Author Archives: Ida

by | March 28, 2013 · 6:08 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Arizona Hotel Guest Reports $2,000 Stolen After Front Desk Accidently Gives Out Victim’s Room Key

“…The hotel front desk worker told police he accidentally gave the suspect the victim’s room key after forgetting the room was already Hotel Theft Surveillanceassigned…a short time later, the suspect and an unidentified man checked out, saying the room was dirty, according to the police report. By the time the victim came back to her room, her purse and clothes bag were gone…”

A 24-year-old Arizona woman had an interesting response when given the wrong room key at an Oak Creek hotel last week: Steal the clothes and purse of the person staying there. According to a police report, the woman took advantage of a mix-up at the Days Inn front counter and got off with more than $2,000 worth of valuables and clothes belonging to a woman staying at the hotel with co-workers.

The purse contained a phone, credit cards, social security card, $30 in cash, a diamond ring valued at $1,500 and a check made out to her for $1,500. The check and credit cards were canceled.

Clothes, an iPad, sunglasses, an umbrella and more jewelry were also stolen, according to the report.

The front desk worker told the victim that Days Inn is responsible for paying to replace the items stolen, according to police.

For more:  http://oakcreek.patch.com/articles/room-key-mix-up-leads-to-theft-of-purse-clothes

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by | March 27, 2013 · 5:24 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Louisiana Hotel Sued For “Injuries Sustained By A Handicapped Guest”; Failure To Provide A Ramp Or Safe Access From Parking Lot To Room

“…the (hotel ownership) is accused of failure to provide a safe access/handicap access from the parking lot to the elevated walkway in front of the Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsroom assigned to the (plaintiff)…an unspecified amount is sought for pain and suffering, mental anguish, embarrassment, humiliation, permanent disability, medical expenses and loss of income/ earning capacity…”

A local branch of a national hotel chain is being sued on claims of damages for injuries sustained by a handicapped guest. Anne G. and Timothy Conwell filed a lawsuit against Days Inn Inc., Days Inn Hotel 10020 I-19 Service Road New Orleans, La. and Nguyen, Nguyen & Vu LLC in the Orleans Parish Central District Court on Jan. 22.

The Conwells claim that while registered guest at Days Inn, Anne Conwell, who suffers from a handicap, fell and broke her right arm, ball and socket joint of her right shoulder, struck her head and suffered severe injuries to her hip and back. The suit claims that the fall was a result of the defendant’s parking area not having a handicap ramp or other access from the parking area onto the walkway and entrance to the first floor level rooms.

For more:  http://louisianarecord.com/news/250306-texas-couple-files-suit-against-days-inn-for-damages

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by | March 26, 2013 · 5:19 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Restaurants “Cause 250% More Foodbourne Illnesses” Than Eating At Home A New CSPI Study Finds

“…the CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) found there are roughly two and half times more illnesses caused by outbreak_alert_2013_final-page-001foodborne illnesses picked up by dining at restaurants than by eating at home…restaurants were involved in 1,786 outbreaks during the decade, events associated with at least 32,919 illnesses. Private residences were involved in 922 outbreaks resulting in 12,666 illnesses…another 1,229 outbreaks occurred in multiple locations —schools, jobsites, catered events, etc.—and were responsible for at least 42,301 illnesses…”

Some of CSPI’s other findings include:

  • Foods regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were responsible for twice as many fully investigated outbreaks as those regulated by the U.S.Department of Agriculture.
  • Dairy and produce outbreak levels remained relatively unchanged, while most of the declines came in seafood, beef, pork and poultry,
  • Pound for pound, seafood remains the most risky food, followed by poultry, produce and dairy.
  • The most common contaminant/vehicle pairing is Salmonella in poultry.

For more:  http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/03/fewer-people-may-be-getting-sick-from-poisoned-food/#.UVGbf0nn8eE

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by | March 25, 2013 · 6:04 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Solutions: New California Hotel Features “Virtual Check-In System” Utilizing Tablets For Reservations And Services; Apple TVs Synch To Guests’ iPhone And iPad Applications

“…virtual hotel check-ins (feature) a Cool Concierge which bypasses the human version of concierge or front desk service…guests use the tablet-system themselves to look up directions, phone numbers, make reservations, check their in-mobile technologyflight status and print boarding passes…(the hotel’s) Smart Check-In also allows guests to bypass the front desk and straight to their rooms using radio frequency technology or RFID, or wireless, non-contact systems…”

A new hotel that heavily favors Apple users — and could alienate their Android market base — has opened steps from the Apple’s brain center in Cupertino, California. All 123 rooms at Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Aloft Hotels, whose tagline is “style at a steal,” will feature Apple TVs that can sync with guests’ iPhones, iPads or iPod Touch devices and their personal iTunes accounts.

