by | July 16, 2012 · 6:32 am

Hospitality Industry Spa Treatment Risks: Florida Hotel Sued By Woman Who Claims "Near-Fatal Massage And Treatment" Has Resulted In Two Years Of Medical Expenses

“…a spa employee slathered her in aromatic essential oils, aloe, and shea butter. But the curvy Jersey girl began to have doubts when she was wrapped tightly in a “cellophane-type material” and helped inside something called an Alpha Massage Capsule. It looked like a space-age coffin…”

“…Once inside, she couldn’t move. As the temperature soared, she started to become overheated and lightheaded. She shouted for help, but the attendant had vanished, the lawsuit says. Then Berean passed out…”

According to a lawsuit she filed earlier this month, Berean’s spa treatment (at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Miami Beach in July 2010) turned into one hot, buttery nightmare. The spa promised to leave her skin “glowing,” but Berean’s “hot butter wrap” nearly melted her instead. After two years of medical bills, she wants payback.

“She was stuck in this little heating egg,” says Berean’s lawyer, Andrew Norden. “She yelled, but nobody came to help her. Then she passed out. It was terrifying for her.”

Lawyers representing Nirvana Spa did not respond to requests for comment. Berean also declined to speak to New Times about her ordeal, but her attorney and lawsuit paint a terrifying picture of relaxation gone awry.

When the Nirvana Spa employee finally returned, she took Berean out of the capsule and unwrapped her like an aborted butterfly. Berean gradually came to, but instead of calling paramedics, the employee put the barely conscious client into the shower and left her alone again, according to the lawsuit. Berean fainted a second time and hit her head.

Berean has undergone “extensive medical care and treatment” because of the near-fatal massage, the lawsuit claims. But Natalia Bazhenova, Nirvana’s current manager who joined the spa after the incident, says the story sounds suspicious.

For more:  http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2012/07/woman_sues_nirvana_spa_on_miam.php

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by | July 15, 2012 · 6:51 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Risks: Michigan Hotel Employee Charged With Stealing Money From Manager's Room; Background Check Would Have Revealed Lengthy Criminal History

“(the employee) allegedly stole $220 from the purse of her assistant manager who had been staying in a room at the hotel…a hotel manager confirmed that since the Lewis incident, the hotel now conducts background checks. The manager said had they known that Lewis had been convicted of crimes in the past, they would have not hired her…”

An employee of a Muskegon Heights hotel with a lengthy criminal background has been charged with a felony for allegedly stealing money from her manager’s room. Kortney Donesia Lewis, 24, of Muskegon, was arraigned in Muskegon County 60th District Court on Wednesday on one count of larceny from a building, a four-year felony, and as a fourth-time habitual offender.

“The manager noticed by surveillance video and key-code confirmation that Lewis had been in her room,” Gardner said. “Lewis was confronted and admitted it.”

Gardner said Lewis’ criminal history includes a 2006 conviction for an embezzlement charge; a 2009 conviction of larceny from a building and a conviction that same year for stealing and using someone’s credit card.

Based on that history, Gardner said it’s difficult to sympathize with the hotel officials who hired Lewis. “In this case it doesn’t just seem to be the responsibility of the defendant for her actions, but for the hotel for hiring a woman with an extensive criminal history for theft crimes,” he said. “It defies commonsense to give a person with that background access to rooms that often times hold valuables.”’

For more:  http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2012/07/muskegon_heights_hotel_employe.html

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by | July 14, 2012 · 8:16 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Oregon Restaurants Will Not Be Required To Prohibit "Bare-Hand Contact" Pending Review; "Double Hand-Washing Rule" To Be Enforced

“…(the State of Oregon) decided to remove the bare-hand contact prohibition from the proposed rules because this issue needs further discussion…the group will convene multiple times over the next few months. The state will continue to enforce its double hand-washing rule for food servers until any changes are announced…”

The Oregon Health Authority is shelving its proposed rule mandating that restaurant workers not prepare food with their bare hands. State health officials have decided to convene a work-group on standards to prevent food-borne illness. The group will work toward a substitute to the so-called “no bare hand contact” rule originally proposed by the Health Authority.

