Tag Archives: Surveillance

by | March 6, 2012 · 1:22 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: New York Hotel Suffers Thousands Of Dollars In Damage From Group At Guest Room Party; Surveillance Video Critical To Finding Vandals

 “…a group at a party in a room at the Towne Plaza Suites on Holland Avenue is suspected of ripping off wall lights, breaking ceiling tiles and ceiling lights, discharging fire extinguishers and spraying a can of Mace in the third floor hallway…”

Vandals caused several thousand dollars worth of damage to an Albany hotel early Sunday morning. Mace got into the hotel’s ventilation system so the second and third floors had to be evacuated and ventilated, police said in a news release.

Hotel staff members believe the vandals are associated with an Albany man who rented a third fl oor room at the hotel. Police received a call from hotel staff about the incident at 1:15 a.m. Sunday, but when they arrived at the hotel all of the partygoers had already left through the back door.

Surveillance video will be examined to see if any of the vandals can be identified.

For more:  http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2012/mar/05/0305_vanals/

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by | December 29, 2011 · 6:21 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Risks: Texas Hotel Uses Video Cameras To Identify Housekeeper Who Used "Portable Electronic Skimmer" To "Steal Guest Credit Card Numbers"

“…a number of guests who suspected someone had entered their rooms and stolen their credit card information, even though they were still in possession of their credit cards. Charges usually were applied to the credit cards several days after the guests had departed the hotel…”

“…While monitoring the hidden camera’s video feed real-time from the hotel security office, Jose Ramirez observed Margarita Fernandez Abreu remove a small device from her pants pocket and then slide approximately three of the debit cards through the device…”

The Stephen F Austin set up an elaborate ruse to trick a hotel maid into revealing she had stolen the credit and debit card numbers of hotel guests.

 Possible suspects in the case were narrowed down to maid Margarita Abreu, the only employee who had entered the room with an electronic key card. Knowing that, the hotel managers set up a hotel room that appeared to be occupied but wasn’t. A hidden camera was placed in the room that focused on the coffee table and debit cards.

 “Margarita also looked through the purse that was on the table as well. Margarita then concealed the device back in her pocket and continued cleaning the room.” After two detectives viewed the video and identified the object as a “card skimmer” that captured and saved the data. That data could be later downloaded and re-encoded to create “clone” credit cards.

Abreu was arrested on charges of credit card abuse, a state jail felony. Her bail was set at $15,000.

For more:  http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/video-shows-credit-card-theft

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by | December 1, 2011 · 6:04 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: New "High-Definition Surveillance Systems" Hold Promise Of Reducing "Theft-Related Losses And False Liability Claims"

“… high-definition surveillance system will also help the resort further eliminate costs by reducing theft-related losses in the resort’s restaurants and cafes and reduce the number and cost of false liability claims—which will cut insurance premiums over time. The security team can search and review footage much quicker, freeing them up for other important tasks…”

Avigilon, a leader in high-definition (HD) and megapixel video surveillance solutions, today announced that Bear Creek Mountain Resort and Conference Center in Berks County, Pennsylvania has deployed the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system to better protect its corporate assets and ensure the safety of its more than 315,000 annual guests. Bear Creek Mountain Resort replaced its analog-based surveillance system with the Avigilon high-definition surveillance solution for greater reliability, enhanced image quality, and the ability to more efficiently and quickly resolve incidents onsite.

Security personnel seamlessly manage the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system using the Avigilon Control Center network video management software (NVMS) with High-Definition Stream Management (HDSM) technology. The resort installed 42 Avigilon HD cameras ranging from 1 MP to 5 MP to monitor parking lots, the dock alley, the main pedestrian thoroughfare, equipment storage area, snow tubing hill, restaurants, hotel, and at the top and bottom of its chairlifts. Avigilon analog video encoders were installed to improve performance of the resort’s existing analog cameras. The system is monitored 24×7 and the resort stores 21 days of continuous surveillance video on an Avigilon Network Video Recorder (NVR.) The management team has remote access to the system as well.

