by | October 28, 2010 · 3:13 pm

Hotel Industry Guest Relations: Hotels Will Increasingly Opt For “Check-In Kiosks” To Provide “Cozy, One-On-One Welcomes” To Improve Guest Satisfaction

 The key is removing the barrier between the guest and the hotel — be it for better service, streamlining, experience or profit. The sitting-behind-a-desk days are not what travelers want,” Sinclair said. “However the hotel chain chooses to roll it out — kiosks, check-in pedestals, tablets or iPads — you walk to the lobby and whoever you speak to can handle your entire needs …

“Traditional front desks, however, may be destined for a scrap heap teeming with bygone lobby fixtures like key boxes, desk bells and hat racks. Some mid-market chains already are dumping imposing check-in counters for cozy, one-on-one welcomes or for virtual check-ins through kiosks or mobile devices.

When Sherry Richert Bulel entered the Andaz West Hollywood in February, she was greeted by a “host” who offered her wine, a comfy chair and room selection via his laptop. “There was no looming desk between us to indicate that he was the hotel staff and I was the guest,” said Richert Bulel, author and founder of simplycelebrate.net, which creates tribute books for special occasions. “I immediately relaxed.”

In addition to Andaz, Courtyard by Marriott has renovated 201 of its 800 U.S. lobbies, swapping its standard front desks for smaller “welcome pedestals” that allow clerks to step out to meet patrons, then step back to check them in. Courtyard will finish the makeover by 2013.

Meanwhile, Starwood has used one of its urban-style Aloft hotels to test a tech-driven welcome service. Several thousand customers who already carried Starwood Preferred Guest cards were texted their room numbers before arriving at the Aloft Lexington in Massachusetts, allowing them to bypass the front desk and head to their floor. 

FITs, or Free Independent Travelers. In general, FITs have above-average income, prefer to roam alone, in small groups or as couples, avoid tourist tracks, research their explorations via their mobile devices, and spend freely. They are, Sinclair said, “now the dominant market traveler being sought after by most major brands.” FITs, experts believe, prefer hotels that offer texted check-in codes or lobby kiosks that spit out room keys. So how long until old-school front desks vanish from most or maybe all mid-market hotels?

“Within the next 36 months,” forecasts James Sinclair, principal of OnSite Consulting, a national restaurant and hospitality consulting company. His clients include W Hotels and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Related: Tech-savvy travelers embrace self-service model “ You sit on a couch and wait your turn rather than (stand) behind Bob who is arguing that he didn’t have the salt-and-honey peanuts from the minibar.” Viewed from the bottom line, chopping the front desk also “makes sense for the hotel in terms of profit maximization,” Sinclair said. “As the hotel market has become more competitive with the various online practices and the need to refocus on margins, there are only a few areas that can be looked at.” Number one: payroll. No front desks, or smaller versions, could allow hotels to operate with fewer employees. What’s next? No beds? Then again, that’s the chief reason why some mega-mile travelers — like comedian Dan Nainan — hate the downsizing of check-in counters. Spending huge chunks of their lives on the road, they befriend hotel employees and feel somewhat protective of them. “If I ever see a hotel without a front desk, I can guarantee you that that is a hotel I would never, ever, ever patronize,” said Nainan, who flew 200,000 miles last year. “I will turn right around on my heel and march out of that place so fast I will actually do a wheelie. What brilliant cost-cutting move will they think of next? How about hotel rooms with no beds? Imagine the savings!” But hotel chains say de-emphasizing, shrinking or removing the front desk simply gives their guests more options. Further, the tactic is part of a larger shift, they say, to entice patrons to spend more time — working or relaxing — in attractive, compelling lobbies. Courtyard’s fresh, first-floor face, which costs the chain about $750,000 per makeover, includes free WiFi, “media pods” where patrons can plug in laptops and watch TVs, plus a 57-inch, LCD touch screen — the “GoBoard” — that provides news, weather, and directions to local attractions. An eat-in bistro — “Starbucks meets Panera,” they say — offers breakfast, then later a casual dinner and cocktails. About three years ago, Courtyard’s lobby designers used Styrofoam cutouts to simulate changes — including the “welcome pedestals.”
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by | October 26, 2010 · 12:14 pm

Hospitality Industry Food Safety: U.S. Food And Drug Administration (FDA) Is Recommending Restaurant Operators To Employ A Certified Food Protection Manager

 Calling for continued improvements in food safety, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that all restaurants and retailers employ certified food protection managers, according to a report by Nation’s Restaurant News.