That provision was to take effect on July 1, but was delayed after protests from the food service industry. The work group will include restaurateurs, legislators, medical professionals and others.

Gail Shibley, the administrator of the OHA’s Public Health Division, said her agency is looking for diverse opinions. “We think we can get the wisdom from restaurateurs as well as a variety of other folks to really dig into the details of this specific provision, and move forward at a later date,” she said.

For more:  http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120713/NEWS07/120719990/-1/NEWSMAP

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by | July 13, 2012 · 10:10 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Washington D.C. Hotel And Restaurant Suffer Significant Water Damage When Pipes Burst; Repairs Could Take Six Months

“…due to extensive water damage, the Latham Hotel & Citronelle closed down on July 12, 2012.  The building will be evaluated for the full extent of the repairs, but we are expecting that it may take up to 6 months to complete the necessary improvements…”

Water damage will temporarily close Georgetown destination Citronelle, and the hotel that houses it as well, according to a spokeswoman for the restaurant.

Both venues suffered water damage, though how significant is unclear at this point. Recent storms have plagued the general Washington area, including last week’s derecho that caused major power outages regionwide.

Citronelle spokeswoman Mel Davise confirmed the closure via email and said it could last up to a few months. She said she could offer no further details at this time about the closure or damages.

For more:  http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/2012/07/citronelle-latham-hotel-temporarily.html

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by | July 12, 2012 · 7:08 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Washington Restaurant Fire Caused By Lightning In Early Morning Hours

Lightning from a thunderstorm that rolled over the state this past weekend may have ignited a blaze that destroyed a Bainbridge Island bar.  Fire Marshal Luke Carpenter said the department has no hard evidence the early morning lightning storm sparked the fire, but the timing seems to match.

 The Kitsap Sun reported the 122 Bar & Restaurant in Winslow closed at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to the bar’s owners. The lightning storm surged over Bainbridge at around 2:30 a.m. on Monday.  Much of the 122 Bar & Restaurant in Winslow was in flames by the time firefighters were alerted around 4:45 a.m. Nearby residents reported smelling smoke hours before large flames were spotted on the building’s roof.

For more:  http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120711/NEWS03/707119794

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by | July 11, 2012 · 6:41 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: "Intoxicated" New York Hotel Guests Pull Fire Alarm Outside Lobby Doors After Being Locked Out In Early Morning Hours; Arrested On Felony Charges Of Falsely Reporting A Fire

“…(the men) proceeded to strike the lobby’s sliding glass doors “with such force as to rock them and nearly break them from their hinges…they then pulled the fire alarm outside the hotel’s lobby, resulting in their arrest on charges of falsely reporting a fire, a felony, and reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor…”

In the wee hours of Saturday morning, Lewis and his brother, Lamar, found themselves locked out of a hotel in downtown Albany, N.Y. They were intoxicated, according to police, and apparently forgot their room key. Eagles running back Dion Lewis found himself in some trouble over the weekend.

“I want to apologize to my family, the Albany community, the Eagles organization and fans, and to the NFL for my involvement in an incident this past weekend,” Lewis said in a team-issued statement “It was never my intention to cause any public alarm or damage any property. I am sorry for any embarrassment and inconvenience that my actions have caused.”

The 21-year-old Lewis, whom the Eagles selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft, was released after his arraignment in court. His brother was being held in jail because of two previous felony charges, the Times Union reported.

For more:  http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2012/07/eagles-rb-dion-lewis-arrested-for-hotel-fire-alarm-incident/1

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by | July 10, 2012 · 1:52 pm

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Alabama Hotel Employees Assist With Arrest Of Identity Theft Ring Operating In Guest Room

“…Investigators say when the officers entered the hotel room, there were stolen credit cards, computers, cameras, scanner and other items in plain sight…the group had been making fake identification and checks. They had also made Social Security cards and drivers licenses. Police say that many of the victims are businesses…”

Irondale Police say they have arrested and charged three people with multiple counts of identity theft after a hotel called them to evict a group of non-paying customers.

