Category Archives: Risk Management

by | September 12, 2011 · 7:11 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Minnesota Hotel Security Employees "Fight" With "Partiers" As Mini Riot Erupts Outside Hotel

 “…hotel security employees were fighting with event-goers… partiers soon began moving north on Nicollet Mall, throwing restaurant patio furniture into the streets and getting into fights, but damage was minimal…

Police made three arrests after what they’re calling a “mini riot” broke out on the streets of downtown Minneapolis. Dozens of officers responded to a dance party involving several hundred teens called Big Bash 2 around 10 p.m. Saturday. The event was held in a hall next to the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Three people were arrested, including someone who punched an officer in the face.

For more: http://www.chron.com/default/article/Police-arrest-3-after-mini-riot-in-Minneapolis-2165669.php

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by | September 11, 2011 · 7:26 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: Hotel Room Mattress Fires Can Cause Expensive Damage To Room And Contents

Damage to the hotel is estimated at $15,000 and to the room’s contents at about $10,000, Victoria Fire said.

A fire in a suite at City Metro Suites overnight cost several thousand dollars of damage to the hotel.

Victoria Fire responded to the incident at Rock Bay Avenue and Gorge Road to find the mattress on fire. The room’s occupant was not inside the suite at the time.

The fire was quickly put out and didn’t cause damage to neighbouring suites. The cause of the fire is not known.

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Mattress+fire+City+Metro+Suites+causes+thousands+damage/5382797/story.html#ixzz1XeoryR3C

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by | September 9, 2011 · 10:39 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Hurricane Irene Damage Forces Closure Of North Carolina Hotel Until 2012

 “…(a review of)…the situation with repair and restoration companies, insurance and safety inspectors, and a host of others, we have regretfully concluded that the safest option for our guests and associates is to temporarily close the hotel in order to thoroughly and efficiently complete the work,”

Damage from Hurricane Irene has forced the Sheraton Atlantic Beach to close for the remainder of the year. The hotel is now contacting all the groups and individuals who were booked through December 31.

An employee meeting is being held this afternoon. Ninety employees will be furloughed during the repair process, according to Barnes.

“We will be communicating with employees twice a week regarding our process and sincerely look forward to the opportunity to welcome everyone back after the first of the year, ” Barnes said. “Until then, we are working to place our employees in temporary positions and we welcome calls from employers who are looking for quality staff.”

For more:  http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/129527083.html

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by | September 8, 2011 · 6:24 pm

Hospitality Industry Pool Safety: Hotel Pools Repeatedly Test "Unsafe" For "Psuedomonas" As The Bacteria Is "Chlorine Resilient"

“…about 10 percent of the pools tested in the region come back as bad, earning the “unsafe” rating. Most of those ratings come from the pseudomonas presence…Pseudomonas is ubiquitous; we all have it on our skin, that’s why you should take a shower first before swimming. 99 out of 100 people do not…Sometimes a pool or spa will have a problem especially the pseudomonas because it’s resilient to chlorine.”

Each day, four times a day, John Huggins tests and retests the water quality at the 130,000-gallon outdoor pool at Hart Ranch in Rapid City.

Despite the pool supervisor’s best efforts, his pool, along with more than a dozen of the city’s hotels’, continually fail to meet bacteria standards set by the state health department.

The Journal obtained hundreds of pages of records through a public information request. Of the 36 establishments in Rapid City with pools, about half had tests come back as “bacteriologically unsafe for swimming” this summer.

The 18 failing Rapid City hotels and motels house 36 individual pools, hot tubs or water parks. Of those, about half had tests come back positive for pseudomonas, a nasty bacteria that causes swimmer’s itch and other skin or ear infections.

Read more: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/many-hotel-pools-sink-below-state-standards/article_4bcb4a2c-d84e-11e0-a833-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1XSfQSNSp

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by | September 7, 2011 · 12:17 pm

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Florida Motel Damaged By "Minor Tornado" That Tears Roof Off

“…the storm was accompanied by 35 mph winds but it was a wind burst, or a minor tornado according to eyewitnesses, that pulled the roof off the motel and placed a good portion of it next door on top of… Condos (next door)…”

Sixteen residents of the Holiday Isle Resort at 14711 Gulf Blvd., were displaced early Sept. 7 after a wind storm took about one-third of the roof off the building.

No injuries were reported when the storm struck shortly after 1 a.m. but the American Red Cross was on the scene to help the motel’s residents find temporary housing.

For more: http://www.tbnweekly.com/pubs/beach_beacon/content_articles/090711_bhb-01.txt

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by | September 6, 2011 · 2:18 pm

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Guest Reports Over $14,000 In Cash And Jewelry Stolen After Employee Talked Into Giving Room Key Out

“…A woman stole $9,400 worth of jewelry and $5,000 cash from a North Side hotel room after convincing the clerk to give her a key…”

“…She told the front desk employee about 1 a.m. Aug. 28 she needed to retrieve something from the room. She allowed the clerk to speak on the phone with a man who gave her permission to enter the room…”

The woman claimed to be the girlfriend of the man who rented a room at the Econo Lodge, 1906 Rose St.

