Category Archives: Guest Issues

by | December 17, 2011 · 11:35 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Safety: New York Hotel Elevator Malfunctions "Killing Hotel Guest" Hours After "Electrical Maintenance Repairs"

“…Electrical maintenance work was being performed on an elevator just hours before it malfunctioned, killing an advertising executive in Midtown…”

Photo by Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

“…The last fatal elevator accident in the city also involved Transel: Robert Melito, 44, a technician for the company, was servicing an elevator on the 10th floor of a building at 230 West 38th Street on Sept. 23 when he fell to his death…”

Suzanne Hart, 41, was crushed to death on Wednesday morning after the elevator she was stepping into lurched upward, pinning her between the outside of the car and the wall of the elevator shaft.

Mr. Sclafani said the department would be conducting citywide sweeps of elevators maintained by Transel Elevator Inc., the company that serviced the elevators at 285 Madison Avenue, where the accident occurred.

The company maintains elevators at nearly a dozen prominent buildings in the city, according to Transel’s Web site, including the Graybar Building, the BMW Building and the Hippodrome Building. Additional clients listed on the Web site include Carnegie Hall and the Plaza Hotel.

For more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/nyregion/elevator-that-killed-yr-executive-was-undergoing-maintenance-city-says.html?_r=1

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by | December 16, 2011 · 7:03 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Prevention: Montana Police Task Force Trains Hotel Employees To Look For Evidence Of Drug And Prostitution Activity

Employees are taught to look for signs such as people who pay only in cash, give false vehicle information or don’t let housekeeping into their rooms for long periods of time.

The task force recently began implementing a program in which hotel and motel employees are trained to look for evidence of illegal drug activity coming from rooms, and to know who to call if they see something suspicious.

The recent arrests of three people suspected of running a prostitution operation in a room at the TownHouse Inn was a result of a tip made by an employee of the hotel to the Central Montana Drug Task Force.

The employee was trained by Sgt. Chris Hickman of the Great Falls Police Department, a member of the multi-agency task force, to recognize signs of suspicious behavior. While it was initially suspected that the three individuals were running a drug operation, Hickman said he was glad that officers were able to shut down the alleged prostitution as a result cooperation from hotel staff.

 According to Hickman, police are pursuing three active cases because of tips from cooperative lodging employees in Great Falls, but an unfortunate by-product of that cooperation can sometimes be a sullied reputation for the business if a tip leads to a publicized arrest.

For more:  http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20111214/NEWS01/112140311/Great-Falls-program-netted-prostitution-ring-relies-hotel-staff-tips

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by | December 15, 2011 · 6:47 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Safety: Hotels And Resorts Face Lawsuits Over Severe Burns To Children From Guest Room "Glass Fireplaces"; Glass Can Reach Temperatures Of 400 Degrees

“…more than 2,000 children ages 5 and younger have suffered burns from fireplace glass since 1999, according to a federal estimate. Some burn specialists think the actual toll is higher…”

“…(one) lawsuit, filed this June in federal court in Denver, seeks damages from several fireplace companies along with operators of the resort. They knew “these fireplaces would be installed at heights for which the decorative glass front was perfectly suited to contact by infants and small children,” the lawsuit states, yet “took no steps to guard against direct contact with the super-heated glass or to meaningfully warn about the extreme…burn potential.”

Citing the “extreme risk of injury,” the American Burn Association, representing burn surgeons, nurses and therapists, last week became the latest to call for adoption of a mandatory safety standard. It joins such groups as Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of America.

The glass commonly reaches temperatures of 400 degrees, as hot as an oven on broil, and is usually placed at a perfect height for curious toddlers to touch or fall into. These encounters can easily result in skin graft surgery and painful recovery, with medical costs in the six figures. One safety expert called it an “insidious and unappreciated hazard.”

Consumer groups and anguished parents are urging the Consumer Product Safety Commission to impose federal safety regulations. But the fireplace industry, which up to now has policed itself, is resisting. To head off federal regulation and more lawsuits from families of burned kids, manufacturers are working on a revision to their current voluntary standard that will be taken up by an industry technical panel on Dec. 13.

For more:  http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/121211_fireplace_burns_regs/fireplace-industry-resists-regulation-over-child-burns/

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by | December 14, 2011 · 6:21 am

Hospitality Industry Information Security Risks: Most Hotels And Restaurants Have Experienced A "Cyber Attack" In The Past Year; "Intellectual Property Protection" Is Too Often Ignored

“…Seventy-three percent of small-to-middle-sized companies experienced a cyber attack in 2010, and 30% of those attacks were extremely effective, according to Symantec, a software security developer based in Mountan View, Calif…”

“…estimates are that this year…the cost associated with each breach has gone up to $214 per record…Negligence is a big issue,” “

With the increase in worldwide cyber crimes, smaller private businesses may be more vulnerable than larger ones, said an executive of Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. “It’s the perfect cyber storm,” said Ken Goldstein, vice president of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. “We’re in a bad economy; we’ve got private companies, generally small to middle in market size, that are strapped in what they can spend on intellectual property protection,” he said.

At the same time, he said, new technology means “cyber thieves can essentially hack from anywhere around the globe.”

Cyber crimes can do serious harm to an organization’s bottom line. According to Ponemon’s, the median annualized cost of cyber crimes for the 50 organizations studied was $5.9 million, with a range of $1.5 million to $36.5 million. This represents a 56% increase since last year.

