Category Archives: Risk Management

by | January 19, 2011 · 2:41 pm

Hotel Industry "Green Issues": California Hotel Earns Top Environmental Designation Through "Recycling, Energy Efficiency And Conservation Management"

 Recently designated one of California’s top “green hotels” by the California Department of General Services, the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina has also been awarded the program’s “Leadership Level” status for its continued commitment to sustainability and conservation practices.

“We are very proud to be leading the way in the hospitality industry to reduce waste, save energy and water and help conserve our beautiful state’s valuable resources,” said Alex Willow, Director of Sales at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay.  “Our hotel’s environmentally-friendly initiatives like the eco-friendly Blue Marble Spa and ‘Meet and Be Green’ program are just a few of the ways in which we continue to do whatever we can to help keep California green.”

California’s Department of General Services Statewide Green Lodging Travel program encourages state and local government travelers to seek out and give preference to certified “green” hotels.  To achieve the status of “Leadership Level,” the highest level of the state’s green lodging program, hotels must meet all of the following seven criteria:

• Waste minimization
• Reuse/recycling
• Energy Efficiency
• Conservation and management
• Waste management
• Freshwater resource management
• Hazardous materials management
• Environmentally and socially sensitive purchasing policies

Other ways in which the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay has demonstrated its commitment to being more kind to the environment include its Meet and Be Green program.  It requires meeting planners and attendees to “go green” during their meeting, such as sourcing products with 100 percent recycled content, finding local suppliers, and maximizing efforts to reduce waste to create a meeting experience that exceeds expectations and helps the environment at the same time.

For more:  http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=19395

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by | January 18, 2011 · 8:44 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: Hotel And Motel Fires Can Be Mitigated By "Fire Safe" Training And Inspections That Insure Operational Smoke Alarms And Sprinkler Systems

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by | January 13, 2011 · 6:30 am

Hospitality Industry Risks: Hotel And Restaurant Owners And Management Must Have Emergency Plans And Insurance In Place To Manage Crisis

Hotel owners and management must be able to deal with catastrophic events and know the answers to the following:

  1. How quickly could you restart?
  2. Would insurance provide money for next week’s rent and wages?
  3. What would the bank say?

Massive floods are one thing, but what if a neighbouring building caught fire or your kitchen burst into flames? Start your managers and staff thinking through the issues, while they’re still in the headlines…

  • Check Data Backup Systems: are they all onsite or are copies of data, systems and staff records kept elsewhere? Is the safe fireproof or just a box with a key? Online backup systems like Carbonite work well, and data storage is very cheap – but you need to start it happening!
  • Is the Insurance cover complete? Would it cover a situation like the current floods? Does it cover intangible items as well as equipment? What about loss of profits and staff wages while rebuilding happens?
  • Are Staff trained for fire and first-aid emergencies? This is the type of training that’s usually regarded as ‘nice to have’ rather than essential. Do they know how to handle a fat or an electrical fire? What about an elderly customer who faints or collapses? Or flood waters coming near electrical connections?
  • How will you keep Customers & Staff informed? It’s more effective if your email newsletter or SMS alerts are already part of their world, then you can really keep their loyalty active. Your Facebook Page and Twitter updates will also reach many others…
  • Have a Crisis Management Plan, designed to cover the many risky situations where you depend on only one alternative: eg only one staff member who’s qualified with first aid, one chef who knows how to cook the favourite dessert, one key for the liquor store, or one computer with all the staff records.
  • Crisis Management Downloads: ready to use (and edit) Safety Manual and Rules, Maintenance Logbook, Cleaning Rosters (greasy dirt is a big cause of kitchen fires) and a raft of other systems designed to keep your business organised and safe.

For more:   http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article51387.html

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by | January 12, 2011 · 8:03 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Surveys On "Bed Bug Infestations" Show Most People Feel Infestations Are Increasing And "Transmit Disease"

 

Bed Beg infestations at hotels can result in guilty verdicts against hotel owners if conscious and deliberate behavior led to infestations going untreated.

