Category Archives: Guest Issues

by | February 12, 2012 · 8:33 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: North Dakota Hotel Water Pipe Breaks Flooding Entire Hotel; All 40 Guest Rooms Evacuated

“The water pressure actually broke a wall down….They had to evacuate all 40-some rooms that night.”

Late in the night on Jan. 22, a water pipe on the north side of Candlewood Suites burst, causing the hotel to close until further notice.

According to WooMi Phillips, assistant professor and head of the hospitality and tourism management department at NDSU, the water damage began somewhere in the third floor ceiling.

Candlewood Suites, although located on the north side of NDSU’s main campus just west of the Fargodome, is not technically not part of the university. However, the hotel caters to various departments on campus, offers a discounted rate to families of students and even houses a lounge and classroom for the hospitality and tourism management students.

“Initially, we were concerned about the laptops and the computers and printer in the lounge,” Phillips said.

Nichole Ascheman, operations manager at Candlewood Suites and former NDSU student, contacted assistant professor Dipra Jha about the situation early Monday, Jan. 23. Jha taught three hospitality classes in Candlewood Suites.

For more:  http://www.ndsuspectrum.com/news/water-damage-drowns-hotel-1.2773145

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by | February 11, 2012 · 7:04 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Louisiana Hotel Director Of Security "Indicted By Grand Jury" For Allegedly "Covering Up Rape" In Hotel

“As the director of security, etc., if you see what you perceive to be a crime, you need to call it in and let the police and the district attorney sort it out…they may have made some decisions of their own to not do that, and now the district attorney feels like what they did was a crime, which is covering up a bigger crime of aggravated rape.”

An Orleans grand jury indicted three people Thursday, one on a rape charge, and two Sheraton hotel employees for allegedly trying to cover it up.

One of those facing charges is the hotel’s former head of security.  FOX 8 sources say the rape took place in an ice room on the 44th floor of the Sheraton hotel in Dec. 2010.

We’re told a security guard responded to the call from a guest, and that guard witnessed the rape.  But one source says the hotel’s director of security, 31-year-old Antonio Rodriguez, instructed the guard to write up the report as a non-complaint, instead of a rape.

The grand jury indicted 21-year-old Anthony Davis with one count of aggravated rape, and now Rodriguez and the manager on duty that day, 23-year-old Lila Schwary, both face a charge of conspiracy to compound a felony.

For more:  http://www.fox8live.com/mostpopular/story/Three-indicted-for-Sheraton-Hotel-rape/7Blf6YYAHki8kMzmEZ8fwg.cspx

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by | February 9, 2012 · 1:57 am

Hospitality Industry Compliance Risks: Hotels Must Equip Pools And Spas With "Pool Lifts" To Comply With 2010 ADA Standards

The 2010 ADA Standards for pool access have significantly changed the requirements for municipal and private pools by requiring, for the first time, that they be equipped with independently useable pool lifts during all operating hours.

Since the DOJ announced its intention to require lifts in nearly all pools, the hotel industry and others have opposed or sought clarification of this provision.

In October, 2010, the American Hotel & Lodging Association sought clarification of the pool lift requirements which become mandatory on March 15, 2012. The AH&LA noted that pool lifts, particularly fixed devices, are potentially dangerous to users and children playing around pools. Moreover, they can be quite costly to most pool operators. The industry’s concerns apparently fell on deaf ears as evidenced by the DOJ’s position issued this week.

The DOJ has officially confirmed that:

  • The mandatory date for installation of pool lifts is March 15, 2012.
  • Pool lifts need to be installed at each pool during all operating times and be independently operable by disabled persons.
  • Pool lifts must be “fixed” unless the operator can prove that doing so would not be “readily achievable” as defined in the ADA, in which event, a portable lift meeting all of the ADA Guidelines could be deployed.
  • Accessible lifts cannot be shared between a pool and a spa, each would seem to require a separate device.
  • Pool lifts must be properly maintained and in good repair, with any battery components charged for use.
  • Staff must be trained in the use and safety of pool lifts.

