Category Archives: Risk Management

by | February 13, 2011 · 1:56 pm

Hotel Industry Pool Safety: Two Small Boys Nearly Drown In "Extremely Crowded" Pool Conditions At New York Hotel Pool

“They were both breathing when they left the pool,” said Cheektowaga Sgt. Brian Gould. “I know the one kid was coughing up water. The other was a little more serious.”

Two boys were rushed to the hospital late Saturday night after nearly drowning at a hotel pool in Cheektowaga. The boys, ages 9 and 10, were taken to Women and Children’s Hospital after the incident in the Millennium Hotel pool on Walden Avenue. Both are expected to live, according to Cheektowaga police.

Police and emergency crews were called to the hotel at 2040 Walden Ave., near the Walden Galleria, at about 9:45 p. m. Saturday for the report of a possible drowning, police officials said. The hotel pool was “extremely crowded” when, at some point, the two boys went under water, Gould said.

Police are still trying to determine what happened and what the boys were doing at the time they went under. Gould credited some of the people at the pool for their quick action, which probably saved the lives of the two boys.

For more:  http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/cheektowaga/article340606.ece

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by | February 12, 2011 · 9:05 am

Hotel Industry Guest Issues: Hotel's Must Establish Overnight "Pet" Policies Including Fees, Deposits, Allowable Dog Breeds And Size, Vaccination Requirements, And Damage Liability (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO5Fqc5kuQc]

Consumer Reports magazine finds more hotels are making their rooms pet friendly.

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by | February 9, 2011 · 8:36 am

Hospitality Industry Health Issues: Hotel Management Must Recognize The Growing Importance Of Having "Smoke-Free" Rooms And Public Spaces As Publicized By Websites Such As "FreshStay.com"

“…FreshStay.com will only list hotels that are 100% smoke-free as part of its industry-leading directory of  non-smoking hotels…”

“…members of FreshStay.com have eliminated smoking not just in guest rooms, but also all meeting rooms, restaurants and other public spaces…”
 

“The difference between a non-smoking room and a 100% smoke-free hotel can make all the difference to a health conscious traveler, or to the growing number of Americans who suffer from allergies, asthma and other sensitivities,” says Ray Burger, Founder of FreshStay. “Members of FreshStay.com consistently receive outstanding feedback from their guests, which is why we always say Frequent Breathers prefer FreshStay. Those guests are then more likely to return because they know their room will be clean and smoke-free every time – guaranteed.”

Below are states with smoke-free laws and the percentage of rooms that must be “smoke-free”: 

  • 100 percent: Michigan, Wisconsin
  • 80 percent: Arkansas (only if there are more than 25 units), Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska (see story), New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio
  • 75 percent: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington
  • 65 percent: Montana
  • 50 percent: Arizona, Louisiana (casinos and gaming centers excluded), Rhode Island
  • 35 percent: California 

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article52093.html

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by | February 7, 2011 · 7:29 pm

Hotel Industry Security Risks: Importance Of Security Cameras And Securely-Locked Doors Seen In Robbery And Assault Of Louisiana Hotel Guests

It’s believed the two men by-passed the front desk and slipped into the hotel through the back door as someone else was leaving. Security cameras show they went directly to the elevator and proceeded to the 6th floor.

The Sleep Inn Hotel in Kenner is where police say three guests were terrorized inside their 6th floor hotel room. Security cameras are posted in all public areas of the hotel.

That’s how detectives obtained pictures of the men they say robbed the victims at gunpoint and took off. “We know there was some property taken but we don’t have a whole lot of information about that right now,” says McInnis.

WGNO Reporter, Darian Trotter says, “The fact that there were other guests on the 6th floor, but no other robberies reported, leads investigators to believe the victims may have been targeted.”

Lt. McInnis says he showed the victims pictures from security cameras. “They said these are the two individuals who burst into the room carrying firearms and robbed us,” McInnis says. He says the victims had never seen the gunmen before, and therefore did not know their names or any information that might help police identify them.

For more:  http://www.neworleans.com/news/local-news/559140.html

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by | February 5, 2011 · 9:43 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: Canadian Hotel Health Club Sauna Fire Caused By "Short-Circuited Ceiling Light"

An almost full Chateau Laurier was evacuated Thursday night after a fire broke out in the sauna room, and while the investigation was still ongoing Friday morning, early indications were that a ceiling light may have short-circuited.