One out of five Americans has had a bed bug infestation in their home or knows someone who has encountered bed bugs at home or in a hotel according to a new survey released by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).

 

 

  • Americans who have encountered bed bugs tend to be younger, live in urban areas and rent their homes. The incidence of bed bugs is three times higher in urban areas than in rural areas due to factors such as larger population size, apartment living and increased mobility, which are conducive to the rapid spread and breeding of bed bugs.
  • Bed bugs are found in all 50 states. Specifically, the pests were encountered by 17 percent of respondents in the Northeast; 20 percent in the Midwest; 20 percent in the South; and 19 percent in the West.
  • Most Americans are concerned about bed bugs and believe that infestations in the United States are increasing. Nearly 80 percent are most concerned about encountering bed bugs at hotels; 52 percent on public transportation; 49 percent in movie theaters; 44 percent in retail stores; 40 percent in medical facilities; 36 percent in their own homes; and 32 percent equally pointed to places of employment and friends’ homes. The fear of getting bitten topped the list of concerns.
  • As the public’s awareness of the bed bug resurgence grows, many Americans are modifying their behaviors to minimize their risk of an infestation: 27 percent have inspected or washed clothing upon returning from a trip; 25 percent have checked a hotel room for bed bugs; 17 percent have inspected or vacuumed a suitcase upon returning from a trip and 12 percent have altered or canceled travel plans because of concern about bed bugs.
  • 16 percent inspected second-hand furniture they have brought into their homes; 15 percent have checked dressing rooms when trying on clothing and 29 percent have washed new clothing immediately upon bringing it home from a store.
  • Of the 13 percent of respondents who said they knew someone who had a bed bug infestation in their home, 40 percent said they avoided entering the infested home and 33 percent discouraged those who had the infestation from entering their own home.
  • Despite the availability of information, most Americans still have misconceptions about bed bugs. Nearly half of respondents incorrectly believe that bed bugs transmit disease. However, research conducted to date has shown that bed bugs do not transmit disease to their human victims, although some people may experience itchy, red welts; 29 percent inaccurately believe bed bugs are more common among lower income households, and 37 percent believe bed bugs are attracted to dirty homes. Bed bugs do not discriminate in regard to household income and are found in both sanitary and unsanitary conditions.

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article51366.html

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by | January 10, 2011 · 10:17 am

Hotel Industry Theft Risks: Hotel Management Must Make Valet Parking Areas Secure From Thieves Who Hide In Vehicles

Police said a casino surveillance video shows a man handing his Hummer over to the valet. The valet parked the Hummer in the casino’s secured lot without knowing there were three men hiding inside the vehicle. The men had access to all the cars parked in the lot, police said.

 Three Cadillac Escalades were stolen from a secured valet parking lot Saturday at Detroit’s MGM Casino Hotel, police said. The video shows the men stealing the Escalades.

When hotel customers asked the valet employees to retrieve their vehicles, the drivers were puzzled to find that the Escalades had disappeared from the parking lot. It may sound like a clever crime, but this same type of theft was acted out in an episode of the TV show “Las Vegas.” The episode was re-run last week. The men could have been copying the fictional thieves.

For more:  http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/26439694/detail.html#

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by | January 7, 2011 · 11:00 am

Hotel Industry Health And Safety Risk: San Francisco Hotel Guests Are Exposed To "Carbon Monoxide" That May Have Come From Outside Through Air Intake System

Fire officials believe the cause of the flu-like symptoms is carbon monoxide after measuring high levels of the potentially deadly gas, a San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman said.

“The hotel staff promptly contacted the fire department to assess the situation and assist with transporting the guests to area hospitals for treatment,” Singer said.

Investigators discovered that the air intake for the hotel is on the Stevenson Street side of the building so it draws air in from the outside, Talmadge said. “They’re thinking the carbon monoxide might have come from outside through their intake system.”

