Category Archives: Risk Management

by | February 21, 2012 · 7:42 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: New York Hotel Electrical Panel Overheats Causing Black Smoke And Evacuation Of Guests

“..(the hotel)… will remain closed until an electrical inspection is completed at the hotel…the main electrical panel became too hot, causing black smoke but no fire…”

The Quality Inn, 10 W. Orvis St., and Dar’s Place, which is inside the hotel, were closed after firefighters responded early Monday to a report of smoke originating in the hotel’s electrical room. All power at the hotel was still off as of 5 p.m. Monday, although a generator was providing some lighting.

“It doesn’t look like we’re going to open tonight,” Mr. Stevens said at that time. “There’s still a lot of work to do. What they’re trying to do right now is get the heat turned on in the building.”

When asked if he expected the hotel to open up today, Mr. Stevens replied, “That will depend on what they do tomorrow. There’s a lot of work left to do to get the building up and running.”

Approximately 40 rooms had guests, all of whom were evacuated safely to Emmanuel Congregational United Church of Christ, 39 W. Orvis St. There, guests were served a breakfast courtesy of the church.

For more:  http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120221/NEWS07/702219855

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by | February 20, 2012 · 9:23 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: California Hotel Suffers Extensive Water Damage To 30 Rooms As "Cast Iron Pipe Connected To Fire Pump" Cracks; Seismic Shifting Possible Cause

“…(the hotel General Manager)…was in her office at 10:30 a.m. Thursday when she realized the carpet was “floating”…The source of the water was traced to a crack in a pipe that connects to a fire pump…a jackhammer was needed to reach the pipe, which is under cement…(the cause of the leak) is theorized (to be) seismic shifting, “not age, because it was cast iron…”

Santa Cruz Dream Inn, the city’s largest hotel, reopened about noon Friday after a 24-hour shutdown triggered by flooding on three floors that forced the hotel’s evacuation and relocation of 130 guests.

General manager Robin Donovan said Friday morning her staff has been working 24/7 to reopen the 163-room hotel. Because of the water damage, 30 rooms on the first three floors are “out of order,” she said.

Damages range from “light” to “extensive,” she added, estimating it would take 10 days up to three weeks to reopen those rooms. A dollar estimate was not available.

The hotel was empty Thursday night with guests relocated to other accommodations, including the Beach Street Inn & Suites, Chaminade, Holiday Inn Express and Scotts Valley Hilton.

For more:  http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19988957

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by | February 19, 2012 · 7:32 am

Hospitality Industry Employment Risks: California Hotel Owners Settle "EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawuit" Brought By Autistic Desk Clerk

“…the hotel’s owner, signed a three-year settlement agreement that will pay the clerk $125,000—and donate $7,500 to Partnerships with Indus­try, a San Diego-based nonprofit that provides employment support to people with disabilities…”

The EEOC and the Comfort Suites Hotel in Mission Valley have agreed to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of an autistic desk clerk who sought state assistance to perform his job but was fired instead. It’s a case that shows how the threat of litigation can sometimes result in greater good.

The man asked California to provide a state-sponsored job coach. Even though the job coach’s serv­­ices were free, the hotel wouldn’t allow the coach to help the clerk. Eventually it fired the clerk, despite previous work experience showing that autism didn’t prevent him from being a solid employee.

After the clerk filed an EEOC disability discrimination suit, the two sides agreed to settle.

But Tarsadia didn’t stop there. In addition to totally revamping its reasonable accommodation procedures and policies, it will hire a consultant to train all employees about disability rights and reasonable ac­­­­com­­modation procedures. The consultant will hold supervisors and managers accountable for their actions in regard to disabled employees.

For more:  http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/29400/socal-hotel-steps-up-after-firing-autistic-employee

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by | February 18, 2012 · 1:53 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Minnesota Hotel Office Robbery Foiled As Suspect "Falls Through Bathroom Ceiling"

“…The employees also reported they found a man…in the bathroom. It appeared that Gifford had pulled himself up into the dropped ceiling and was attempting to crawl across it when he fell through… the hotel’s main office, which was locked at the time, is next to the bathroom…”

A Pennsylvania man was arrested at a downtown Mankato hotel this morning after employees there reported he had fallen through a bathroom ceiling. Police responded to the call from employees at the City Center Hotel, 101 E. Main St., at 12:46 a.m. They said they found damage in the men’s bathroom after hearing a loud noise.

When Garrett was questioned by an officer, he said he was downtown with some friends and he “thought it would be fun” to crawl through a ceiling.

Police are requesting charges of disorderly conduct, criminal damage to property and attempted burglary.