Donald Kraemer, the FDA’s acting deputy director for operations, told Nation’s Restaurant News that the agency plans to add a provision requiring restaurants to employ certified food protection managers to a future edition of the federal “FDA Model Food Code.”

The recommendation, which was met with support from both the National Restaurant Association and the National Council of Chain Restaurants, came Friday as the agency released the results of a 10-year study of retail food risk factors. While the study found overall improvement, the FDA said the presence of a certified food protection manager correlated with significantly higher compliance levels with food safety practices, the report stated.

“In looking at the data, it is quite clear that having a certified food protection manager on the job makes a difference,” said Michael R. Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods. “Some states and localities require certified food protection managers already, and many in the retail industry employ them voluntarily as a matter of good practice. We think it should become common practice.”

The FDA has no timeline for adding a food protection manager provision to the Food Code, but Kraemer said the agency will work to that end through normal channels involving the Conference for Food Protection (CFP). The CFP provides the FDA with input and recommendations, and is made up of members of foodservice trade groups, the food industry, government, academia and consumer organizations. The group meets biennially and convenes next in 2012.

NRA spokesman Mike Donohue said 24 states currently require restaurants to have certified food protection managers. He added that in the other 26 states, some local jurisdictions may have requirements for the employment of such specialized employees, or the state may require such a hire for a specific restaurant or chain that has had food safety problems.

Taking the concept further, some states — including Oregon and, beginning next year, California — require all food handlers to undergo basic safety training and pass an exam attesting to their understanding of the coursework, according to the report.

The FDA’s 10-year study of retail food risk factors found full-service restaurants with certified food protection managers had a 70-percent compliance rate with food safety practices, vs. a 58-percent compliance rate at restaurants without such an employee. In delicatessens, compliance was 79 percent with a manager, compared to 64 percent without, the FDA reported.

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by | October 25, 2010 · 3:16 pm

Hotel Industry Pool Safety Risk: FEMA To Enforce “No Glass Zone” Rule That Prohibits “Glass-Enclosed Pools” In Florida

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, doesn’t allow oceanfront hotels to close off their pools with glass walls for the winter. This year, the agency will make sure that rule is enforced, whether the city and the hotels like it or not.

In response to FEMA, the manager of the Myrtle Beach Hampton Inn isn’t sure what to do to close off his outdoor pool to make it an indoor pool this winter.

If he puts up the same glass walls the hotel has been using for years, he’ll be in violation of the FEMA rule. But if he doesn’t, the hotel will lose customers.

“It’s too cold to swim in the wintertime, even though the pools are heated. It needs to be enclosed,” said manager Tom Moore.

The hotel could buy Plexiglas or vinyl enclosures that FEMA allows, but Moore says that would cost up to $20,000 the hotel hasn’t budgeted for.

A couple of years ago, FEMA first became aware of the glass walls used by oceanfront hotels and decided they were hazardous, but the rule wasn’t enforced.

Then this summer, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce announced it had pushed a bill through the U.S. House of Representatives to allow the enclosures. Hoteliers thought the problem was solved and that was the end of it.

But the bill never came up for a vote in the Senate, the Senate has adjourned until mid-November and FEMA has now told the city of Myrtle Beach: time’s up, enforce the rule or else.

“We’ve sent letters to all the hotels that are affected, saying November first is when the rule takes effect. You will not put up your temporary pool enclosures that violate FEMA’s regulations then or expect the consequences,” said city spokesman Mark Kruea.

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=531094

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by | October 20, 2010 · 3:20 pm

Hotel Industry Guest Issues: Hotel Guest Databases Such As “GuestChecker.com” Can Assist Hotel Management In Avoiding “Problem Guests”

“Many hotels now refuse guests based on their perceived or real behavior,” the story says. “For example many hotels in Florida and the Caribbean will not accept reservations for “Spring Break” groups. In Europe, hotels shy away from groups of British Soccer fans.”

Hotels are increasingly interested in swapping information with each other about “bad” guests, just like guests do with “bad” hotels using TripAdvisor, according to Hospitality Business News.