The fire was contained to the sauna, which is encased in thick masonry, said fire department spokesman Marc Messier. Perrin added that while it is a heritage building, the hotel’s electrical systems have been updated and are regularly checked to make sure they’re up to code.

The historic, 99-year-old hotel was at 91-per-cent capacity, firefighters said. The blaze broke out at about 11:40 p.m. in the sauna ceiling on the main floor and it was brought under control by midnight. No injuries were reported, and damage was estimated at about $12,000. Hotel guests gathered in the lobby where blankets, hot chocolate and more were passed around, said hotel spokeswoman Deneen Perrin. Staff were also on hand to provide regular updates during the 20 minutes that guests needed to be out of their rooms.

The fire was initially reported by overnight cleaning staff who were working in the pool area, which was closed, and saw some smoke. While the nearby health club is open 24 hours a day, no one was using it at the time, Perrin said.

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Chateau+Laurier+sauna+fire+forces+evacuation+near+capacity+hotel/4228769/story.html#ixzz1D6g2fkOB

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by | February 4, 2011 · 2:58 pm

Hospitality Industry Risk Solutions: New York Hotel Introduces "iPads" Into Guestrooms For Room Service, Concierge Communications, And Room Controls As Technology Delivers Instantaneous Quality Control Throughout Property

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/19170938]

 At the touch of a screen, guests are able to order room service, make restaurant reservations, communicate directly with the concierge, request wake-up calls, explore NYC destination guides, and even check airline schedules and print boarding passes (which are promptly delivered to their room). Guests can even use the iPad to control the lights in their room as well as the heat and air conditioning systems.

New York’s Plaza Hotel is offering iPads in each of its guest rooms and suites. The program, which launched in January, makes the landmark hotel on Central Park South the first hotel in the world to provide guests services and room controls using iPads and Intelity’s ICE (Interactive Customer Experience) software to all of its guests.

“We chose the iPad because it is a great piece of equipment that is here to stay and won’t disappear tomorrow,” adds Krige. “It brings another five star element to the hotel.”

The iPads will not replace the human element at The Plaza.

“They are not meant to replace our concierge service and the personal touch we are known for,” Krige says. “It is to provide more choice. At a five star hotel you should have choices—if you want to use the iPad, you can do so. If you want a butler service, that is available, too. If you want to be left alone, that is a choice, as well. By putting the iPads in the guest rooms, we are bringing a new technology to everyone’s fingertips.”

In addition to providing a service to guests, the system helps the hotel track how it responds to requests made by guests, such as how long it takes to deliver a requested toothbrush. “If you order a pair of slippers, the request will go directly to the slipper department with no intermediary,” says Krige. “The requests go directly to the end producer, so that they can be very efficient.

For more:  http://www.luxist.com/2011/02/03/the-plaza-in-new-york-offers-ipads-in-all-guest-rooms-and-suites/

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by | February 2, 2011 · 10:33 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: "Bed Bug Summit" Being Held In Washington DC Focuses On Need To Develop And EPA To "Approve" Effective Commercial Pesticides

Hotel operators, public-health officials and leaders of an industry spawned to combat bedbugs urged tighter U.S. regulations and development of effective pesticides during the second National Bed Bug Summit.

“Given the difficulty of exterminating bedbugs, we are calling upon” the EPA “to conduct further research and development of effective pesticides,” Council Speaker Christine Quinn wrote in a Jan. 31 letter to the EPA with fellow members.

“Given the difficulty of exterminating bedbugs, we are calling upon” the EPA “to conduct further research and development of effective pesticides,” Council Speaker Christine Quinn wrote in a Jan. 31 letter to the EPA with fellow members.

 

 

  • The Environmental Protection Agency convened the meeting as New York City Council members urged the agency to set regulations for better use of insecticides.
  • There are over 300 pesticide products registered to get rid of bed bugs, according to the Office of Pesticide Programs at the Environmental Protection Agency
  • Research shows that bed bugs may be developing resistance to some pesticides.

“It remains a huge concern,” said Joseph McInerny, chief executive officer of the American Hotel and Lodging Association at the two-day conference in Washington that ends today. Housekeeping and maintenance staff are the “first line of defense,” spotting speckles of blood that signal rooms may be closed for weeks by an infestation, he said yesterday.