Four guests at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis fell ill late Thursday after being exposed to carbon monoxide in their downtown hotel rooms, authorities said. The four guests were flight attendants staying in four separate rooms at the hotel, located at the intersection of Fourth and Mission streets, hotel spokesman Sam Singer said.

The San Francisco Marriott Marquis issued the following statement today: “Early this morning four guests at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis complained of flu-like symptoms. The hotel staff promptly contacted the fire department to assess the situation and assist with transporting the guests to area hospitals for treatment.

The four guests were transported to San Francisco General Hospital and St. Francis Memorial Hospital where they “are now doing well,” Singer said.

“Initially we believed it to be the heating system in the rooms,” fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said. “But after further investigation we determined it couldn’t be the heating system because they use a steam system which doesn’t use carbon monoxide.”

For more: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=102638

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by | January 2, 2011 · 10:34 am

Hospitality Industry Technology Issues: Hotel Management Will Feel Increased Pressure In 2011 To Offer "Free Wireless Internet Access" With Resultant Needs To Secure Network

A comfy mattress and a hot breakfast are still important to hotel guests, but free wireless Internet access is the most desired amenity, according to a new survey of 53,000 travelers.

Hotels are likely to feel more pressure to offer the service at no charge, said Stuart Greif, vice president and general manager of the global travel and hospitality practice at J.D. Power.

The survey by J.D. Power & Associates found that free Wi-Fi was the most important feature for guests in nearly every segment of the hotel industry.

  • The most expensive hotels were the least likely to offer free Wi-Fi.
  • Of guests staying at midscale hotels, 96 percent said they got free Wi-Fi, as did 64 percent of guests at budget hotels, according to the survey of guests who stayed in hotels from May 2009 to June 2010.
  • None said they got free Wi-Fi at luxury hotels.
  •  Free Wi-Fi is available at many businesses.

At the Ritz-Carlton luxury hotel chain, the fee for Wi-Fi access is a top complaint among guests, said spokeswoman Vivian A. Deuschl. (The new Ritz-Carlton in downtown Los Angeles charges $12.95 a day.) Some Ritz-Carlton hotels offer free Internet access in the lobbies and other public spaces. “We have no immediate plans to change the policy, but it’s an ongoing subject of discussion,” Deuschl said.

For more:  http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/travel/thisweek/stories/DN-guestswant_0102tra.ART.State.Edition1.1481b10.html

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by | December 28, 2010 · 7:15 am

Hospitality Industry Internet Security Risks: Hotels Can Offer Wireless Internet With WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2) To Offer Guests Greatest Wireless Security

IS WIRELESS INTERNET IN HOTELS SAFE?

  • The short answer is: No. Wi-Fi was born to be convenient, not secure. Unsecured, unprotected wireless is everywhere. When a device connects to unprotected Wi-Fi, all the data stored on that device is available to a hacker with the proper sniffing tools.
  • The longer answer is: It depends on what kind of wireless that is provided.
  • Free, unsecured Wi-Fi is the least secure. Any Wi-Fi connection, whether in public, at home, or in the office, that is shared with anyone with any wireless device, lacks encryption of the data packets streaming from the connected devices.
  • A simple Firefox add-on called Firesheep can allow anyone with a Firefox browser to sniff out other devices using the same Internet connection, and to spy on their browser activity. Even if the victim’s login is encrypted, once they visit an unencrypted site, their data becomes vulnerable.
  • Wi-Fi with a WEP encryption is slightly more secure. Wired Equivalent Privacy was introduced in 1997 and is the original version of wireless network security. But WEP has been cracked, hacked, and decimated.
  • Wi-Fi with a WPA encryption is better. Wi-Fi Protected Access is a certification program that was created in response to several serious weaknesses researchers found in WEP, the previous system. WPA and WPA2 are tougher to crack, but not impossible.
  • Mobile Broadband has a degree of encryption that has been cracked, but the necessary hardware isn’t widely deployed by criminals. Researchers have demonstrated how the system can be hacked, but it’s still more secure than other options.
  • WPA2 Wireless Internet IS THE MOST SECURE 