The man who rented the room said he didn’t give anyone authorization. He discovered the cash along with a $3,000 diamond ring, $2,500 watch and $3,900 diamond medallion gone, reports stated.

For more: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_1f02751a-d89e-11e0-bb0d-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1XDG1LiFR

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by | September 4, 2011 · 8:05 am

Hospitality Industry Insurance Risks: Hotel & Restaurant Owners Must Review And Update Insurance Coverage To Protect Their Businesses

  •  Proper insurance to value (ITV). The market sometimes offers blanket and agreed amount limits, which can help buyers overcome an instance where the insured has purchased too little building coverage.
  •  Business income limits. Most insurance buyers don’t take time to complete a BI worksheet—a valuable tool to determine proper exposure levels. The tool forces buyers and agents to address all aspects of a potential loss and its business impact.
  • Employee dishonesty limits. Hotel owners think they’ll never use this, and then learn their controller has been siphoning off small amounts of money for years, and the total loss is substantial.
  • Guest discrimination coverage. Hotels might buy employment practices coverage and not the guest coverage. Some specialty programs provide the coverage in the GL form.
  • Property in your care, custody or control. This is a “must have” for all hotels. Agents can offer this in the GL form or buy it as a legal liability (innkeepers) coverage on the crime policy.
  • Health care professionals as insureds. Resorts with spas have this exposure and need this coverage.
  • Valet parking services. Most full service upscale and luxury hotels and resorts offer valet parking services and need to be sure they are covered properly.
  • Ordinance and law. This is key property coverage with the ever-changing building codes. Buyers either buy too little or go without to help control cost. That’s not a good decision.
  • Green building coverage. The three key coverages are:

â—Š Green certified coverage. For a loss to a green certified building, coverage available from AGPOM will apply to rebuilding and additional expenses driven by regaining green certification.

â—Š Green upgrade coverage. This coverage pays the extra expense when a non-certified building opts to go green after a loss. Added costs might result from use of Energy Star equipment; eco-friendly lighting, paint and carpet; or water-efficient plumbing fixtures.

â—Š Green commissioning expense. This coverage provides for a commissioning engineer to inspect a newly built or repaired system after a covered loss to confirm operation at peak performance and expected efficiency.

For more:  http://ventureprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/articles/Hope%20For%20Hospitality.pdf

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by | September 2, 2011 · 5:42 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Washington Hotel Replaces "300 Tempered-Glass Panels" After Glass "Disintegrates" And Falls 11 Stories

“…(This was) …the third time in a year that glass has rained down from condominium balconies at the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences just south of Pike Place Market…”

The balconies, all on the condo levels between the 11th and 21st floors, will be closed until new panels or a new railing system are installed.

 

Now the owners are taking out all 300 tempered-glass panels in the building, panels similar to those that fractured and fell this summer at high-rise condos in Austin and Toronto.

“Our only priority here is the safety of everybody involved, either residents or people passing by,” said the hotel’s general manager, Ben Trodd. “We’ve taken a very proactive step now. The general contractor is now removing all of the remaining panels that are on the building.”

No one was injured in the three incidents. Falling pieces of glass cracked, but didn’t break, five large sections of the glass awning that covers the sidewalk outside the hotel entrance. A car was slightly damaged in the July incident, Trodd said.

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by | September 1, 2011 · 5:27 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Risks: Utah Hotels Report Layoffs After U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) Audits Find Insufficient "Validations To Work"

 “Responsible employers who seek to conduct their business lawfully are put at an unfair disadvantage as they try to compete with unscrupulous businesses. Such businesses gain a competitive edge by paying illegal alien workers low wages or otherwise exploiting them.”  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Some reports say 120 employees have been laid off at the Grand America Hotel after an audit report found several of their workers did not have current validation to work in the United States.

Hotel president Bruce Fery said in a statement Wednesday the Grand America is not alone and audits are being conducted statewide. He says that the employees that were found with invalid documentation had “presented facially valid documents when they were hired.”

The recent layoffs come as Utahns and local politicians are debating whether to allow undocumented workers to remain.

For more:  http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-grand-america-hotel-lays-off-workers-over-lack-of-work-documentation-20110831,0,3023635.story

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by | August 29, 2011 · 9:07 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Hotels Are Targeted By Terrorists For "Worldwide Attention"; Housekeepers Should Be Trained To "Report Suspicious Activity"

“…Terrorists are increasingly targeting hotels because of the worldwide attention such attacks receive…so it’s important to have a plan in place. Marriott, for one, uses a multi-point crisis management program that is reviewed semiannually…”

Preparedness should extend beyond a company’s executives, said Tom Whitlatch of Hospitality Risk Controls. Housekeepers, those employees who spend a considerable amount of time in hotel hallways and guestrooms, need to be trained to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior.

Housekeepers, he said, should not be afraid to challenge people they see in hallways to show room keys. “We have to train them and get them to understand it’s OK to do that,” Whitlatch said.

Further, housekeepers need to keep their eyes open for suspicious activity in guestrooms, too, Durham said.

“It’s the housekeeper who might go into the room who might notice something unusual about a piece of equipment or luggage sitting on the bed,” she said.

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/6312/Experts-detail-hotel-security-plans

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