hotel balconies also must be able to withstand a strong load, to make sure the railings don’t fall down if someone pushes on them, according to the code. The Crowne Plaza meets all three standards, said Jeffrey Lambert, Ventura’s community development director.
Still, it was the seaside hotel’s third fall this year. On June 1, a 60-year-old Ventura woman committed suicide by jumping from a 12th-floor fire escape staircase. On Jan. 13, a man suffered severe injuries after falling off a balcony and hitting a concrete pool deck.
After the June incident, Wood said, the hotel decided to install tempered glass along the fire escape staircase.
Wood said there are no plans to change the structure of the balconies. The hotel underwent a complete renovation in 2006.
Former requirements call for balcony rails to be at least 36 inches tall and no greater than 6 inches apart, said Chad Callaghan, a security consultant for the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
Some hotels have taken other preventive measures, such as restricting roof access, checking later on guests who seem troubled when checking in, and doing away with patio furniture on balconies, which may invite children to climb on top of them, Callaghan said.
Other hotels have placed labels on sliding-glass doors warning parents to watch their children and never leave them unattended on the balcony, he said. Sliding-glass doors at the Crowne Plaza have a sticker in the shape of a palm tree to protect guests from walking into the glass.
“No matter what type of railing a hotel room may have, there is no substitute for common sense and good parenting,” Callaghan said.
And despite laws designed to protect hotel guests from injuries and falls, officials say, suicides may be unavoidable.
“The hotel has a responsibility to protect guests. They don’t have a legal duty to provide reasonable protection against suicides,” Callaghan said. “If a person wants to commit suicide, they’re going to find a way to do it.”
Read more:Â http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/sep/09/ventura-hotel-re-emphasizes-safety-policies-fall/#ixzz264jtAdSi – vcstar.com
Filed under Guest Issues, Injuries, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training
Hospitality Industry Restaurant Safety: California Restaurant Playground Areas Face New "Sanitation And Safety Requirements Under State Assembly Bill; Must Post Inspection And Cleaning Plans
Under the bill, sponsored by Democrat Michael Allen of Santa Rosa, restaurants would be required to post 
signs informing customers that food is not allowed on play structures and to provide adults who ask copies of their playground inspection and cleaning plans.
Fast-food restaurants in California could face new sanitation and safety requirements for the playgrounds they install to attract children. The Assembly on Monday approved a bill that would expand food safety laws to cover the indoor and outdoor playgrounds.
Allen says the bill was promoted by research showing that restaurant playgrounds can be breeding grounds for illness-causing bacteria and are not always well-maintained.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/14/state/n151405D10.DTL#ixzz1ux75aeHF
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Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: "Fire Safe Hotels" Are Listed On FEMA "Hotel-Motel National Master List"
CLICK ON "HOTEL" TO VISIT NATIONAL FIRE SAFE HOTEL SITE
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Filed under Fire, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Technology