Most hotel guests, naturally, are good.

But when hotels do encounter guests who, for instance, call their credit card company to reverse a charge, assault another guest or even smoke in a non-smoking area, they just might wind up in the type of database maintained by GuestChecker.com.

  • What private information is kept on me?: The database contains a guest’s name, address, and phone number only, as opposed to more personal information such as credit-card number, race or religion. The information is kept in a database with “bank-level security” and is not available to the public.
  • Can hotel managers see the full list?: Hotel managers can’t scroll through the database to see who’s on it. They can only search for specific names and receive a “Match” or “No Match” result.
  • Is this a blacklist?: The company doesn’t call the database a “blacklist” because members “do not have the ability to advise other accommodation providers to refuse service for a guest.” It’s designed to help the next hotel “make an informed decision on how to best prepare for that guests arrival.”
  • What offenses land me on the list?: The company tracks five categories of behavior, with the worst being stealing, assault and non-payment. Lesser offenses would include actions such as smoking in non-smoking areas or using facilities such as the swimming pool or tennis court after hours. “Someone who accidentally knocks over a lamp and offers to pay for it should not be placed in the same category as someone who purposefully trashes a hotel room,” the company says.
  • Who reports me? One person per company or hotel can report a guest for an offense, and GuestChecker.com requires that person be a senior manager. “This stops any malicious reporting by the night watchman, for example,” the company tells Hospitality Business News.
  • How long will I be on the database?: A person could stay on the database for as long as four years.

    • For more:   http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2010/10/hotel-blacklist-how-do-hotels-define-a-bad-hotel-guest/127726/1

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    by | October 19, 2010 · 11:21 am

    Hospitality Industry Information Technology: Small- To Medium-Sized Hotel Owners Should Support A “Shared-Services” Model For Data And Call Center Services

    CLICK ON PICTURE TO READ ENTIRE "SHARED TECHNOLOGY REPORT"

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    by | October 18, 2010 · 9:38 am

    Hospitality Industry Health And Safety: Use Of “Improved Safety Practices” And “Older Workers” Contribute To A Decrease In Workers Comp Claims

    “Indemnity and medical severity for workers compensation claims continued to rise in 2009…

    “…the frequency of workers comp claims dropped 4% in 2009 following a 3.4% decrease in 2008. A downward trend in claims frequency that started in 1991 likely will continue through this year, NCCI said…”

    Factors such as increased use of robotics, improved safety practices and an aging workforce have contributed to the continuing frequency decrease, NCCI said.

    Complex claims, such as those related to carpal tunnel syndrome and lower-back issues, declined more than average during the past five years, NCCI added.

    Increasing claim costs, however, have partially offset the decline in frequency. Average indemnity costs increased about 4.5% in 2009 despite a decline in average weekly wages.

    “It remains to be seen whether changes in average wage and indemnity cost per claim will begin to converge in 2010,” NCCI said in the research brief.

    Average medical costs for workers comp claims rose 5% last year, the lowest increase in the past 15 years, NCCI said.

    For more:  http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20101018/NEWS/101019945

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    by | October 14, 2010 · 6:24 pm

    Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Arizona City Hotel Ordinance Seeks To Curb Guests Who Pay In Cash And Withhold Registering Name In Attempt To Stop Crime

    The city is advancing a hotel-motel ordinance designed to track who stays in hotels, which police say will drive away prostitutes, drug dealers and other criminals who pay in cash and don’t give their name.

    Police are more interested in patrons who pay by cash or who check in at hotels that don’t require a name, Chief Frank Milstead said. Patrons who check in with a credit card aren’t trying to hide, he said.

    Mesa hotels will likely be forced to ask guests for an ID or some other proof of identity under a push to drive crime out of the city’s hotels.

    The city is advancing a hotel-motel ordinance designed to track who stays in hotels, which police say will drive away prostitutes, drug dealers and other criminals who pay in cash and don’t give their name.

    Police say other cities have fought crime with similar rules, but technology is posing a challenge as the city drafts an ordinance that requires a hotel to see a guest’s ID, verify license plate numbers and keep records for a year.

