Author Archives: Ida

by | April 12, 2011 · 12:23 pm

Hotel Property Damage Risks: Texas Hotel Hit With "High Winds" And Section Of Roof "Falls Off"

“…Some of the worst (wind) damage hit the Comfort Suites, where a section of the roof just came off…”

“…the damage in the Waxahachie area was consistent with 80 mph straight-line winds…”

Signs all over town were destroyed, including some highway signs that were not only upside-down but also facing the wrong direction.

“Luckily, that’s the only damages there are to the hotel,” said Charity Betts, General Manager of Comfort Suites. Fortunately there were no injuries at the hotel.  The roof blew off around 3:00 Monday morning, and you couldn’t find one guest who slept through all this.

Robinson’s room was right under the damaged section. “It kinda felt like the room was trembling a little bit,” said Robinson.  

Over at Lowe’s, merchandise was strewn across the parking lot.  To make matters worse, the cash registers weren’t working, so all transactions had to be done by hand.

“Everybody’s just like ‘oh my gosh, I can’t believe this happened,‘” said Betts. 

For more:  http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-section-of-hotel-roof-torn-off-in-waxahachie-20110411,0,6946765.story

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by | April 10, 2011 · 8:12 am

Hospitality Industry Information Security Risks: Hotel Management Should Consider "Cyber Liability Policies" With "Vicarious Liability Provisions" To Insure Guest Information Database Breaches

“…clients with robust cyber liability policies will find coverage under the vicarious liability provisions. …”

Data breaches generally represent enormous problems for companies,” said Alan N. Situn, a shareholder with law firm Greenberg Traurig L.L.P. in New York. “Not only can they be very expensive, but equally important to many companies (is) the reputational damage that they perceive from these types of breaches” if information they provide to a third party is somehow breached.

Hackers tend to hold on to such information “usually about a year, and then use it in the hope that folks have become a little bit more relaxed and not as vigilant,” said Mauricio F. Paez, a partner with law firm Jones Day in New York.

For the most part, the companies that are affected are in a damage- or crisis-management mode, said Robert J. Scott, managing partner with law firm Scott & Scott L.L.P. in Dallas. “They’re emailing their customers; they’re apologizing for the inconvenience, trying to clarify and limit the scope of the magnitude of the problem; and they’re hopeful the leakage of the email doesn’t result” in other problems.

Observers noted that the firms were notifying customers of the data breach even though they were not legally required to do so by state laws, except in North Dakota, unless more damaging personal information, such as Social Security or credit card numbers, had been revealed.

Epsilon customers whose data was breached have been “doing everything they should be doing in terms of being up front and honest with the consumers,” Mr. Scott said.

If the breach results in litigation, the question will arise of “how does that fit into the overall risk management program of the company” that hired the outside marketing company, said Kroll Ontrack’s Mr. Brill, who suggested that affected firms review their risk management programs now.

For more:  http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20110410/ISSUE01/304109976

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Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

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by | April 8, 2011 · 10:53 am

Hospitality Industry Health Insurance: Law Firms Advise Hotel Ownership And Management To Prepare For Implementation Of Health Care Reform With "Wellness Programs" And State-Run "Insurance Exchanges" On The Way

Given the legal challenges to the proposed reform of the United States health care industry, there might be a temptation on the part of hoteliers to take a laid-back attitude toward preparing for the changes. That line of thinking, however, would be a mistake, said Scott Sinder, a partner in the Steptoe & Johnson law firm government affairs and public policy practice.

