Tag Archives: Water Damage

by | January 22, 2012 · 8:39 pm

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Wisconsin Hotel "Stairwell Pipe Bursts" On Seventh Floor Damaging Eight Rooms

“… a pipe broke in a stairwell. Water poured out for at least ten minutes and ended up in the basement of the hotel.  Eight guest rooms had water logged carpets which will have to be torn out…”

The Pfister Hotel is dealing with a mess after a pipe burst and several rooms flooded Saturday. Clean up crews spent the day at the historic hotel in downtown Milwaukee Saturday.

Fans were brought in to help dry out other areas. The hotel itself is still open.  But the burst pipe foiled Tammy Spoek’s day at the hotel’s spa.  “I was down at the spa and i was hearing that there was water. Water’s coming from the ceilings. So she came to me and said Tammy, I’m really sorry but we’re going to have to cancel your appointment,” Tammy said.

Spoek says it appeared the pipe broke somewhere near the seventh floor.

Hotel management says they believe the burst pipe is due to the cold temperatures the last few days.

The Pfister’s computer system apparently went down.  But the hotel and its restaurants did remain open.

For more:  http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/137827354.html

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by | December 9, 2011 · 6:55 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: Louisiana Hotel's Rooftop "Electrical Room Fire" Extinguished By Sprinkler System; Building Suffers "Significant Water Damage" As Water Seeps "All The Way To Lobby"

“…the sprinkler system (stopped) the spread of the fire. But the building suffered significant damage from water that seeped from the roof all the way into the lobby…”

Officials are investigating the cause of a two-alarm fire on the roof of the Brent House Hotel at Ochsner Medical Center’s Old Jefferson campus that prompted the evacuation of a few hundred employees and hotel guests Thursday afternoon. There were reports of two people who suffered minor smoke inhalation, according to Joe Greco, director of the East Bank Consolidated Fire Department.

Firefighters went to the roof and discovered the source of the smoke was a 20-by-30-foot mechanical room that houses the building’s electrical panels and the elevator motors. Greco said the crew encountered heavy smoke and some flames in the room, but were able to extinguish the fire by 1:32 p.m.

The cause of the fire was still not known Thursday evening. Although there was speculation earlier in the day that the blaze may have started in the motor of one of the elevators, Greco said there was no evidence of that.

For more: http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2011/12/nvestigators_look_for_cause_of.html

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by | November 11, 2011 · 4:21 pm

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: Los Angeles Hotel Fire Starts On Third Floor But Sprinklers Cause Water Damage Up To Eighth Floor (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhfMEdzXgTo]

A fire at the historic Mayfair Hotel in downtown Los Angeles causes severe damage to several floors. Unique Restoration helped the hotel recover from the disaster with emergency water and fire restoration services.

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by | October 21, 2011 · 5:53 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Safety Risks: "Fire Sprinkler" Shutoff Tool Can Minimize Water Damage From Accidental Activations

“…The amount of water that comes out of a fire sprinkler head can fill a bathtub in 2 minutes. Sometimes guests panic and don’t report the problem immediately which results in serious water damage. Or worse, the sprinkler water shut off system is in a room with a locked door…”

Shutgun is a one-handed tool that shuts off fire sprinkler heads fast and it fits comfortably in his pocket.

Hotels and accidental fire sprinkler activations seem to have their own dynamic. What seems to set them apart from other buildings is that few places have the constant influx of diverse visitors that a hotel does. The fact that in many hotel rooms there are signs that say, ‘Please do not hang garments from the fire sprinkler heads’, is a clear message that accidental fire sprinkler activations are not an uncommon occurrence.

More than once a wedding gown has been ruined just prior to the wedding by an unsuspecting bride-to-be hanging her dress from the sprinkler head. It is not hard to imagine. Wedding dresses with their long trains often don’t fit properly in closets. The sprinkler head looks high enough that once hung there the dress will not wrinkle. Unfortunately, when a sprinkler head is activated the dress is ruined beyond repair.

Other common activations can be caused by something as simple as a maid flicking a bed sheet that gets caught in the sprinkler head or a painter getting a dab of paint on the sprinkler head then trying to rub it off or kids having a pillow fight.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/10/21/prweb8894292.DTL#ixzz1bQLJSpp7

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by | September 9, 2011 · 10:39 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Hurricane Irene Damage Forces Closure Of North Carolina Hotel Until 2012

 “…(a review of)…the situation with repair and restoration companies, insurance and safety inspectors, and a host of others, we have regretfully concluded that the safest option for our guests and associates is to temporarily close the hotel in order to thoroughly and efficiently complete the work,”

Damage from Hurricane Irene has forced the Sheraton Atlantic Beach to close for the remainder of the year. The hotel is now contacting all the groups and individuals who were booked through December 31.

An employee meeting is being held this afternoon. Ninety employees will be furloughed during the repair process, according to Barnes.

“We will be communicating with employees twice a week regarding our process and sincerely look forward to the opportunity to welcome everyone back after the first of the year, ” Barnes said. “Until then, we are working to place our employees in temporary positions and we welcome calls from employers who are looking for quality staff.”

For more:  http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/129527083.html

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by | June 13, 2011 · 7:40 am

Hospitality Industry Insurance Risks: Florida Hotel Water Pipe Bursts Causing Lobby Ceiling To Collapse And Guest Evacuation

Guests at a Miami Beach hotel were evacuated after a water pipe in the building burst, causing the ceiling to collapse into the hotel lobby.

“…Gushing water spread into the hotel lobby and part of the ceiling collapsed, said Adonis Garcia, spokesman for Miami Beach Fire Rescue.…”

A water pipe located between the first and second floor of the Claremont Hotel on the 1700 block of Collins Avenue burst Sunday evening. Guests at the Claremont were evacuated and relocated to another hotel.

“The fire department said where the roof came down, it was actually leaking from inside and then it just blew out the ceiling,” said Ros Guttso, hotel general manager. No one was injured.

For more:  http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/13/2264379/miami-beach-hotel-evacuated-after.html

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