    Many hotels are converting to paperless registration, so it’s possible for guests to check in, pay by credit card and get a key without interacting with a hotel employee. Hotels don’t want to burden guests with showing an ID when a swipe of a credit card will identify who is checking in, said Robert Brinton, president of the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau.

    “We don’t want them to say it’s a hassle staying in Mesa,” Brinton said.

    Police are more interested in patrons who pay by cash or who check in at hotels that don’t require a name, Chief Frank Milstead said. Patrons who check in with a credit card aren’t trying to hide, he said.

    “Those aren’t the people we’re looking for,” Milstead said.

    The city’s Public Safety Committee agreed to move forward with the rules on Thursday. The proposal stems from police statistics in 2009 that showed 6 percent of all warrant arrests and 4 percent of all drug arrests were at hotels and motels. Just 10 hotels accounted for 49 percent of the warrant arrests and 64 percent of drug arrests. Police say regulation will greatly reduce the time they spend at hotels and allow them to fight other crime.

    A hotel-motel review board would oversee the rules, with some members being nominated by the hotel industry and some by the city. Hotels that don’t collect IDs and keep the information for a year could face fines of $250 to $2,500.

    Hotels support the rules, but say the ID issue needs to be resolved so it’s possible for guests to check in without showing an ID to a hotel when their identity has been revealed through a credit card payment. Also, Brinton said the six-page ordinance could probably be thinned to two pages to make the rules simple.

    For more:  http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/article_cdd2a84c-d7e3-11df-a6e4-001cc4c03286.html

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    by | October 12, 2010 · 11:56 am

    Hospitality Industry Employee Risk Issues: Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) May Require Hotel Management To Pay “Overtime Compensation” To Employees Who Use Smart-Phones “After Hours”

    Under the FLSA, nonexempt employees are entitled to overtime compensation for “time spent working” beyond a 40-hour workweek. An employee does not even need to be required by the employer to work overtime but must merely do so for the employer’s benefit.

    While an employee’s off-the-clock smart-phone use may amount to only a few minutes here or there—and the FLSA provides an exception for “de minimis” overtime—legal experts say an employer’s liability can mount up in a class action.

    Moreover, the electronic records stored on smart phones may give an employee solid evidence on which to base an overtime claim.

         The department “has willfully violated the FLSA [Fair Labor Standards Act] by intentionally failing and refusing to pay Plaintiff and other similarly situated employees all compensation due them under the FLSA” for their after-hours Blackberry use, Sgt. Jeffrey Allen said in a suit filed in May as a proposed class action. A judge has to certify the case as a class action for it to proceed.

    The case is one of a handful nationwide in which employees have claimed overtime pay for smart-phone use—and apparently the first involving public employees. But lawyers say such cases are a clear warning to employers to put a smart-phone usage policy in place before they end up in potentially costly litigation. Smart phones “are very dangerous and risky for nonexempt employees to have if you’re worried about overtime,” says Jeremy A. Roth, a partner at San Diego law firm Littler Mendelson. 

    The case is one of a handful nationwide in which employees have claimed overtime pay for smart-phone use—and apparently the first involving public employees. But lawyers say such cases are a clear warning to employers to put a smart-phone usage policy in place before they end up in potentially costly litigation. Smart phones “are very dangerous and risky for nonexempt employees to have if you’re worried about overtime,” says Jeremy A. Roth, a partner at San Diego law firm Littler Mendelson.

    For more:   http://www.workforce.com/section/legal/feature/legal-static-over-issuing-smart-phones-workers/index.html

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    by | October 11, 2010 · 2:08 pm

    Hospitality Industry Health Risk Management: Hotel Owners Must Establish Formal “Bed Bug Infestation Risk Management” Protocols For Preventing And Then Eradicating Infestations

    In certain cases, courts can even levy large judgments against hotel operators who rent rooms infested with bed bugs. In 2003, a federal appellate court awarded $372,000 in

    State inspectors have the authority to shut down an establishment that poses an "imminent health hazard" involving fire, flood, sewage backup, rodent infestation, bed bug infestation or "any other condition that could endanger the health and safety of guests, employees and the general public."

    punitive damages, roughly 37 times the compensatory award in the case, to a couple bitten by bed bugs while staying at a chronically infested Motel 6 in Chicago.