For more:  http://hotellaw.jmbm.com/2012/02/doj_flash_on_pool_lifts.html

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by | February 8, 2012 · 7:36 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Texas Hotel Sued Over "Toxic Mold" In Room That Sickened Guest

“…the defendants “knew or should have known that the dangerous condition, toxic mold, existed on said premises, but failed to warn and/or failed to correct the said dangerous condition…the toxic mold caused the plaintiff’s personal injuries and property damage in question,” the suit says…”

Friendswood resident Stacy Johnson is suing Park Management Group and Sun Suites Interests alleging she was sickened by toxic mold in a hotel room.

Johnson’s lawsuit, filed Feb. 1 in Galveston County Court at Law No. 1, alleges the plaintiff fell ill on Aug. 3, 2010, as a result of toxic mold found in a room at Sun Suites of Clear Lake in Houston.

Park Management Group was responsible for the safety and habitable state of the rooms at the property in question while Sun Suites Interests owned said property, the suit says.

The original petition shows subsequent tests confirmed that the mold was in Johnson’s room and it was recommended that she not stay in the room.

For more:  http://www.setexasrecord.com/news/241622-woman-sues-hotel-claiming-toxic-mold-made-her-sick

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by | February 6, 2012 · 8:23 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: South Carolina Hotel's Swimming Pool Heater May Have Been Leaking Carbon Monoxide For Weeks Prior To Guest's Death

Investigators say the hotel’s swimming pool heater leaked carbon monoxide sometime during the night, killing Moran and injuring at least 17 others. Carbon monoxide readings at the hotel reached 500 and 600 parts per million, South Charleston Fire Chief Greg Petry said. Authorities say any reading over 30 parts per million is cause for concern.

“…(a guest)… speculated that his death was caused by the swimming pool before investigators confirmed that carbon monoxide leaked from the pool’s heater…”

Staff members at the Holiday Inn Express in South Charleston were aware of a problem with their swimming pool 10 days before an apparent carbon monoxide leak from the pool’s heater killed one and injured several others Tuesday, two Randolph County women said this week.

Lori Burnside, 40, of Montrose, and Danielle Mallow, 38, of Elkins, stayed at the Corridor G hotel with their two daughters on Jan. 21, but said they did not get any sleep because the hotel’s fire alarms kept them awake during the night.

The alarms were blamed on a problem with the indoor swimming pool, they said, which had to be constantly ventilated by the hotel staff.

For more:  http://wvgazette.com/News/201202040030?page=2&build=cache

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by | February 5, 2012 · 6:32 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Florida Hotel Suffers Major Water Damage As Fire Sprinklers Are Accidently Activated, Flooding First And Second Floors

 “…A guest in a room knocked off a sprinkler, accidentally setting off the fire extinguishers. The knock-off of the sprinkler was itself accidental…The third floor was not affected. But water damaged the second floor, and seeped down to the first, damaging that floor as well. About three or four dozen guests were evacuated…”

Palm Coast’s Holiday Inn Express, a three-story, 81-room hotel, was evacuated this afternoon when sprinklers went off on the second floor. The Palm Coast Fire Department and the county’s fire rescue department responded in force, but there was no fire. A guest in a room knocked off a sprinkler, accidentally setting off the fire extinguishers. The knock-off of the sprinkler was itself accidental. No one was injured.

The third floor was not affected. But water damaged the second floor, and seeped down to the first, damaging that floor as well. About three or four dozen guests were evacuated. They were invited to register at the Hampton Inn and Suites, just 50 yards away. The Hampton Inn and the Holiday Inn Express are owned by the same concern. The Hampton Inn’s lobby at mid-afternoon was teeming with people registering at the front desk and waiting in the lobby-dining area, as firefighters remained at the Holiday Inn.

The Holiday Inn is expected to be off limits to guests for about 24 hours as a company is brought in to dry the two floors affected, authorities at the scene said. Although the third floor is not affected, the hotel’s elevator has been shut down because of water leakage. Hotel officials would not comment.

For more:  http://flaglerlive.com/33914/holiday-inn-evacuated/comment-page-1

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by | February 3, 2012 · 6:33 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: New York Hotel's Water System Is "Source" Of Six Reported Cases Of Legionnaire's Disease In 2011

“…New York state health officials say six cases of Legionnaire’s disease contracted last year have been linked to an upstate hotel…Legionnaires can cause deadly pneumonia…the germs spread through mist or vapor from contaminated water or air conditioning systems…”

A Department of Health spokesman tells local media outlets that tests confirmed earlier this week that higher than normal levels of legionnella bacteria were present in the water system at the Best Western Sovereign Hotel in Albany.

