“…Being able to unlock a hotel safe by entering in all zeros, he said, is pure ‘negligence on the hotel’s part’…. every safe has a factory code, whether it is all zeros or all ones, and it is each hotel’s
responsibility to reset this factory code when they take the safe out of the box…”
The hotel safe you use to stash your passport, laptop and other valuables might have a major security flaw, according to a traveler’s YouTube.com video highlighted by Web tracker DailyDot.com.
In his video headlined, “Don’t Trust Your Hotel Room Safe,” traveler “skyrangerpro” shows himself unlocking his hotel room’s safe by entering all zeros.
He was given the “000000” security code by the front desk when he told them he’d forgotten the password he’d previously chosen.
For more:Â http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/09/hotel-safe-youtubecom-video-questions-safety/547821/1
Tag Archives: Theft
Hospitality Industry Guest Security Risks: Hotels Must "Reset Factory Codes" On Hotel Safes To Prevent Unauthorized Opening Using "000000"
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Guest Security Risks: Hotels Must "Reset Factory Codes" On Hotel Safes To Prevent Unauthorized Opening Using "000000"
Filed under Guest Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Privacy, Technology, Theft, Training
Hospitality Industry Guest Room Risks: "Hotel Minibars" Are "Loss-Leaders" At Many Properties Where Theft And Spoilage Cause Inventory Issues
“…Â actually [minibars] are loss-leaders…(some hotels have) been phasing out stocked minibars…Theft and billing problems can eat into minibar income. Hilton loses 5% to 20% of minibar revenue to “quote-unquote breakage…”
To cut costs and keep better track of sales, more hoteliers are installing automated minibars equipped with sensors that know when an item has been removed, immediately charging a guest’s bill.
Hotels and minibar manufacturers say these can cut labor costs since employees only have to check the roughly 25%-30% of rooms that use the minibar on a given day. Software can track how long items have been sitting in the minibar, cutting down on the problem of expired snacks.
But automated minibars cause problems of their own. If you take out an item and put it back, you might be charged, though most hotels give a grace period of about 40 seconds. And forget replacing a minibar’s high-priced sodas with your own snacks.
Sensors can also be overly sensitive, causing problems even for travel professionals.
For more:Â http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904537404576554441363020606.html
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Guest Room Risks: "Hotel Minibars" Are "Loss-Leaders" At Many Properties Where Theft And Spoilage Cause Inventory Issues
Filed under Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Theft, Training
Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Guest Reports Over $14,000 In Cash And Jewelry Stolen After Employee Talked Into Giving Room Key Out
“…A woman stole $9,400 worth of jewelry and $5,000 cash from a North Side hotel room after convincing the clerk to give her a key…”
“…She told the front desk employee about 1 a.m. Aug. 28 she needed to retrieve something from the room. She allowed the clerk to speak on the phone with a man who gave her permission to enter the room…”
The woman claimed to be the girlfriend of the man who rented a room at the Econo Lodge, 1906 Rose St.
The man who rented the room said he didn’t give anyone authorization. He discovered the cash along with a $3,000 diamond ring, $2,500 watch and $3,900 diamond medallion gone, reports stated.
For more: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_1f02751a-d89e-11e0-bb0d-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1XDG1LiFR
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Guest Reports Over $14,000 In Cash And Jewelry Stolen After Employee Talked Into Giving Room Key Out
Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Theft
Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Employee Responsible For Spotting And Reporting Thief On Property
“…A housekeeper saw a man with a metal tool in his hand get out of a Chevy Malibu and peer into the window of a car in the lot. The employee recognized it as the same car involved in a break-in the prior week…”
An observant hotel maid helped nab people believed to be responsible for thefts in a number of communities. According to the Wauwatosa police report:
An 18-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for theft and retail theft and a 17-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for retail theft after they were seen prowling in Crowne Plaza Hotel parking lot, 10499 Innovation Drive, at 3:56 p.m. Aug. 14.
The vehicle also matched the description of a car seen driving away from a retail theft at Advanced Auto Parts on 121st Street and Capitol Drive in July. The stolen auto parts were found still in the trunk.
