Category Archives: Guest Issues

by | April 19, 2012 · 6:43 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Man Arrested For Using Fraudulent Credit Card Information At California Hotels; Police Seize $32,000 Worth Of Cashier's Checks

“…(the man) was arrested on suspicion of using fraudulent credit card information at hotels and resorts in Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa and Dana Point…between Feb. 15 and April 12…”

“…it was common for Larson to give his hotel room to someone else before the end of his stay and move on to another hotel…”

Harold Eric Larson, 36, of Orange was arrested April 12 at the Costa Mesa Marriott, where detectives seized documents, hotel booking information and $32,000 worth of cashier’s checks from 39 different accounts.

Larson is facing charges of burglary, identity theft, grand theft and credit card fraud, said Laguna Beach police Sgt. Robert Rahaeuser.

According to court records, Larson pleaded not guilty Monday to 20 felony counts.

Laguna police first got a tip March 2 that Larson was committing fraud at a Laguna resort.

For more:  http://www.dailypilot.com/tn-cpt-0420-larson-20120417,0,413551.story

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by | April 18, 2012 · 6:40 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Colorado Hotel Sued By Woman "Bitten By A Vicious Dog" Owned By Hotel Guest; Written "Pet Care Policies" Not Followed According To Lawsuit

“…The lawsuit claims that employees at The Little Nell hotel, which provided dog-sitting services for Babu, knew the dog had violent tendencies…”

“The Little Nell’s Guide to Petiquette,” a set of written policies governing pet care and behavior at the hotel, required that a problem dog such as Babu either be removed from the premises or have a sitter overseeing it at all times, the lawsuit said, according to the Times. The lawsuit accuses the hotel of failing to follow its policy…”

The Aspen Skiing Co. and a New York socialite couple are defendants in a lawsuit that accuses them of keeping a vicious dog that bit a woman at the Gondola Plaza. Beth Fischer, of Aspen, filed a complaint Monday in Pitkin County District Court saying she has racked up more than $200,000 in medical bills after a black Labrador retriever bit her on Sept. 18, according to the Aspen Times.

She has had multiple surgeries to her hand and resulting staph infections because of the attack, the lawsuit said. Fischer’s lawsuit said that she was walking in the Gondola Plaza, near the outdoor tables at Starbucks, when a black Labrador named Babu Sarofim “leapt up from its position and lunged directly” at her, biting her left hand.

“Fischer was able to free her left hand from Babu’s mouth and she immediately realized she was injured and bleeding from the dog bite,” the lawsuit said. A woman who witnessed the attack called 911.

For more: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/30907562/detail.html

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by | · 6:40 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Colorado Hotel Sued By Woman "Bitten By A Vicious Dog" Owned By Hotel Guest; Written "Pet Care Policies" Not Followed According To Lawsuit

“…The lawsuit claims that employees at The Little Nell hotel, which provided dog-sitting services for Babu, knew the dog had violent tendencies…”

“The Little Nell’s Guide to Petiquette,” a set of written policies governing pet care and behavior at the hotel, required that a problem dog such as Babu either be removed from the premises or have a sitter overseeing it at all times, the lawsuit said, according to the Times. The lawsuit accuses the hotel of failing to follow its policy…”

The Aspen Skiing Co. and a New York socialite couple are defendants in a lawsuit that accuses them of keeping a vicious dog that bit a woman at the Gondola Plaza. Beth Fischer, of Aspen, filed a complaint Monday in Pitkin County District Court saying she has racked up more than $200,000 in medical bills after a black Labrador retriever bit her on Sept. 18, according to the Aspen Times.

She has had multiple surgeries to her hand and resulting staph infections because of the attack, the lawsuit said. Fischer’s lawsuit said that she was walking in the Gondola Plaza, near the outdoor tables at Starbucks, when a black Labrador named Babu Sarofim “leapt up from its position and lunged directly” at her, biting her left hand.

“Fischer was able to free her left hand from Babu’s mouth and she immediately realized she was injured and bleeding from the dog bite,” the lawsuit said. A woman who witnessed the attack called 911.

For more: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/30907562/detail.html

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by | April 17, 2012 · 8:10 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: "Aggressive" Disabled Plaintiff Attorneys "Identify" Hotels And Restaurants Not In Compliance With ADA Laws And Use "People With Disabilities" To File Lawsuits

“…suits were filed by Ben-Zion Bradley Weitz, a lawyer based in Florida, who has a regular group of people with disabilities from whom he selects plaintiffs. One of them, Todd Kreisler, a man in a wheelchair who lives on the East Side of Manhattan, sued 19 businesses over 16 months – a Chinese restaurant, a liquor store and a sandwich shop among them…”

A small cadre of lawyers, some from out of state, are using New York City’s age and architectural quirkiness as the foundation for a flood of lawsuits citing violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The lawyers are generally not acting on existing complaints from people with disabilities. Instead, they identify local businesses, like bagel shops and delis, that are not in compliance with the law, and then aggressively recruit plaintiffs from advocacy groups for people with disabilities.