Officials say the guests who became ill stayed at the hotel between September and December.

The Times Union of Albany reports that Phoenix-based Best Western International said in a statement that the company is working with health officials and has taken steps to eliminate the bacteria. The company says current guests aren’t at risk.

For more:  http://online.wsj.com/article/APc99086b2afa94c57a72e593a6a15e400.html

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by | February 1, 2012 · 6:41 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Death Of West Virginia Hotel Guest On Fifth Floor From "Carbon Monixide Poisoning" Stresses Need For Carbon Monoxide Detectors

“…Firefighters reported high levels of carbon monoxide in the building, and the remaining guests and employees were evacuated. The gas filtered up to the fifth floor from a pool heater on the ground floor…”

The death of one man and grave condition of another has South Charleston City Council members thinking of requiring hotels to install carbon monoxide detectors. Mayor Frank Mullens was still gathering information Tuesday evening from city fire and police officers at the Holiday Inn Express along Corridor G.

A construction worker was found dead in his hotel room Tuesday morning when other members of his crew went to wake him. The man’s roommate was unresponsive and was taken to Charleston Area Medical Center’s General Hospital, where he was in critical condition Tuesday evening.

Two others were taken from the hotel to St. Francis Hospital.

Mullens said he never had heard of anything like it.

“From what I gather right now, we’re looking at a tragic accident,” the mayor said. “I’m just speechless. I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before in my life.”

The hotel, which opened in July 1999, had no carbon monoxide detectors, according to South Charleston Fire Chief Greg Petry.

State law requires all homes with gas appliances built after 1998 to have carbon monoxide detectors, but there is no such requirement for hotels. Petry said he didn’t know of a single hotel in the area with such detectors.

Mullens said the city follows state building code but the one regarding carbon monoxide detectors only in homes didn’t make any sense.

For more:  http://www.dailymail.com/News/Kanawha/201201310236

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by | January 31, 2012 · 10:16 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: West Virginia Hotel Evacuated After Carbon Monoxide Detected; One Guest Dies And Others Hospitalized

 

The Holiday Inn Express along Corridor G in South Charleston has been evacuated after carbon monoxide was detected inside the building.

Kanawha County 911 Dispatchers tell WSAZ.com a man was found dead in the hotel and three others taken to the hospital.

One man was seriously injured. The other two victims were taken to the hospital as a precaution.

 

A South Charleston Firefighter tells WSAZ.com the two men were found on the 5th floor of the hotel.

 

Firefighters say there were extremely high levels of carbon monoxide found on several floors of the hotel.

 

About 10 to 15 people were inside the hotel at the time of the evacuation.

 

Firefighters say the room where the two men were staying did not have a carbon monoxide detector. According to the Assistant Fire Chief, hotels are not required by law to have carbon monoxide detectors, only smoke detectors.

For more:  http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/BREAKING_NEWS__Body_Found_at_Local_Hotel_Building_Evacuated_After_Carbon_Monoxide_Detected_138404409.html?ref=409

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by | · 1:35 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Nevada Hotel Sued For "Negligence" By Guests Claiming To Have Contracted "Legionnaires' Disease" From Water System

Eight guests sued in August, seeking $337.5 million in damages from the resort and its builders. An MGM Resorts spokesman at the time denied negligence, saying hotel officials carefully communicated with its guests and reimbursed them fairly for legitimate medical expenses. The case is still pending in federal court in Las Vegas.

The bacteria that causes Legionellosis – or Legionnaires’ disease – was found in water samples at the Luxor hotel-casino this month after a guest died of the form of pneumonia, health officials in Las Vegas said Monday.

The Southern Nevada Health District said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention national surveillance program reported three cases in the past year of Luxor guests being diagnosed with the disease caused by Legionella bacteria.

The Las Vegas Strip resort’s water was tested after the first two cases were reported during the spring of last year, but no Legionella bacteria was detected, district officials said. Those guests recovered.

Officials say the Luxor, owned by MGM Resorts International, immediately began a remediation process once the bacteria was found.

MGM Resorts spokesman Gordon Absher said treatment procedures include superheating and super-chlorination of the water system.

For more:  http://www.thirdage.com/news/legionellosis-found-in-luxor-hotel-water-samples-in-nevada_01-30-2012

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