Menomonee Falls, Germantown and Greenfield police believe the duo also is responsible for thefts in their communities.
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Employee Responsible For Spotting And Reporting Thief On Property
Filed under Crime, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Theft
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…”
Â
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:Â http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/16/us-rembrandt-heist-california-idUSTRE77F49620110816
Comments Off on 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)
Filed under Crime, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Theft
Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: West Virginia Hotel Foils Flat Panel TV Theft With Electronic Key Audit; Thief Was Guest Who Was Fined $250 For Smoking In Room
“….a West Virginia man was fined $250 for smoking in his room…(the extra charge was added) onto the bill and slipped under the door…(he) was so upset that he retaliated by stealing a $500 flat-screen television from the hotel’s workout room, Palm Beach police said…”
The hotel found its thief by auditing the guest keys used to access the workout room, police said. It then located an object the size of the missing television hidden by a bed sheet in Nelson’s rental vehicle.
But some quick detective work by police and a hotel employee led to Nelson’s arrest Friday on a charge of grand theft. Police took him to the Palm Beach County Jail.
Nelson told detectives he used a penny to unscrew some screws and a tire iron to break a lock that held the television to a wall bracket.
For more:Â http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/smoking-fine-spurs-theft-of-hotel-flat-screen-820141.html
Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Insurance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Theft
Hospitality Industry Employee Theft Risks: Maryland Hotel And Convention Managers Indicted For Theft In Employee Insurance Scam
“…authorities believe that Mohammad and Rowhani stole about $17,000 from roughly 19 employees who thought the money was being put into an account to pay for insurance…”
A trial date has been set for two Hagerstown Hotel and Convention Center senior managers who prosecutors allege stole about $17,000 from employees during an insurance scam.
Hassan Mohammad, 56, and his wife, Yasamane Rowhani, 47, both of 2142 Cathedral Ave. in Washington, D.C., were indicted by a Washington County grand jury on one count each of theft/scheme over $500 and conspiracy to commit theft/scheme over $500, according to Washington County Circuit Court documents.
For more:Â http://articles.herald-mail.com/2011-08-02/news/29844890_1_trial-date-scheme-insurance-scam
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Employee Theft Risks: Maryland Hotel And Convention Managers Indicted For Theft In Employee Insurance Scam
Filed under Crime, Insurance, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Theft
Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Hotel Bathrobes, Towels, And Bedroom Supplies Can Be Monitored By RFID Technology
“…hotels are using the tech to monitor the whereabouts of bathrobes, bed sheets, duvet covers, bathmats, pool towels and banquet linens…”
“…Up to 20 per cent of hotels’ stock typically go missing, estimates William Serbin of Linen Tracking Technology…”
The RFID technology – which stands for radio frequency identification and requires an installed chip that can be read by an electronic reader – has been used by various industries for several years to organise product storage and tally shipments.
The company, which sells trackable linens, has teamed with Fluensee, an inventory tracking technology firm, to market the RFID tags to hotels.
A towel with a chip is about a dollar more than other towels, he says. Bendable and washable, the tags can be read by sensors up to six feet away.
When towels are removed from a closet, for example, a reader station can register how many, so that the closet can be restocked.
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Hotel Bathrobes, Towels, And Bedroom Supplies Can Be Monitored By RFID Technology
Filed under Guest Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Technology, Theft
Hospitality Industry Guest Credit Card Security: Tips For Securing Hotel Computer Systems Against Credit Card Data Theft (Video)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCmZ9DlrI9o]
Sue Zloth, is a member of the HFTP PCI Compliance Roundtable, provides key tips for securing guests’ credit card data at the 2011 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) conference.
- Change default passwords on all new information systems
- Do not allow remote access into hotel computer systems
- Minimize areas where credit card data is stored
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Guest Credit Card Security: Tips For Securing Hotel Computer Systems Against Credit Card Data Theft (Video)
Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Theft, Training
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.
Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: New York Hotel Has Valuable Painting Stolen From Lobby As "Surveillance System" Identifies Man Walking Out With Covered Object
Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Theft