For more:  http://www.securityinfowatch.com/bear-creek-mountain-resort-deploys-hd-surveillance-system

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by | November 15, 2011 · 6:32 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Suspect In California Hotel Guest Room Burglaries Arrested After Successful Surveillances; Entered Rooms Through Patio Sliding Door

After the string of burglaries, the Palms Springs Police Department started conducting surveillances outside the hotel, and it was during one of those surveillances that they found the suspect.

The general manager of the Desert Riviera says to look for a hotel where staff seems involved and aware.

Police saw Christopher Thompson climbing into the outside patio area of a hotel room. He got into the room through a sliding glass door. Tourists we talked with were surprised to hear about the crime, but always take steps to keep their belongings safe when they travel.

Block says there are also some simple steps you can take to make sure you don’t become a victim of a crime when you travel.

  1. Lock not just the front door but the back sliding glass door as well
  2. Take valuables with you
  3. Choose a hotel where the parking area looks lit and safe
  4. Always lock your car
  5. Spend time researching the hotel

For more:  http://www.kesq.com/news/29769831/detail.html

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by | November 9, 2011 · 6:46 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Las Vegas Hotel Housekeeper "Sexually Assaulted" In Hotel Room; Security And Surveillance Measures Had Been Cut And Scaled Back In Recent Years

“…In the 1990s and early 2000s, the hotel used to provide for a security guard at the employee parking lot. That position has been cut, the co-worker said…”

“…The number of security guards assigned to walk guest floors to monitor safety also has been scaled back over the years, said the employee, who suggested there should be at least one security guard at guest elevators to check identifications…”

A Las Vegas man accused of beating and raping a 65-year-old Strip hotel maid last week kept clothing in his home that may have been bloodied in the attack, police said.

According to his Las Vegas police arrest report, David Randell Ferren, 19, kept a bloody jacket, belt and condoms that may have been worn during the assault of a Bally’s hotel maid on the morning of Nov. 1.

The report alleges Ferren punched the maid in the face as she was entering a room on the 59th floor of Bally’s about 9:30 a.m. Security footage showed Ferren exiting an elevator on that floor shortly before the attack, police said.

In the arrest report, police said Ferren forced the maid into the room and raped her. The assault was interrupted after the occupant of the room entered. That woman told detectives she saw a naked man getting dressed as the maid fled the room, the report said.

Another maid saw the man using an emergency exit , the report said.

For more:  http://www.lvrj.com/news/suspect-in-strip-rape-kept-bloody-clothing-police-say-133403473.html

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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 22, 2011 · 9:14 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Concerns: Survey Ranks Hotel's "Cleanliness" Over "Security" As Most Important Factor In Making Reservation

Americans rank cleanliness (43%) over security (11%) as the most important factor in selecting a hotel, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies.

The survey also showed that 84% of Americans would not refrain from traveling for business on September 11, 2011, the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Fewer than one in five of Americans are fearful of flying on September 11, 2011, while only 16% are fearful about flying on an airplane on a national holiday.

“Travelers should take safety precautions more seriously, and travel security should be higher on their checklist than cleanliness,” said Jim Villa, a senior vice president and North American manager for Chubb’s Accident & Health business. “It seems that more people are concerned about housekeeping than security.”

In other survey findings regarding the 9/11 anniversary:

  • Nearly one-third of respondents would be concerned about being near a nuclear power plant on September 11;
  • 22% would avoid a chemical plant;
  • 18% would avoid entering a sports stadium or entertainment venue with a large crowd of people;
  • 16% would be concerned about being near an oil refinery;
  • 13% would be concerned about being near a military base;
  • 14% would not take a cruise;
  • 11% would not take a train; and
  • 9% would avoid taking a ferry.

