Use statements that tie the answer to
information to items learned in the chapter including direct quotes,
definitions, and page numbers. You may also use Internet research material as
well. (There should be some type of reference to validate each answer.) Format
this section of your analysis using a bold font.
Case Study: 1
Steve
Tritsch was enjoying his first month as a full-fledged GM. He’d enjoyed his
previous position at a large, downtown property in Philadelphia. In fact, his
GM there had been a valuable reference for his new job. But it was exciting to
now be out on his own. Although the Royal Court was a smaller property, with
198 rooms, it was still a full-service hotel with numerous strengths: it was in
a prime location just off the expressway, it was a well-known brand with a
national reputation, and it seemed to have an excellent, well-trained staff.
The only real problem was financial. Apparently, the previous GM had not been
able to turn those strengths into a sufficient number of bookings. Steve’s job
was to keep expenses down, increase revenue as much as possible, and turn the
Royal Court around. After 30 days on the job, he was well on his way to turning
those goals into realities.
Then the
letter from Lawhead, Alexander, and Fisk arrived. Apparently, a female guest
had her purse snatched in the hotel’s parking lot three months ago, on June 4.
Now her attorneys were threatening to file suit unless the Royal Court made
restitution. They requested payment of $25,000 as compensation for their
client’s loss of property, multiple injuries, and pain and suffering.
Steve took a
deep breath. He knew what writing a check for $25,000 would do to his
property’s struggling bottom line: $25,000 represented an awful lot of room
nights—especially when his insurance deductible was twice that amount. But he
also wondered if the letter might be nothing more than an empty threat. He had
to get the facts.
First, he
checked the previous GM’s files for any record of the incident. Although he did
find one folder labeled “On-Premises Security,” it only contained a form letter
of dismissal that had apparently been sent to all of the hotel’s security staff
this past March, six months ago. He also paged through the previous GM’s
planner and found no notations regarding a June 4 incident. Increasingly
frustrated, he dialed his executive housekeeper, a 15-year veteran who seemed
to have an almost infallible memory. “Ginnie, do you remember anything about a
purse snatching earlier this year?” Steve asked.
“You’ll have
to be more specific than that, Steve,” she said. “There was one in late winter
that happened in the corridor upstairs, and there was another one in June. That
was out in the parking lot.”
“So, it’s
true,” Steve said. “A guest got injured during a purse snatching on our
property.”
“Well, there
were injuries,” Ginnie began, “but I seem to remember that she wasn’t exactly a
guest. I’d want to check on that.”
“Thanks.
I’ll take care of it,” ended Steve.
Steve picked
up the letter and walked down to the front desk. Malia Etoise, another
long-time staff member, was working this afternoon. “Hi, Malia. I need to find
out if,” he glanced down at the letter, “a Lauren Heidegger was a guest here on
June third or fourth.”
Malia
entered the necessary information into her computer terminal. “Hmm,” she began,
“I’m not showing a Lauren Heidegger or any Heideggers for those dates. But for
some reason that name’s ringing a bell.”
“She’s
claiming to have been the victim of a purse snatching on June 4,” Steve
prompted.
“Oh, I
remember that,” Malia said, nodding her head. “It was awful. She came running
in here and her knees were bleeding and her dress was torn. Once all the other
women heard about it, there was total chaos for a while.”
“All the
other women?” Steve asked.
“Mrs.
Heidegger was here for a women’s luncheon of some kind. I don’t remember all
the details. But once the word spread, women just streamed out of the Briar
Room and filled the lobby wanting to know everything that happened, wanting us
to call the police.”
“Which you
did, of course,” Steve stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Malia paused
for a moment. “Yes, that time I’m sure we did call the police.”
“That time?
So, there were other incidents when you didn’t call the police?” Steve asked.
Malia rolled
her eyes and nodded. “Not my choice. But the way it was explained to me was
that all police calls show up in the newspaper, and your predecessor didn’t
want that kind of publicity.”
Steve
returned to his office and fell into his chair, not certain what his next step
should be. It certainly sounded as if the incident had occurred on Royal Court
property and that there were witnesses to that fact. But Mrs. Heidegger wasn’t
a guest after all; maybe the property wasn’t liable. Besides, the previous GM
hadn’t even felt the incident warranted a written record. At Steve’s former
job, the hotel was large enough to afford a full-time security staff and he
hadn’t paid much attention to their work. Now, it seemed the responsibility for
security rested firmly on his shoulders, but he was stymied. “Maybe Carson has
some advice for me,” Steve thought, recalling how his former boss had gone out
of his way to be a mentor for him. He picked up the phone.
“That’s a
tough spot,” Carson agreed. “But I’m sure you’ll handle it fine.”
“Great,”
Steve said, sounding less than confident. “Where do I go from here?”
“I’ll lay it
out for you,” Carson replied. “First, call the legal department at the
corporate office. Let them know about the letter and that you’re researching
the matter. They may ask a lot of questions you can’t answer yet, but you’ll
get the answers as you continue the investigation.”