“Multiply that by the number of customers that you service; it could be a sizable amount of money that a company would have to pay out of pocket,” Goldstein said.

The most costly cyber crimes are those caused by malicious code, denial of service, stolen devices and Web-based attacks, Goldstein said. Besides deliberate cyber theft, Goldstein says company information loss sometimes is a byproduct of employee negligence. An employee losing their mobile device at a hotel or restaurant, for example, could lead to a breach, he said.

For more:  http://www.fa-mag.com/fa-news/9382-smaller-private-companies-at-greater-risk-of-cyber-attack-.html

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by | December 12, 2011 · 6:50 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Hotels And Restaurants Must Have "Armed Robbery Prevention" Procedures; Available From Insurance Carriers

“…Because hospitality establishments have a certain amount of cash on hand, agents and cashiers may face the potential danger of robberies…”

  1. Is there a high degree of visibility?
  2. Are shop or outlet displays free from posters and signs?
  3. Are  counters and cases low enough for line of sight?
  4. Are all sections of business are visible from central cashier area?
  5. Do you call authorities if you suspect someone?
  6. Have you secured your desk or cashier operation if there is a reason for concern?
  7. Have you installed a holdup alarm system and instructed staff in its use?
  8. Do you keep minimal cash?
  9. Is your routine for bank deposits varied?
  10. Is your safe locked at all times?
  11. Have you taught robbery prevention to employees?
  12. Are references checked before hiring new employees?
  13. Do two or more people open and close your business?

For more:  http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000320/4054068.html

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by | December 11, 2011 · 6:38 am

Hospitality Industry Food Safety: The "2009 FDA Food Code" Established New Federal Standards Limiting Handling Of Foods With "Bare Hands", Lowered Refrigeration Temperatures

“…The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code (established) a new set of federal standards in 2009…multiple federal agencies, with input from business interests…(made) several changes in how health inspections are conducted…”

CLICK ON "FDA" TO VIEW FDA FOOD CODE

  • Restaurants will have to put date markers on all food containers in their refrigerators and freezers
  • Prepared food may be kept for no more than four or seven days, depending on the temperature to which it’s chilled
  • Cooks and kitchen help will no longer be allowed to touch ready-to-eat foods with their bare hands
  • Gloves must be used
  • The standard is minimal bare-hand contact
  • Refrigeration standards are being tightened
  • Potentially hazardous foods – those that can make you sick if you’re not careful – must be chilled to 41 degrees

For more:  http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20111210/articles/111219993?p=1&tc=pg

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by | December 10, 2011 · 8:18 am

Hospitality Industry Pool Risks: Hotel Pools And Spas Are Not Considered Safe If "Drain Covers Are Broken, Missing Or Cracked" (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRLG0iICT4w]

 

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by | December 6, 2011 · 6:53 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Privacy Risks: New "Invasion Of Privacy" Lawsuit Filed Against Tennessee Hotel By ESPN Reporter Who Seeks $6 Million For "Negligence And Infliction Of Emotional Distress"

“…The lawsuit charges that Barrett called the Marriott and was told which room Andrews would be staying in and then rented the room next to her…”

The lawsuit accuses Marriott of negligence, infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy and seeks at least $2 million in damages for each of the claims. Barrett was accused of the same claims in addition to disclosure of private facts, and the lawsuit seeks $1 million for each claim against him.

ESPN reporter Erin Andrews filed a new lawsuit in Davidson County Circuit Court last week accusing the Nashville hotel where she was unknowingly videotaped in the nude in 2008 of invasion of privacy, negligence and infliction of emotional stress.

In addition to the West End Marriott Hotel, Andrews also named convicted perpetrator Michael Barrett in the lawsuit. Barrett, an Illinois resident, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison in 2010 for stalking Andrews as she traveled around the country to cover sporting events for ESPN and filming her in her hotel rooms.

For more:  http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111206/NEWS03/312060024/ESPN-s-Erin-Andrews-files-new-invasion-of-privacy-suit

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by | December 5, 2011 · 7:00 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Arizona Hotel's Elevator "Free-Falls" Several Floors Injuring Female Guest

“…Right after the second-floor button lit up, she heard a loud noise and the elevator went into a free-fall mode…The elevator hit the ground. The woman broke her right ankle, and possibly her left ankle, too…”  

A woman suffered broken bones after the elevator she was riding in fell several floors at a Phoenix hotel Saturday night, fire officials said. The woman, who was not identified, was riding up to the third floor at the Embassy Suites at I-17 and Greenway, according to Capt. Scott McDonald of the Phoenix Fire Department.

It was not immediately known what caused the elevator to fall.

For more:  http://www.kpho.com/story/16185739/woman-hurt-in-falling-elevator

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by | December 4, 2011 · 11:17 am

Hospitality Industry Pool Risks: Florida Hotel Employees Hospitalized After Exposure To "Hazardous Chemicals"

Two Orlando hotel employees have been taken to the hospital after being exposed to pool cleaning chemicals that were incorrectly mixed.

Orange County Fire Rescue officials said two employees at the Vistana Villages Resort moved the chemical container to a safe area away from hotel guests on Saturday. But officials said the employees were injured in the process

Firefighters wore special hazardous material protective gear as they spent more than two hours cleaning up the chemicals.

No hotel guests were injured. Fire rescue resources were also sent to help the hospital to make sure the patients were properly decontaminated so they didn’t expose other patients.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/04/2531128/fla-hotel-workers-exposed-to-pool.html#ixzz1fatfwCeQ

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