Guests can choose among movie titles from iTunes, connect to Netflix for films, or Hulu for TV shows, and play their personal videos and photos on the in-room’s 42-inch LCD flatscreen TV.

As pointed out by CNET, it’s not the first time a hotel chain has opted to go with Apple TVs for their in-room entertainment. Staybridge Suites in London’s Olympic Village was also outfitted with the small, portable devices which enable guests to access their personal iTunes accounts.

For more:  http://www.hindustantimes.com/Travel/Chunk-HT-UI-TravelSectionPage-TravelStories/Apple-friendly-hotel-with-wireless-check-in-opens-in-Cupertino/Article1-1030447.aspx

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by | March 24, 2013 · 8:43 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Illinois Hotel Faces Second Lawsuit For “Emotional Distress” Resulting From Drowning Of Young Boy; “Failure To Maintain Pool By Not Installing Phone And Posting Emergency Numbers”

“…the suit alleges Pheasant Run Resort and Spa, McArdle Ltd., and Oakbrook Hotels and Resorts should be held liable for the emotional distress caused to Carlos Escobar, who was 12 when he saw his stepbrother drown. Both lawsuits argue the resort failed to maintain the pool properly by Hospitality Industry Lawsuitnot posting emergency numbers or installing a phone at the pool…”

A Belvidere teen, who saw a relative drown at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles more than five years ago, has sued the resort and hotel, claiming emotional distress. The suit, filed this month in Kane County court, is the second involving the Dec. 28, 2007, drowning of Javier Gonzalez, 21, of Garden Prairie, Ill.

A wrongful-death suit was filed in 2009 by the mother of the drowning victim. Daniel Murphy, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs in both lawsuits, declined to comment.

The suit also claims the resort was cited by the DuPage County Health Department at least seven times for not having a buoyed safety rope dividing the shallow and deep sections of the pool, and did not have proper lifesaving equipment on the deck.

According to the suit, Gonzalez was playing in the pool with four relatives, ages 12 through 15, when he became distressed and sank face down to the bottom near the drain. There was no lifeguard on duty and the children frantically called for help before going to their parents’ rooms for assistance, the suit states.

A Pheasant Run employee could not locate any rescue equipment, and Gonzalez was underwater for at least five minutes, the suit said. He was eventually pulled from the water, but CPR did not work and he was pronounced dead on arrival at Delnor Hospital in Geneva. Both lawsuits seek more than $50,000 in damages.

For more:  http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130321/news/703219793/?interstitial=1

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by | March 23, 2013 · 12:10 pm

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: South Dakota Restaurant Account Manager Charged With Stealing More Than $100,000; Deposited Checks Into Personal Account Over 7 Month Period

“…(the defendant) is accused of depositing money into her own bank account on 12 occasions, mostly through checks, with the thefts targeting Minervas of Bismarck, N.D. and the Phillips Avenue Diner in Sioux Falls totaling $97,477…(she) also reportedly deposited hospitality industry employee theftmoney electronically three other times, for a total loss to the business of $101,600. All the thefts took place between February and September last year…”

A former account manager for Minervas and the Phillips Avenue Diner has been charged with stealing more than $100,000 from the company last year. Bobbie Sue Davis, 28, worked for WR Restaurants Management when the thefts began, according to court paperwork. The company manages restaurants across North and South Dakota.

During an interview with an SFPD detective on Nov. 19, Davis allegedly admitted to stealing the money, saying she’d been having “personal financial issues” that year.

Davis was arrested on a charge of aggravated grand theft by embezzlement of $100,000 or more on Feb. 5 and released on bond. A grand jury indicted Davis this week. If convicted, she could spend up to 15 years in prison.

For more:  http://www.argusleader.com/article/20130322/UPDATES/130322021/Woman-accused-embezzling-more-than-100K-from-area-restaurant-chain

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by | March 22, 2013 · 5:48 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Maine Restaurant Owner Convicted Of Stealing Over $67,000 From Customers By “Double Billing Credit Cards”

“…(the defendant) stole money from her customers by double billing their credit cards, the prosecutor said…(she) took credit card slips from sales at her restaurant during the summer of 2010 and later that year, and ran them through for payment a second time after the employee theftrestaurant had closed…may have stolen as much as $80,000 through the fraudulent credit card charges.”

A former local restaurant owner who stole more than $67,000 from banks and customers through check and credit card fraud, but who has since paid it back, has been ordered to spend 60 days in jail for her crimes. Having pleaded no contest last fall to two felony theft charges, Jennifer Lozano, 43, on Thursday received an overall sentence of five years with all but 60 days suspended and will have to serve two years of probation upon her release.

As part of a plea deal, prosecutors had agreed to cap the unsuspended part of the sentence at nine months if Lozano paid $67,399 in restitution to people and financial institutions she stole money from. She did so, paying off the final $18,000 she owed in restitution just as the sentencing hearing was about to begin Thursday afternoon in Hancock County Superior Court.