“To me the
only real question is: do we settle or go to court?” Steve remarked curtly.
Carson
calmly replied, “But you can’t answer that until you know how strong your
position is. You need to find out whether your operation has taken ‘reasonable
care.’ There aren’t any hard-and-fast rules about what that is—it can vary from
community to community. You need to find out what reasonable care means for
your location.
“First,
contact the police department and get a computer print-out of all the calls
made to your address. They can probably do it while you wait. Now, some
incidents on that list may not really involve your hotel at all—maybe there was
a car accident on the street and the driver came in to use the phone, that kind
of thing. You’ll need to go through the list and find out which incidents do
apply.
“Next, I’d
call up the local newspaper and ask them to search their morgue for all of the
stories with the name of your hotel in it. Chances are, any problems that would
generate a police call would also show up in the newspaper. There might even be
some mentions in the paper that didn’t involve the police. Give the newspaper’s
librarian a couple of days to get the information you need.
“While
you’re waiting, though, I’d recommend talking to some of the other GMs in your
area. Ask them what types of crime problems they’ve had or are having. Some
might not want to talk specifically about their own operation—you know, nobody
wants to give the impression that their place isn’t as safe as can be—but you
should be able to get a good feel about what kind of neighborhood you’re in.
“You’ve
already started talking to your staff, and that’s good. I’d suggest that you do
more of that. Just walk around and ask your people what incidents they might
remember, what their overall impression is of hotel security and crime in the
area.”
“Carson,”
Steve interrupted, “you and I both know that perceptions aren’t always accurate.
They’re subjective.”
“That’s
true,” Carson replied. “But, accurate or not, do you want a dozen members of
your staff on the witness stand telling a jury that they didn’t feel safe at
the Royal Court Hotel? I don’t think so. Better to find out sooner than later.”
“I
understand,” Steve sighed.
“One last
thing,” Carson added. “Drive around your neighborhood and try to see it through
the eyes of a plaintiff’s attorney who wants to prove negligence. Is yours the
only property without a fence? Without security lighting? In other words, does
it look as if you care about security?”
The next few
days proved both valuable and anxiety-filled.
The police
call sheet only noted the June purse snatching, not the late-winter incident
that Ginnie remembered. But it also listed three car burglaries in the parking
lot, one break-in during a wedding reception (in which the bride and groom’s
wedding gifts and honeymoon luggage were stolen), some vending machine
vandalism, and two calls in response to guestroom parties that resulted in
property damage. All during the last 12 months.
The first
local GM Steve called began the conversation by thanking his predecessor. “If
he hadn’t let those three security officers go,” she said, “I’d still be
reviewing résumés.” She went on to explain that a rise in criminal activity
throughout the area had led most of the other hotels to actually increase their
security. As far as she knew, Royal Court was the only property to eliminate
staff—and she had immediately added two of them to her payroll. Another
property down the road had hired the third security officer. “I think a lot of
us felt he was just shooting himself in the foot,” she admitted. “Sure, he
saved some money up front—and I know things have been tight for everybody—but¼”
She didn’t have to finish the sentence. Steve was beginning to understand.
Other
incidents surfaced once Steve began chatting with his staff. Some tires were
slashed by vandals. Some fights erupted in the bar. Malia recalled that there
had even been rumors that the Royal Court recently had a reputation as a
favored place to buy drugs for dealers who wanted fast interstate access. That
activity had diminished, though, when the Carriage Bridge Hotel across the
street started offering doughnuts and coffee to the police working the night
shift; the close proximity of a squad car was enough to scare the dealers
away—at least at night. Unfortunately, that didn’t completely convince the
staff at the Royal Court. Some employees continue to ask not to work the night
shift and others only enter and leave the hotel in pairs.
The
newspaper search only confirmed what Steve had already learned: the Royal Court
had seen more than its share of security problems. Apparently, he’d just been
lucky in not seeing any new incidents during his first 30 days on the job. He
realized that luck was not good enough. Not only did he have to present the
facts of his investigation to the corporate legal department along with his
recommendation, he also had to implement an effective security program
immediately.
With his
notes in front of him, Steve picked up the telephone and placed a call to the
corporate office.
Discussion
Questions
1. What evidence can Steve share with the corporate legal
department that would support a recommendation either to settle for $25,000 or
to take the case to court?
2. What steps can Steve and his staff take to effectively
reduce the number of security incidents at the Royal Court, while still working
to keep expenses to a minimum?
Solution
Case
Study – Discussion
Name
of Student
Name
of Professor
Date
Question No 1.
Issues
Steve Tritsch was appointed as a
full-pledged GM and he was enjoying his first month at the Royal Court Hotel.