The plaintiffs typically collect $500 for each suit, and each plaintiff can be used several times over. The lawyers, meanwhile, make several thousands of dollars, because the civil rights law entitles them to legal fees from the noncompliant businesses.

The practice has set off a debate about whether the lawsuits are a laudable effort, because they force businesses to make physical improvements to comply with the disabilities act, or simply a form of ambulance-chasing, with no one actually having been injured.

The suits may claim a host of problems: at a deli grocery in West Harlem, an overly steep ramp without guardrails, high shelves and a narrowing pathway near the refrigerators; at a yogurt shop in the theater district, no ramp, no bathroom doorknob that can be opened with a closed fist and exposed hot water drains under the bathroom sink; at a flower shop on the Upper East Side, no ramp and shelves that are too high.

For more:  http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=939650&f=22

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by | · 8:10 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: "Aggressive" Disabled Plaintiff Attorneys "Identify" Hotels And Restaurants Not In Compliance With ADA Laws And Use "People With Disabilities" To File Lawsuits

“…suits were filed by Ben-Zion Bradley Weitz, a lawyer based in Florida, who has a regular group of people with disabilities from whom he selects plaintiffs. One of them, Todd Kreisler, a man in a wheelchair who lives on the East Side of Manhattan, sued 19 businesses over 16 months – a Chinese restaurant, a liquor store and a sandwich shop among them…”

A small cadre of lawyers, some from out of state, are using New York City’s age and architectural quirkiness as the foundation for a flood of lawsuits citing violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The lawyers are generally not acting on existing complaints from people with disabilities. Instead, they identify local businesses, like bagel shops and delis, that are not in compliance with the law, and then aggressively recruit plaintiffs from advocacy groups for people with disabilities.

The plaintiffs typically collect $500 for each suit, and each plaintiff can be used several times over. The lawyers, meanwhile, make several thousands of dollars, because the civil rights law entitles them to legal fees from the noncompliant businesses.

The practice has set off a debate about whether the lawsuits are a laudable effort, because they force businesses to make physical improvements to comply with the disabilities act, or simply a form of ambulance-chasing, with no one actually having been injured.

The suits may claim a host of problems: at a deli grocery in West Harlem, an overly steep ramp without guardrails, high shelves and a narrowing pathway near the refrigerators; at a yogurt shop in the theater district, no ramp, no bathroom doorknob that can be opened with a closed fist and exposed hot water drains under the bathroom sink; at a flower shop on the Upper East Side, no ramp and shelves that are too high.

For more:  http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=939650&f=22

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by | April 16, 2012 · 1:31 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Payment Risks: New Jersey Hotel Is Victim Of $3900 "Theft By Deception"; Two Teens Stay In Room After Pretending To Be Placed By Social Services Agency

Police have determined that 19-year-old Joshua Walton of Barnegat and a 17-year-old girl had stayed in the room. Both were charged with theft by deception.

Authorities say two New Jersey teens pretended to be placed in a motel by a social services agency and then ran up a bill of $3,900.

Long Beach police tell the Asbury Park Press that a woman claiming to work for Ocean County Social Services called a motel last summer and requested a room for a couple and their child.

The motel owner agreed to house them for two weeks, but later learned that the woman who had made the arrangements did not work for the agency.

For more:  http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20120415/NEWS01/204150306/Police-Teens-ran-up-3-900-hotel-bill

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by | · 1:31 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Payment Risks: New Jersey Hotel Is Victim Of $3900 "Theft By Deception"; Two Teens Stay In Room After Pretending To Be Placed By Social Services Agency

Police have determined that 19-year-old Joshua Walton of Barnegat and a 17-year-old girl had stayed in the room. Both were charged with theft by deception.

Authorities say two New Jersey teens pretended to be placed in a motel by a social services agency and then ran up a bill of $3,900.

Long Beach police tell the Asbury Park Press that a woman claiming to work for Ocean County Social Services called a motel last summer and requested a room for a couple and their child.

The motel owner agreed to house them for two weeks, but later learned that the woman who had made the arrangements did not work for the agency.