For more:  http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x913139853/Fall-through-ceiling-foils-alleged-burglary

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by | February 17, 2012 · 7:37 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Privacy Risks: Minnesota Hotel Employee, A Registered Sex Offender, Installed A Recording Device In Guest Room

 Marg is a registered sex offender and was convicted in 2002 of showing sexually-natured material to juvenile females in Wisconsin. Police are now searching Marg’s computer to see if it contains recordings of other hotel guests.

Honeymooners celebrating their wedding are recorded having sex at a St. Paul hotel. The couple had been hearing noises while staying at The 340 Hotel recently. Initially, the honeymooners thought they heard a noise near the hot tub. Later they learned the scary truth.

After noticing a large gap between their door and the floor the couple noticed a recording device. Police say the device contained a recording of the couple having sex.

Police say the device belongs to a 28 year old hotel desk clerk, Jeremiah Marg.

For more:  http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2488883.shtml?cat=1&loc=interstitialskip

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by | February 16, 2012 · 1:55 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Thieves Target Florida Hotel Guest Rooms While Housekeepers Are Inside Cleaning

“They’re going up to the floors where housekeeping is, and while the housekeepers are inside the rooms cleaning, the suspects are going in and they’re rummaging through personal belongings left behind,”

“…One suspect allegedly distracted the maid … while it is alleged that the other suspect may have been looking around the room for items of value,”

High-security airport badges and a laptop computer were among items reported missing in one of three incidents at St. Lucie West hotels thought to be the work of people who distract cleaning staff to try to steal things, according to a Port St. Lucie police spokesman Wednesday and reports.

In a Feb. 4 case at a SpringHill Suites on Northwest Courtyard Circle near Interstate 95, a man said he noticed several things missing from his room after he returned from having breakfast. The 48-year-old man said “several FAA and FCC high-security clearance airport ID badges” were stolen, along with a computer, camera, binoculars, curling iron, cash and other items.

For more:  http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/feb/15/thieves-target-hotel-rooms-while-housekeepers-in/

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by | February 15, 2012 · 8:32 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: California Hotel Employees Taken To Hospitals After Chlorine Gas Release; Worker Accidently Mixed Bleach And Fluorosilic Acid

The accident happened when a worker accidentally mixed bleach and fluorosilicic acid.

Thirty Portola Hotel and Spa employees, mostly housekeepers, were back on the job Tuesday after being taken to three area hospitals Monday because of a chlorine gas release, said Janine Chicourrat, the hotel’s general manager.

“We’re having a better day today than we did yesterday,” she said.

Chicourrat said she has met with Cal-OSHA about the incident. “We’re just looking at all of our procedures together,” she said.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stayed overnight Sunday at the Monterey hotel but left before the evacuation of guests and workers.

Romney’s swift visit to the Peninsula was confirmed by local Republican Party spokesman Paul Bruno after the former Massachusetts governor’s campaign staff also confirmed it to local media.

For more:  http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_19965777/monterey-hotel-workers-back-job-after-chlorine-gas

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

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by | February 14, 2012 · 1:23 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Massachussetts Hotel Settles Class-Action Lawsuit Over "Withholding Portion Of The 20 Percent Service Charge" Billed To Banquet Patrons

One-third of the 20 percent service charges billed to patrons at banquets was withheld, said Anthony Chavarry of Dalton, who was the whistleblower and leading plaintiff on behalf of the workers.

“…only employees directly involved in service to customers are entitled to share tips — waitpersons, bartenders and buspersons are included. But food and beverage service managers, sales staff and others are not entitled to any portion of gratuities…”

The Crowne Plaza Hotel, owned by the Berkshire Common Corp., has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit filed at Berkshire Superior Court in November 2009 on behalf of 150 current and former employees who served customers at banquets between November 2006 and June 2010 at the city’s largest lodging establishment.

The $1.3 million settlement, which awaits expected final approval at a fairness hearing May 1, includes legal fees. The workers will share about $850,000, depending upon the amount of time they were employed at the hotel during the period covered by the lawsuit, said attorney Paul Holtzman of the Boston firm Krokidas and Bluestein, which specializes in employment law.

Some employees may see payouts in the tens of thousands of dollars, he said. After the settlement gains the final green light from Berkshire Superior Court, Berkshire Common is required to send out settlement checks by Oct. 17, according to court documents. Copies of the settlement documents are in the mail to the employees affected.

The hotel does not admit any liability, according to the class-action settlement documents.

For more:  http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_19954538

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by | February 13, 2012 · 10:34 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Risks: The "2012 California Employment Law" Makes It Unlawful To "Misclassify Employees As Independent Contractors" With Severe Penalties Imposed

CLICK ON "CALIFORNIA" TO VIEW "2012 EMPLOYMENT LAW" UPDATE

For more:  http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=396703df-f68e-4468-8dc9-7bc9a9a6ee01

 

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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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