For more:  http://advice.cio.com/robertsiciliano/14923/hacking_wireless_for_identity_theft

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by | December 26, 2010 · 12:06 pm

Hospitality Industry Guest Health And Safety: Hotel And Spa Owners Must Maintain Clean Workout Facilities, Pools And Spas

Gym Equipment Spreads Skin Infections

  • Staph infections, including those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria, can spread through shared gym equipment, mats and towels.
  • Infections tend to occur near a cut or scrape, and on certain body parts (the armpits, buttocks, groin and neck).
  • They start off looking like a large pimple but can swell, become painful and produce pus.
  • If they spread to your bloodstream, they can be life-threatening.
  • Many clear up on their own, but seek medical attention if a fever develops or if the area becomes enlarged, red, tender or warm.

Prevention:

  • Use the alcohol spray or wipes that most gyms provide to wipe off equipment before and after use.
  • Place a clean towel over mats used for doing sit-ups, stretching or yoga.
  •  Don’t share towels with others.
  • Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
  • Shower after working out. If you have a cut or scrape, keep it covered with a clean adhesive bandage and don’t use hot tubs or whirlpools.

Dirty Pools Teaming With Bacteria

  • Poorly maintained swimming pools are common, allowing bacteria and viruses to cause outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness.
  • Inspections at 3,666 health clubs in 13 states found serious lapses requiring the immediate closing of 10 percent of the pools (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Improperly maintained circulation and filtering systems and skimpy disinfection were among the most common problems.

Prevention:

  • Require showers with soap before swimming and wash your hands after using the toilet or changing a baby’s diaper.
  • Don’t use the pool if the water has a strong chemical smell or appears cloudy.
  • Pool water should have little odor and be clear enough that you can easily see the bottom.
  • Chlorine and pH levels should be checked at least twice a day, and the pool’s latest inspection score should be recorded.
  • Chlorine should be 1 to 3 parts per million (4 to 6 ppm for hot tubs), and pH should be 7.2 to 7.8.

For more:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/20/AR2010122004711.html?wprss=rss_health

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by | December 21, 2010 · 5:23 pm

Hospitality Industry Information Security Risk: Study Finds Indentity Fraud Increased by 12% In 2009 To $54 Billion

Javelin Strategy & Research, a group that does studies on identity theft and fraud, released its 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report toward the beginning of the year. It found that the top two types of personal identification being compromised in a data breach were:
  • Victim’s full name (63%)
  • Physical address (37 percent).
  • Social Security numbers being compromised in data breaches decreased from 38 percent in 2008 to 32 percent in 2009.

It also reported that the number of identity fraud victims in the United States had increased by 12 percent to 11.1 million adults in 2009, the annual fraud amount increased by 12.5 percent to $54 billion.

But the study also found that an increasing number of consumers are fighting back against identity theft and taking necessary precautions to preserve their personal information.

The average fraud resolution time dropped 30 percent to 21 hours, and nearly half of all victims were reported to have filed police reports that ended up doubling the reported arrests, tripling the prosecutions, and doubling the percentage of convictions in 2009.

“The 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report shows that fraud increased for the second straight year and is at the highest rate since Javelin began this report in 2003,” said James Van Dyke, president and founder of Javelin Strategy & Research.

“The good news is consumers are getting more aggressive in monitoring, detecting and preventing fraud with the help of technology and partnerships with financial institutions, government agencies and resolution services.”

Javelin researchers believe the increase in fraud is due in part to the economic downturn, when historically fraud increases.

Robert Siciliano, a researcher with McAfee Inc., identified the top 10 riskiest places for people to lose their Social Security numbers, with colleges and universities coming in at number one. Banking and financial institutions were second and hospitals were third.

According to identitytheftlabs.com, younger adults and small business owners tend to be the victims of identity theft because they often engage in “risky activities” that can lead to them being victimized more frequently.

Read more: The Daily Home – Fight back against identity theft

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