Royal property with approximately 198 rooms was a small property. The Hotel
provided full service and it was a well-known brand and it was the hotel with
the best reputation. But there was a problem in that hotel and that problem was
the issue of finance. The goal of Steve was to turn the expenses down and he
was doing well in achieving that goal. The issue, in this case, was about the
letter that arrived from the law head in which there was a case of purse
snatching of female guests in the hotel parking. Her attorneys were threatening
to pay the compensation otherwise, they will file suit. They wanted to receive
$25,000 as compensation, because of loss of property, pain, multiple injuries,
and suffering. This was a tremendous amount and he was in shock but he thought
that the letter could be an empty threat so he should know about facts. He
investigated for a long time from different staff members that what happened
that day. The question that arises here is that what evidence can Steve share
that would support the recommendations either to pay that amount or to take
case to court.
Rules
There is a problem either to settle compensation of
$25,000 or to take this case to court. The hotel is liable for the injury or
damages because this incident happened in their parking lot. So, Hotel
management is responsible for the damages. The reports from all the conflicts
should be shown to the police and the current situation should be explained. As
the previous GM and predecessor of Steve did not take action and he destroyed
the security of the Hotel. Steve has to take action regarding the matter of
safety and to pay compensation (Hotel Injuries and personal
Injury Lawsuits, 2018) . This incident happened in the boundary
of the Hotel so hotel management is liable for the compensation. It is the
mistake of the previous GM that he did not take serious actions regarding this
matter. The lady should give evidence about the thief that how he looked like.
The police should investigate in order to catch that thief. On the other hand,
hotel management is liable to pay for the damages. The current GM should pay
the amount of $25,000 to the lady, while this case should be opened for further
investigation about the thief. Premises liability law is legally applicable and
hotel is liable in this case.
Applications
The law which will be applicable in
this case is premises liability law, which states that property owner and
management are responsible for injury or damages of that person. The management
must take serious efforts to maintain a safe environment for their visitors and
guests so that they do not suffer from any damages. So there is a
recommendation that the hotel management should compensate her with the amount
that is required by her lawyers. They have given the threat to take this case
to court. To avoid this threat, they should pay her amount for compensation (Premises
Liability, 2020) .
Conclusion
The issue is about the case of
injury or property damage. Hotel management is liable for the damages because
this incident happened in their boundary. They should consider serious actions
to solve this issue. Recommendations are provided in this case, and Law is
given which is helpful in this case. There are various applications of this law
that how it can be applied in other cases.
Question 2
Answer
Issues
The execution of this case study was based on
security issues. This past March Hotel’s security staff received a letter of
dismissal. The only real problem was financial resources. Steve’s hotel’s
manager, the job was to minimize expenses as much as he can so that he can
increase the ratio of revenue. The main problem took place when someone
snatched a purse from one of their female guests on July 4. Now that women’s
attorneys were intimating to file suit so that Royal Court would grant a strict
compensation. They demanded payment of $25,000 as reimbursement for the loss of
their client’s property, and serval injuries. They were already facing
financial crises; Steve took a deep breathe because he knew inscription of a
check for $25,000 could do so much to his struggling bottom line of the
property. He thought what if this letter is just a piece of threat and nothing
more so he made mind to gather the facts first. Steve needs to hire more
responsible staff.
Rules
The rules can be applied if the injury and snatching
are claimable. The law which has been made for the client’s safety states that
the hotel management is liable for any damage or snatching which had taken
place in a hotel’s limitation so then they have to make compensation. Because
it’s the legal duty of hotels to secure their guests and clients from any harm (Charles,
2018) .
Someone snatched the purse of that lady in the parking lot which was a property
of hotel so according to law, it’s the foremost duty of the hotel to pay the
compensation of the requested amount. The hotel can minimize the collected
amount of payment if they have any evidence relevant to the incident.
Applications
According to the mentioned law, it is essential to
claim the injury and snatching process. Because rendering the client’s safety
law, it is vital to give evidence which can prove that the snatching process
has taken place. Witness statements play an imperative role in this
compensation process. According to the lady, someone snatched her purse and she
got injured too but at the same time, she had to give some confidential proofs
relevant to the incident. Steve had done some digging and he got nothing to
expect a closed file of this case (Butler, 2019) . They also called
the legal department to solve this problem because they were already facing
various financial issues so it was essential for them to confirm the incident
in case of paying a compensated amount of $25,000.
Conclusion
The conclusion which has been made according to the
execution of this case determines the fact that the hotel would be responsible
for paying the amount if the lady would give proofs which can state that she
got snatched in the hotel parking lot. Because according to the client security
law, the lady must describe the incident as a whole and give evidence, then she
can get the compensation amount. This can also help Steve to reduce the
security issues by analyzing such cases.
References
Butler, J. (2019, February 16). Articles Posted
in Hotel Management Agreements. Retrieved from JMBM:
https://hotellaw.jmbm.com/category/hotel-management-agreements
Charles, R. (2018, December 14). Hotel Accidents
and Injury Claims: How to Seek Compensation. Retrieved from claimcoach:
https://www.injuryclaimcoach.com/hotel-accident.html
Hotel Injuries and personal Injury Lawsuits. (2018, March 2). Retrieved from rmfwlaw:
https://www.rmfwlaw.com/hotel-injuries-personal-injury-lawsuits/
Premises Liability. (2020). Retrieved from justia:
https://www.justia.com/injury/premises-liability/
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