Tag Archives: Guest Risks

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Louisiana Restaurant Sued By Disabled Customer Injured By Heavy Door; “No Assisted Open Device, Proper Signage”

“..(the plaintiff) went to open the heavy door leading to the restroom (and) when it swung back, (it) scraped her left leg, knocked her walker out Hospitality Industry Injury Lawsuitsfrom under her and caused her to fall to the ground. The plaintiff asserts she was injured in the fall…The defendant is accused of not providing an assisted open device on the door, failing to provide signage notifying her the door was heavy and failing to act as a reasonable person…”

A disabled customer who alleges she was injured in a fall while trying to open a door at a local restaurant is suing. Rosalie Miller filed suit against Johnny Trauth’s Seafood Bistro LLC in the 24th Judicial District Court on Nov. 4.

Miller claims she was a customer at Johnny Trauth’s Seafood Bistro located at 2121 25th St. in Kenner.  An unspecified amount in damages is sought for severe injuries, pain and suffering and permanent disability.

For more:  http://citizensvoice.com/news/lawsuit-edwardsville-man-finds-cockroach-inside-chicken-mcnugget-1.1591419

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Louisiana Restaurant Sued By Disabled Customer Injured By Heavy Door; “No Assisted Open Device, Proper Signage”

Filed under Guest Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Hotels And Resorts Are “Vulnerable To Security Threats” And Crime As Staff Is Trained To Maximize Guest Experience

“…Because of the nature of their business, implementing TSA-style security measures at hotels would not be a good idea, Todd Seiders says. “They would have to limit the entry into their buildings, search bags, confirm you have business there and inconvenience everyone. The general department of homeland_securitypublic will not stand for that (look at the continuing uproar about the TSA at airports).”…Complicating the issue is the fact that hotel staff members are, by and large, trained to please potential guests, which can render them vulnerable to security threats…”

Todd Seiders, director of risk management at Petra Risk Solutions and former director of loss prevention at Marriott, discussed how hotels and public events can work to increase traveler safety in the future.

“The Boston Marathon bombing is just another example of how hard it is to secure public places and events,” Seiders says. “According to the news, bomb dogs had swept the finish line area 1 hour prior to the start of the marathon. So obviously police did everything they could to secure the area, and the bombs were brought in during the event.”

“There is a constant clash between hotel security experts and seasoned hotel management people, whose pay and bonuses depend on guest satisfaction surveys and comments,” Seiders continues. “Hotel security experts need to find more guest friendly ways to provide security, and hotel managers need to take security more seriously. A large number of hotels do not have a dedicated security staff, so security falls on the guest service staff, and guest service staff is trained never to say no or to offend or interfere with the guest experience.”

Seiders recommends hotels install HD cameras to monitor open public spaces, exits and entrances, both to deter crime and to aid investigation should one occur. Staff should be trained to pick up and investigate unattended bags or luggage, and hotels should work closely with their local police of sheriff department, along with Homeland Security, to discuss security and terrorism.

For more:  http://www.travelagentcentral.com/trends-research/trend-watch-suspects-boston-bombings-surface-whats-next-travel-security-40155

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Hotels And Resorts Are “Vulnerable To Security Threats” And Crime As Staff Is Trained To Maximize Guest Experience

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Risk Management, Training

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: East Coast Hotels Victimized By Man Who “Skipped Out On Hotel Bills” While Posing As Corporate Employee; $60,000 For A Presidential Suite

“…housekeepers found paperwork in the room belonging to (defendant)…a Residence Inn employee told police she received a call from Hotel Theft By DeceptionSerra in which he stated he would pay the bill if the Residence Inn would sign a waiver promising not to charge him with any crime. No agreement was made…Police then were notified the Residence Inn received an email from someone claiming to be a Raytheon employee, stating Serra would be staying there for 15 nights. The email address was identical to the one used in Serra’s February stay, police said…”

A Lowell man is accused of skipping out on bills in upscale hotels in seven states, running up charges while posing as an employee of major corporations.

In one case, prosecutors allege that in March, Michael Serra ran up a $60,000 bill for a stay in the presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston under the name Dennis Colling. Serra allegedly said he worked for Citigroup, but does not.

When confronted by Tewksbury police and a U.S. Secret Service agent, Serra allegedly confessed to committing crimes up and down the East Coast for two to three years. The Residence Inn at 1775 Andover St., Tewksbury, reported that a person named Carter Whitmore, who represented himself as a Raytheon employee, skipped out on a $6,349 bill in February. Court documents state that Raytheon refused to pay for the room because it had no employee by that name.

For more:  http://www.lowellsun.com/local/ci_23010643/city-man-held-hotel-fraud

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: East Coast Hotels Victimized By Man Who “Skipped Out On Hotel Bills” While Posing As Corporate Employee; $60,000 For A Presidential Suite

Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Liability, Theft, Training

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Florida Hotel Guests Hospitalized With “Flu-Like Symptoms” Were Exposed To High-Levels Of Carbon Monoxide; Broken Exhaust Fans In Boiler Room Caused Gas To Build Up For Days

 “…broken exhaust fans in the building’s boiler room allowed the room to fill with carbon monoxide…a guest staying (next to boiler room) was hospitalized for similar (flu-like) symptoms…but no one made the connection hotel Carbon Monoxide Poisoningto carbon monoxide exposure, and the guest was not tested…firefighters suspect the carbon monoxide level was high since Friday or earlier…”

Guests at a south Fort Myers hotel may have been exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide at least three days before the building was evacuated Monday. Firefighters responded to Crestwood Suites Extended Lodging off U.S. 41 around 12:45 p.m. Monday and discovered high levels of the deadly gas.

Guests were allowed back inside after firefighters shut off the gas and ventilated the building, but two people were hospitalized for exposure. The two hospitalized guests, who were staying near the boiler room, are in good condition and were hospitalized for observation as a precaution, Knudsen said.

Knudsen said firefighters checked carbon monoxide levels after the two guests called Lee County EMS complaining of flu-like symptoms. Responding firefighters noticed the guests’ proximity to the boiler room and suspected their symptoms were caused by an environmental factor.

Firefighters measured the carbon monoxide level in the boiler room at 2,000 parts per million, and in the lobby at 300 parts per million. Exposure to anything above 600 parts per million carries a high risk of death, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry website. Patients can experience symptoms including drowsiness, weakness, nausea, headaches and coma at levels of 160 to 1,000.

For more:  http://www.news-press.com/article/20130226/NEWS0117/302260021/Cause-guests-flu-south-Fort-Myers-hotel-Carbon-monoxide

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Florida Hotel Guests Hospitalized With “Flu-Like Symptoms” Were Exposed To High-Levels Of Carbon Monoxide; Broken Exhaust Fans In Boiler Room Caused Gas To Build Up For Days

Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Liability, Maintenance, Risk Management, Training