Victor Hedden, 46 of Phenix City, Raymon Hall, 29 of Columbus, Georgia, and Precious Clemons, 25 of Columbus, Georgia have been charged with possession of forged materials and trafficking in stolen ids.

The incident happened Saturday when employees with America’s Family Inn called to ask the police’s help to remove a group of people who hadn’t paid their hotel bill for several days.

For more:  http://www.myfoxal.com/story/18985033/unpaid-hotel-bill-leads-irondale-pd-to-identity-thieves

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by | July 9, 2012 · 4:01 pm

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Husband Of Slain Woman Sues California Hotel In Wrongful Death Lawsuit; Claims Homeless People Were Known Threat To Guests

“…court documents say that hotel security were aware that homeless people and others had committed “assaults with deadly weapons, thefts, and other disturbances,” but “failed to take any security measures” to keep guests safe, the complaint alleges…”

The lawsuit claims that a homeless man or “uninvited third party” walked through an unsecured first-floor door and killed Finley’s wife while he was sleeping in the couple’s sixth-floor room.

A wrongful death lawsuit against the Biltmore Hotel moved forward on Monday when a man whose wife was found dead at the LA landmark during an audition for “America’s Got Talent” alleged the hotel destroyed evidence to cover up the slaying of his wife.

The body of his wife, Laura, was found in a stairwell at the famed downtown hotel on Oct. 23, 2010.

Hotel security failed to warn guests about security issues related to remodeling work being done on the first and second floors, court documents said.

Hotel security found Laura Finley’s body at the bottom of the first-floor staircase. The body of the 48-year-old woman was found with no top and wearing pants that were inside out. Her diamond rings were missing, court papers said.

For more:  http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Americas-Got-Talent-Audition-Death-Biltmore-Hotel-161855745.html

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by | July 8, 2012 · 10:13 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Thieves Steal Florida Restaurant's Air Conditioning Units During Night As Video Surveillance Documents Theft

“…the surveillance system was rolling as the thieves committed the crime, at around 11 p.m…one suspect can be seen on surveillance unscrewing the AC units. Some time later, a black truck is seen driving by the business…they stole the two air conditioning units, probably for the copper coils…”

Crooks remain at large after stealing the air conditioning units from a South Florida business. The thieves stole two AC units from CafeSolé, located at 711 NW 27 Ave. in Miami.

Delemar believes the truck was involved in the thefts, and said the crooks responsible did their homework. “They pretended that they were cleaning up, that they were some kind of gardening service or something,” said Delemar. “They went ahead and cased the place first, and then, about half an hour later, they showed up, and they took the two units.”

No AC means no business for the restaurant. “Naturally, this is going to affect my business, because I cannot open up with the heat. I don’t have air conditioning inside, so that does affect the business,” Delemar said. “It’s disruptive, it’s disheartening.”

Read more: http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21007939691030/crooks-steal-ac-units-from-miami-restaurant/#ixzz203VFKKoz

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by | July 7, 2012 · 6:59 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Washington Hotel Owners Agree To Pay $365,000 To Settle EEOC Harassment Lawsuit

Among other incidents cited in the EEOC statement, the general manager threw a stapler at one employee, and told another she was nothing but a welfare mother and should abort her pregnancy.

Two hotel groups have agreed to pay $365,000 to settle a harassment lawsuit brought by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in connection with the alleged actions of a general manager who worked for two hotels in the state of Washington.

According to a statement issued by the EEOC on Thursday, the unidentified general manager of the Best Western Evergreen Inn in Federal Way, Wash., and the Best Western Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Wash., “persistently harassed and denigrated women, including those who were minorities and had strong religious beliefs, in violation of the federal law.” Court papers identify the general manager as Syed Ahmed.

The EEOC said female employees were subjected to the constant use of racial slurs and derogatory sex-based and racial comments.

For more:  http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20120706/NEWS07/120709937?tags=%7C70%7C75%7C303

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