    Hotel owners and operators have faced periodic reports of bed bugs for decades, but a newfound public fascination with the problem, combined with the proliferation of websites dedicated to documenting bed bug outbreaks, has created a frenzy of media activity never before seen. Indeed, bed bug stories have been reported in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and many other local television and print outlets across the country. Stoking the traditional media’s interest in bed bugs is a rash of new online forums where travelers post the unsettling details of encounters with the pests.

    Much of the coverage seems sensational and overblown, but property owners and third party operators in the hospitality industry have to face the reality that the process of eliminating bed bugs from hotel rooms can be quite expensive and can lead to litigation and costly settlements. Additionally, reports of infestation on online travel sites like TripAdvisor and bed bug reporting sites like bedbugregistry.com and bedbugreports.com can cause significant reputational harm and loss of business.

    The good news for hospitality companies is that robust risk management practices, and the appropriate insurance and risk financing programs, can significantly mitigate the financial impact bed bugs can have on a hotel organization.

    Establishing formal risk management protocols around bed bugs is an important first step in minimizing the cost of infestation. Proactive steps for hotel organizations include creating a formal program to train housekeeping staff on spotting bed bugs, creating a policy on how to handle outbreaks or complaints and implementing regular pest control inspections.

    “Bed bugs are on our list of emerging issues facing the insurance industry, not only for hotels, but in the retail, apartment, and residential healthcare sectors,” noted Brian Gerritsen, Senior Director of Hospitality Business at Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company. “The recent increase in bed bug related claims has prompted us to become more proactive about the issue with our insurance customers.” Mr. Gerritsen’s team recently released an industry alert recommending that hotel operators take several actions to prevent potential infestations in guest rooms including:

    • Chemically treating mattresses and sealing them in plastic

    • Washing/drying bedding and towels regularly and daily if possible

    • Vacuuming cracks, crevices and other hiding places and sealing openings permanently so the bugs don’t have a place to hide

    • Having regular inspections and extermination services done by a qualified pest control contractor

    • Training and educating housekeeping employees to recognize the presence of bed bugs and immediately report any activity to the appropriate personnel

    For more:  http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/don039t-let-bed-bugs-bite-insurance-and-risk-management-perspective

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    by | October 7, 2010 · 5:49 pm

    Hospitality Industry Risk Management: Hotel Owner Must Review “Employment Practices Liability Insurance” Coverage Language To Determine If It Covers “Wage And Hour” Lawsuits

     In Professional Security Consultants, Inc. v. United States Fire Insurance Co., Case No. CV 10-04588 SJO (SSx), Judge James Otero recently denied an EPL insurer’s motion to dismiss a complaint seeking coverage for costs incurred to defend and settle an underlying wage and hour class action.    

    The exclusionary language at issue was typical of such exclusions, barring coverage “for violations of the responsibilities, obligations or duties imposed by…the Fair Labor Standard Act…or similar provisions of any federal, state or local or foreign statutory or common law.”

    The underlying litigation alleged that employer Professional Security Consultants (“PSC”) violated various provisions of the California Labor Code, including wrongfully withholding overtime compensation. PSC was insured under an EPL policy issued by United States Fire (“US Fire”). US Fire moved to dismiss the coverage action on the basis of its “FLSA” (Fair Labor Standards Act) Exclusion. Citing California law regarding the breadth and scope of an insurer’s duty to defend, the court denied US Fire’s motion.

    The court noted that the policy’s definition of an “Employment Practices Wrongful Act” included “employment-related misrepresentations.” Comparing this policy language to the allegations of the complaint, the court emphasized the underlying plaintiffs’ allegation that PSC “[d]isseminated false information throughout [PSC’s] facilities and amongst [PSCs] employees, reciting that, under [PSC’s] labor policies and practices and under California law, the members of the Illegal Wages Class were not entitled to overtime compensation.” The complaint therefore alleged “employment-related misrepresentations,” triggering the potential for coverage under the policy.

    The court also rejected US Fire’s argument that there was no potential indemnity coverage because any amounts allegedly owed to the underlying Plaintiffs were not covered “Loss” under the policy. The court observed that the policy’s definition of covered Loss included “damages,” and that the underlying complaint expressly sought to recover damages.

    For more:  http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=75f1cf83-81de-43a4-8217-45ef67ed56ec

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