  • One of the biggest issues hotel companies will have to wrestle with will be whether to retain grandfather status, which refers to plans in place prior to 23 March 2010
  • Grandfathered plans, for example, can allow for changes to the network of providers but cannot impose new or decreased annual spending limits
  • The potential introduction of a wellness provision that provides funding for employers to establish wellness programs…will be the biggest key to keeping health-care costs down
  • The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that just 38% of the employees in the hospitality sector had access to health care as of March 2010 compared with 71% across all industries
  • Every state will eventually have an Insurance Exchange as most state lawsuits against health care reform will be settled before Presidential Election

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/5314/Hoteliers-should-assume-health-care-changes

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Filed under Health, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

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by | April 6, 2011 · 4:45 pm

Hospitality Industry Pool Health And Safety: Illinois Hotel Pool Shut Down By Health Officials For "Numerous Ongoing Violations"

The order is against ABVI Management, Inc., owner of America’s Best Value Inn, 140 Venita Dr., in O’Fallon. According to Madigan’s statement, the order came after the Illinois Department of Public Health and St. Clair County public health officials found…

“numerous, ongoing violations of state law that protects public health and safety and attempts to prevent the spread of infection.”

“One of the more glaring violations alleges an inspector with the St. Clair County Health Department observed on Feb. 11 that hotel management had reopened the swimming pool and had removed the IDPH closure order notice after the agency inspected the pool and shut it down Jan. 19 for failing to address violations found in earlier inspections.”

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has obtained a temporary restraining order against an O’Fallon hotel, ordering it to keep its swimming pool closed until health officials get to the bottom of “numerous, ongoing violations” involving health and sanitation violations.

From the statement: A hearing on the injunction will be held April 6. “If you travel with children as I do, where’s the first place they beg to go after check-in ─ the pool, of course,” Madigan said in the statement. “Travelers and parents shouldn’t have to worry about hotel management not doing its job to keep pools safe, clean and free of hazards.”

An employee of the hotel contacted this evening said the pool is closed. A spokesman for management of the hotel wasn’t immediately available.

For more:  http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/article_cff335ea-5b2f-11e0-a0dd-00127992bc8b.html

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Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

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by | April 5, 2011 · 2:15 pm

Hospitality Industry Security And Terrorism Risks: "Eye On Awareness—Hotel Security And Anti-Terrorism Training" Online Video Course Offered By Hotel Association (Video)

CLICK ON "SEE" TO WATCH "EYE ON AWARENESS" PREVIEW

Hotel bombings in Baghdad, Jakarta, and Morocco—hospitality properties have become popular targets for terrorism in recent years. Not surprisingly, a majority of today’s guests list safety and security as their most important concern when planning a hotel stay.  How can your hotel ensure a sense of security and still offer a welcome and inviting environment for guests? A property’s front-line employees may well be the most crucial, yet often overlooked, element of effective hotel security.

Developed in partnership with international security experts, hospitality leaders, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s If You See Something, Say Something™ campaign, Eye on Awareness—Hotel Security and Anti-terrorism Training™ provides the skills and knowledge essential for hotel employees to recognize, report and react to suspicious situations at their property.

For more:  http://www.ahlei.org/eyeonawareness/

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Filed under Conferences, Guest Issues, Injuries, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Training

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by | April 4, 2011 · 8:22 am

Hospitality Industry Information Security Risks: Large Email Marketing Services Company To Many Hotels Has Data Breach And Guest Email Accounts Are Stolen

In addition to the banks, other impacted companies included hotel brands Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Marriott Rewards, and retail heavyweights Home Shopping Network, Walgreens, Brookstone, New York & Company and Kroger. TiVo is also included in this list.

“…customers should “exercise extreme caution,” as email addresses are all cyber-criminals need to initiate a phishing attack. Users can expect to see more spam, and should be vigilant about email offers that ask for personal information or have links to other sites that ask for personal information.”

Many of these phishing attacks tend to take the form of security alerts—informing users that their accounts have been compromised and they should verify their log-in credentials to reset their accounts—or direct marketing scams promising special deals that require a credit card number.

Epsilon, a large email marketing services company with a roster of A-list clients, reported a data breach that is impacting practically anyone who has ever signed up to receive a retail offer or alert through its email account. The company warned that thieves may use the information to launch a phishing campaign to trick users into disclosing more critical data.