For more:  http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20120415/NEWS01/204150306/Police-Teens-ran-up-3-900-hotel-bill

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by | April 15, 2012 · 1:31 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: California Hotel Sued For Violating "State Liquor Control Act" By "Over-Serving Alcohol" To Hotel Guest Who Sustained Critical Spinal Injury In Fall

“…The complaint seeks compensatory, punitive and other damages from the Hotel St. Francis and Heritage Hotels and Resorts of Albuquerque, which has managed the hotel since 2008. It says the defendants violated the state Liquor Control Act and other laws by over-serving alcohol to Sherman…”

A California man says in a lawsuit that he is a paraplegic because he was over-served alcohol at the Hotel St. Francis’ bar two years ago, fell down and damaged his spine.  Mike Sherman of Petaluma, Calif., accuses the hotel staff of destroying videos that might show how he ended up with a vertebral fracture at the downtown hotel.

According to a complaint filed April 1 in state District Court, Sherman checked into the St. Francis on April 26, 2010, then went to its Secreto Bar and ran up three tabs totaling $177.97.

By 8 p.m., bar manager Daniel Gonzales determined Sherman was intoxicated, served him one more cocktail and told bar employees that would be his last, yet he was served other drinks later, the complaint says.

By 10 p.m., it says, Gonzales walked Sherman to his room, but later that evening, or early the next day, security guard James Cox found Sherman unconscious and lying on the floor outside two other hotel rooms.  Sherman was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center for emergency treatment of his spinal injury, then transferred back to California for further treatment.

The complaint by lawyers Esteban Aguilar of Albuquerque and Michael Kelly of San Francisco says a lawyer working for Sherman’s partner, Scott Clark, called Steve Caalim, who was then the hotel’s general manager, to ask that he preserve videos or other records relating to the incident.

But Sherman was told that none of the hotel’s several security cameras were working that night, the complaint says, accusing the hotel of having the videos “intentionally destroyed, erased, deleted or otherwise tampered with … to hide, conceal or destroy evidence.”

For more:  http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Man-sues-hotel-over-spinal-injury

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by | · 1:31 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: California Hotel Sued For Violating "State Liquor Control Act" By "Over-Serving Alcohol" To Hotel Guest Who Sustained Critical Spinal Injury In Fall

“…The complaint seeks compensatory, punitive and other damages from the Hotel St. Francis and Heritage Hotels and Resorts of Albuquerque, which has managed the hotel since 2008. It says the defendants violated the state Liquor Control Act and other laws by over-serving alcohol to Sherman…”

A California man says in a lawsuit that he is a paraplegic because he was over-served alcohol at the Hotel St. Francis’ bar two years ago, fell down and damaged his spine.  Mike Sherman of Petaluma, Calif., accuses the hotel staff of destroying videos that might show how he ended up with a vertebral fracture at the downtown hotel.

According to a complaint filed April 1 in state District Court, Sherman checked into the St. Francis on April 26, 2010, then went to its Secreto Bar and ran up three tabs totaling $177.97.

By 8 p.m., bar manager Daniel Gonzales determined Sherman was intoxicated, served him one more cocktail and told bar employees that would be his last, yet he was served other drinks later, the complaint says.

By 10 p.m., it says, Gonzales walked Sherman to his room, but later that evening, or early the next day, security guard James Cox found Sherman unconscious and lying on the floor outside two other hotel rooms.  Sherman was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center for emergency treatment of his spinal injury, then transferred back to California for further treatment.

The complaint by lawyers Esteban Aguilar of Albuquerque and Michael Kelly of San Francisco says a lawyer working for Sherman’s partner, Scott Clark, called Steve Caalim, who was then the hotel’s general manager, to ask that he preserve videos or other records relating to the incident.

But Sherman was told that none of the hotel’s several security cameras were working that night, the complaint says, accusing the hotel of having the videos “intentionally destroyed, erased, deleted or otherwise tampered with … to hide, conceal or destroy evidence.”

For more:  http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Man-sues-hotel-over-spinal-injury

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by | April 14, 2012 · 1:49 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Florida Hotel's Video Surveillance System Captures Woman Stealing $700 In Property From Room

“…Surveillance video captured the 5-foot-7 thief, in a blue tank top and jeans  shorts, lugging the stolen TV down a hallway at the Sabal Suites hotel…”

A Florida bandit helped herself to a television, bedspread, curtains, rugs,  trash can, iron and ironing board from a vacant Tampa hotel room. The 10:15 a.m. robbery back on March 21 included several trips back and  forth as the woman stripped the room of about $700 worth of property — leaving  behind only the bed.

The 20-something suspect checked several doors before starting her one-woman  crime spree. The rooms were under renovation at the time of the robbery.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/mini-bar-article-1.1061166#ixzz1rwodYiC9

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