For more:  http://www.chubb.com/corporate/chubb14110.html

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by | August 16, 2011 · 8:43 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Valuable Original Artwork Stolen From Los Angeles Hotel Located After "News Coverage" Leads To Tip; Hotel Security Video Holds Key To Finding Suspects (Video)

“We got an anonymous tip because there was so much news coverage…That really was the turning point. The news coverage led people to call us and say, ‘Hey, I’ve seen this, and this is where I’ve seen it.’

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-PNBTI5Crw&feature=player_embedded]

“…High-tech specialists are scouring hotel security video, and authorities may release a sketch or stills of the suspects later this week or next week…”

 

Owners of the drawing, known as “The Judgment,” verified just after midnight that the recovered 11 X 16 inch pen-and-ink artwork was indeed the original that had vanished from an exhibit on Saturday night, said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Police Department.

An anonymous tip led investigators to the church around 7 p.m. on Monday. Experts from the Linearis Institute, which owns the drawing, later verified its authenticity, he said.

There are no suspects in custody, and authorities are not commenting on how the drawing — valued at $250,000 — ended up at the church on Ventura Boulevard in the city about 25 miles from Los Angeles. They also are not confirming the name of the church.

The drawing was in “a building on the church grounds, not in the sanctuary,” Whitmore said. It wasn’t hanging on a wall or otherwise displayed, he said.

For more:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/16/us-rembrandt-heist-california-idUSTRE77F49620110816

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by | June 30, 2011 · 8:16 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: New York Hotel Has Valuable Painting Stolen From Lobby As "Surveillance System" Identifies Man Walking Out With Covered Object

“…A video surveillance shows a man walking into the swanky building then coming out a short time later with a bag not visible in the first clip”…

An art thief made off with a painting worth a reported $350,000 from the Upper East Side’s posh Carlyle Hotel early Tuesday morning. The Fernand Leger painting, which went missing from the lobby hallway, was on loan from the Helly Nahmad Gallery located inside the hotel’s swanky Madison Avenue building.

“The Carlyle’s security personnel reported the painting missing at 3:30 a.m. to the 19th Precinct as well as the gallery owner,” a hotel spokeswoman said. “A complete investigation is now in process.”

The 1917 ink-on-linen by Leger — a French artist who was part of the Cubism movement — was apparently only 10-inches-by-8-inches. The Madison Avenue landmark, a favorite for presidents and prime ministers, boasts of itself as “a showcase great art, a purveyor of privacy and a sanctuary of luxury and refined taste,” on its website.

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20110629/upper-east-side/art-thief-swipes-fernand-leger-painting-at-carlyle-hotel#ixzz1QmBxtyM0

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by | June 16, 2011 · 5:42 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Surveillance Video Shows Man Stealing Flat Screen TV From Washington Hotel Conference Room

“…Surveillance video from the waterfront Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel in Vancouver, Wash., shows a man last week carting out a 42-inch TV set – at 6 p.m. in the evening, according to The Colombian…”

“…The stolen TVs are valued at about $1,000 each. TVs stolen from guest rooms won’t work outside the hotel, but the TV from the conference room will, the story says…”

And the same man is believed to have stolen TV sets from a Staybridge Suites hotel and a Country Inn and Suites hotel near the Portland, Oregon, airport. It’s not clear whether others are involved in the scam.

This particular thief can be seen in the Homewood Suites hotel’s video using a hand truck to haul the TV wrapped in yellow hotel linens into a green Ford Escort wagon, the Colombian reports. He then returned the hand truck to the hotel and drove away.

The items came from the hotel’s conference room, where a meeting was held earlier that day, hotel general manager Kari Jonassen told the Colombian.

“This just makes me so mad that somebody has the gall to do this,” Jonassen told the paper.

For more:  http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/06/vancouver-washington-thief-steals-tv-sets-from-hotels-homewood-suites/174274/1?csp=34travel&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+hotelcheckincommunityfeed+%28Hotel+Check-in%3A+A+road+warrior%27s+guide+to+the+lodging+landscape+-+USATODAY.com%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

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