Kellett said an investigation revealed that Lozano conducted 1,488 fraudulent duplicate credit card transactions in the fall of 2010. She repaid many customers who complained, and many were repaid by their credit card companies, but she did not repay everyone who lost money through the scheme before police learned about it. As part of the restitution order, Lozano had to repay $15,300 to a credit card company that had lost money through the fraud and to customers whom she had not already repaid.

But Kellett said that restitution amount does not reflect the full scope of the illegal credit card transactions that Lozano made. Investigators believe that not all the double-billed customers complained, and so were not repaid either by Lozano or by their credit card firms.

For more: http://bangordailynews.com/2013/03/21/news/hancock/former-mdi-restaurant-owner-gets-60-days-for-67000-theft/?ref=polbeat

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by | March 21, 2013 · 6:05 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Michigan Restaurant A “Total Loss” After Fire In “Deep Fryer” Spreads Quickly Into Ceiling And Roof

“…the restaurant is a total loss and smoke enveloped the entire intersection where the Restaurant Firerestaurant is located….the fire had spread quickly to the wooden trusses that supported the roof, up above a suspended ceiling…causing the roof to collapse…”

Fire investigators have determined that a fire that destroyed the Ram’s Horn on Tuesday originated in a deep fryer in the restaurant’s kitchen. The fire spread quickly during the lunch hour. Staff and patrons were evacuated and fire crews responded at about 12:12 p.m.

No one was injured in the blaze, which took several hours to extinguish. Middlebelt between Seven and Eight Mile roads remained closed throughout the afternoon as firefighters extended hoses from several fire hydrants to battle the blaze.

When fire crews encountered the heavy smoke and heat and knew that customers and restaurant staff were out of the building, firefighters were moved outside of the restaurant, which occurred within 15 minutes, Whitehead said.

The roof collapsed while firefighters were outside fighting the fire. “It had a pretty good start,” Whitehead said.

For more:  http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20130321/NEWS10/303210566/Fire-gutted-Livonia-Ram-s-Horn-started-deep-fryer

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by | March 20, 2013 · 6:01 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Tennessee Hotel Housekeepers Hospitalized After “Exposure To Carbon Monoxide” In Basement Laundry Room

hotel Carbon Monoxide Poisoning“…two housekeepers were in a basement laundry room when they began feeling dizzy and nauseous. One of the house keepers got physically sick…both women were taken to Memorial Hospital Hixson for treatment…”

Two Holiday Inn Express employees fell ill over suspected exposure to carbon monoxide. Officials with the Chattanooga Fire Department say they responded to the Holiday Inn Express on Hixson Pike around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters evacuated the building. They used gas monitors to check the building and found elevated levels of carbon monoxide. The building was ventilated and aired and deemed safe to return to.

For more:  http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/21722645/2-motel-employees-fall-ill-after-carbon-monoxide-exposure

Motel management and Chattanooga Gas officials are working to determine what caused the leak and repair it.

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by | March 19, 2013 · 5:52 am

Hospitality Industry Employment Risks: Maine Restaurant Owners Convicted Of “Harboring Undocumented Aliens For Profit” And “Aiding Document Fraud”; 10 Years In Prison And $250,000 Fine Per Count

“…(the defendants) helped illegal  workers obtain green cards and Social Security cards…several workers testified that they worked six to seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. with only one two-hour break. Kitchen staff said they were paid in cash. Waiters were not paid but allowed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcementkeep their tips…they face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each  count and may have to give up the profits they earned from the scheme…”

Two brothers who own a popular chain of Mexican restaurants in Maine  were convicted Monday of harboring undocumented aliens for profit and  aiding and abetting document fraud. Following an eight-day trial,  Guillermo Fuentes, 37, of Westbrook and Hector Fuentes, 39, of  Waterville were found guilty in U.S. District Court.

The charges  stem from practices at the Fajita Grill in Westbrook, the Cancun Mexican  Restaurant in Waterville and the Cancun Mexican Restaurant II in  Biddeford, between 2006 and 2011.

The  investigation was conducted by the U.S. Immigration Customs  Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations division and the U.S.  Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the Office of Labor  Racketeering and Fraud Investigations.

The documents said Roth informed  the federal agency that in routine traffic stops in April 2008,  Westbrook police officers had pulled over Hispanic men who appeared to  work at Fajita Grill, claimed to be from Mexico and could not provide  any U.S. identification. During the investigation, James Bell, a  special agent with the Department of Homeland Security interviewed four  illegal workers, all of whom had worked for the Fuentes brothers at a  Mexican restaurant in Atlanta called El Potrillo.

For more:  http://www.pressherald.com/news/Brothers-guilty-of-profiting-off-illegal-workers-at-Maine-Mexican-restaurants.html

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