On March 30, Epsilon detected “an unauthorized entry” into its email system. During this time, a subset of clients’ customer data was exposed. Epsilon only has the information of people who opted-in to receive marketing emails, and the theft was limited to email addresses and customer names, according to the company.

“A rigorous assessment determined that no other personal identifiable information associated with those names was at risk. A full investigation is currently underway,” Epsilon said in a terse statement on April 1.

“Epsilon has advised us that the files that were accessed did not include any customer information other than email addresses,” used books retailer AbeBooks wrote in a message to customers on April 3.

For more:  http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Epsilon-Data-Breach-Hits-Banks-Retail-Giants-154971/

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

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by | April 3, 2011 · 4:02 pm

Hotel Industry Security Risks: Georgia Hotel Security Guard Shoots And Kills Armed Robbery Suspect After Chase Through Hotel

The shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. on a property adjacent to the Quality Inn Suites on Old National Highway, according to the College Park Police Department.

A security guard chased down an armed robber and killed him early Friday outside a hotel in College Park. Kadeesh Comer, 21, had just robbed a clerk at the hotel, and a security guard chased him outside the hotel, police said.

Comer shot at the guard with a 0.22-cal revolver, and the guard returned fire, killing him, police said. No charges were filed against the guard. Hotel owner Ramesh Bhagat told Channel 2 Action News that the clerk handed over $150, but that it wasn’t enough for the robber.

“He asked for more money, but we said ‘We don’t have more money,’ because we do all business by credit card,” Bhagat told the news station. The security guard noticed the commotion and intervened.

For more:  http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/police-hotel-guard-shoots-895131.html

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

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by | April 1, 2011 · 5:54 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Management: "P3 Hospitality Risk Report – Knox Boxes" (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvAGRwo1UPI]

Petra 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

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by | March 31, 2011 · 10:05 am

Hospitality Industry Accident Risks: Texas Hotel Sued For Negligence In Guest "Slip And Fall" Injury

Pomrenke accuses Homewood Suites of negligence for not warning customers of the dangers of the wet floor or offering an alternative route around the area. She asks for an unspecified amount of money in damages for medical costs, loss of income and court fees. Pomrenke represents herself in this matter and asks for a jury trial.

A Harris County woman is suing a Memorial hotel after she allegedly dislocated her knee when she slipped on a wet lobby floor. Emily L. Pomrenke filed a lawsuit March 28 in Harris County District Court against Homewood Suites Hilton-Austin South.

According to the petition, Pomrenke was a guest of the Homewood Suites in April 2009. As she was walking in the hotel lobby with her son in the early afternoon, Pomrenke says, she slipped on the wet marble floor that had just been cleaned by the hotel staff. She alleges she dislocated her knee, bruised her tailbone and tore a retina in her right eye in the fall. Pomrenke claims an accident report was written up by the hotel manager and that she received a phone call from the hotel’s insurance carrier, which told her Homewood Suites would take full responsibility for the accident.

For more:  http://www.ultimatememorial.com/stories/239385-memorial-hotel-named-in-slip-and-fall-claim

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by | March 30, 2011 · 11:08 am

Hotel Pool Safety Risks: "Heavily Drinking Man" Drowns At Florida Hotel "Music Week Festival" Pool Party

The busy Miami Music Week festival claimed at least one life this weekend when a man drowned during a pool party at the Clevelander hotel. The 40-year-old man from out of town was swimming in the hotel’s pool after drinking heavily and drowned. The hotel was hosting the Nervous Pool Party at the time.

CBSMiami reports that the drowning occurred late Sunday afternoon. The man slipped below the surface, and despite efforts by onlookers to save him and perform CPR, he died.

The station also reports that the man and his friends were believed to be drinking heavily before going in the pool.

The Nervous Pool Party 2 was headlined by superstar DJs like Oscar G, Ralph Falcon, and Junior Sanchez.

For more:  http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2011/03/man_drowns_during_pool_party_a.php#

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