Bedbugs — wingless insects that feed on the blood of sleeping animals — invaded stores of Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Victoria’s Secret and Nike Inc.’s Niketown in New York City last year as well as hotels, offices and homes.

The insects can cause reactions through bites, as well as blister-like skin infections and, in rare cases, asthma and anaphylactic shock, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AGENDA OF BED BUG SUMMIT

“2010 was definitely the year of the bedbug,” Natalie Raben, marketing director of M&M Environmental, a New York pest- management company said at the conference.

For more:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-02/bedbugs-bite-on-hotels-spurs-call-for-more-effective-pesticides.html

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by | February 1, 2011 · 5:16 pm

Hotel Industry Liability Risks: 2-Year Old Falls Down Elevator Shaft At New York Hotel After Child Opens Door That Should Have Required A Key

 The toddler then fell through a 16-inch gap. Inspectors say the switch should have required a key to operate or should have been in a locked panel.

Newer elevators are designed so there is no gap between the door and wall. Building owners have until 2015 to have older elevators retrofitted.

The chief building inspector in Joliet says a code violation played a role in an elevator accident which injured a 2-year-old boy last week. The child fell down an elevator shaft at the plaza hotel.

Inspectors tell the Joliet Herald News that the boy probably flipped a switch which stopped the elevator between floors and opened the doors. The toddler then fell through a 16-inch gap. Inspectors say the switch should have required a key to operate or should have been in a locked panel.

Newer elevators are designed so there is no gap between the door and wall. Building owners have until 2015 to have older elevators retrofitted.

The state fire marshal’s office has temporarily suspended the licenses of two inspectors who certified that elevator in October.

For more:  http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7932805

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by | January 31, 2011 · 8:05 am

Food Industry Risks: New York Tortilla Factory Ordered To Shut Down After Employees' Death And Discovery That Owners Did Not Carry Workers' Compensation Insurance

The state Workers Compensation Board issued a stop-work order at the Williamsburg facility after learning the factory’s owner, Erasmo Ponce, was not offering workers’ compensation insurance to his employees.

A Brooklyn tortilla factory where a man was crushed when he fell into a dough mixer has been temporarily shuttered, state officials said Friday. Tortilleria Chinantla was not closed because of Juan Baten’s gruesome death, but his loss of life did lead investigators to the facility, officials said.

“The owner would need to get the insurance and pay fines before he is permitted to reopen,” said agency spokesman Brian Keegan.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the state Department of Labor are investigating the deadly accident. Baten, 22, reached into the mixer early Monday and was sucked inside after his hand was snagged by one of its blades. The young father was killed instantly when a turbine broke his neck.

For more:  http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2011/01/29/2011-01-29_feds_shutter_deadly_bklyn_tortilla_factory.html

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by | · 5:13 am

Hospitality Industry Guest And Employee Health: Studies Of "Smoke-Free" Law In Wisconsin Show "No Adverse Economic Effects"

 “This is excellent news for employers and employees in the hospitality industry,” says Gail Sumi, Wisconsin government relations director for the American Cancer Society.

“This study, like dozens of similar studies nationwide, offers more proof that going smoke-free does not pit business against health, but rather is a common sense health law that keeps workers and employers both physically and fiscally healthy.”

Wisconsin’s six-month-old smoke-free law seems to be working well, according to a new study of the experience of five cities by the University of Wisconsin.

The study – focusing on the effects of Wisconsin’s municipal smoke-free ordinances in Madison, Appleton, Eau Claire, Marshfield and Fond du Lac – found no adverse economic effects throughout the hospitality industry including bars and restaurants.

    Performed by the UW Carbone Cancer Center, the newly released 15-page study compared economic data between the five Wisconsin cities that enacted smoke-free ordinances before the statewide law took effect in July 2010 and similar cities where workplace smoking was still permitted.

    The results showed bars and restaurants in the smokefree cities continued to do well under the ordinances. In fact, in virtually every smokefree community the number of Class B alcohol licenses rose after the ordinances took effect and employment remained strong despite the recession.

Fore more:  http://newsofthenorth.net/article/Top_Stories/State_Headline_News/Smokefree_law_not_hurting_hospitality_industry_study_says/105786

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