HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW
SEPTEMBER FOCUS: Hotel Group Meetings

From Valet to Shuttle: How Better Hiring and Training Can Prevent Losses

By Christopher Bolger Senior Risk Manager, Venture Insurance Programs | September 2014

Over the course of several decades, the workplace has become safer, thanks in part to safety and risk management initiatives. The same is true of driving, which has become safer due to air bags, public safety campaigns and several other important factors. But when employees of hotels and other businesses take to the roads in the course of their work, they are still at risk. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, transportation incidents are the leading cause of occupational deaths [http://www.bls.gov/][1] across all industries (including hospitality) and a major source of costly insurance claims. Hotels can mitigate this risk through better hiring practices and training for valet attendants and shuttle drivers. **The Risks of Driving on the Job** Motor vehicle accidents are extremely costly in economic terms. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the total economic cost of motor vehicle crashes was $250 billion in 2005; this figure includes lost productivity. In addition, the most costly workers’ compensation injury claims result from motor vehicle incidents, says the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI)[https://www.ncci.com/nccimain/pages/default.aspx][2]. These costs impact the hospitality industry, which has unique risks and exposures inherent to valet and shuttle services. Both carry exposures for workers’ compensation and automotive liability for physical damage. Shuttles also have exposure for personal injury liability for guests traveling in the van, while valet insurance must take into account that these employees have vehicles in their “care, custody and control” until they return them to customers. When accidents do happen, they are the fault of poor driving behavior 90 percent of the time. According to NCCI, driving behaviors like speeding and distracted driving are major contributors to accidents resulting in workers’ compensation claims. These facts highlight the need to hire and train drivers for better on-the-road behaviors to reduce such risks. **Hiring Better Drivers** Instituting and adhering to rigorous hiring procedures is the first step in improved valet and shuttle driver safety. This process involves a few major steps, but the first one is as easy as talking to current employees. Evaluate if any of your current staff members is a good fit for a driving position, and consider moving him or her between valet and shuttle when appropriate. It may cost your hotel less time and money to hire someone from within, as training will be easier since you already have a history with the employee. To evaluate any applicant for a valet or shuttle position, remember that past driving experience is the best indicator of future performance. Consider the following factors: **Licensing** - Require applicants to provide a valid driver’s license for their state of residence, and make a copy. If the position requires specialized licensing, ensure all applicants already have the appropriate license and qualifications. **Driving History** - Through the application, gather from candidates a detailed driving history, including the types of vehicles they have driven professionally. Self-reported histories can only reveal so much, though. By far the most important part of the driver hiring process is reviewing the applicant's Motor Vehicle Record (MVR). Though the MVR may not list every single accident or risky driving incident, it will give you a good sense of the candidate’s approach to driving and orientation to safety. As an employer, you can set your own standards for what is acceptable on an MVR. Here are Good Questions to Ask When Examining a Candidate’s MVR: - How many violations does the candidate have on his or her record? This is more useful information than the number of points assigned by the state’s DMV. - How many moving violations or at-fault accidents has the candidate had in the past seven years? - Has the candidate had any major convictions, such as a DUI, in the past seven years? - Has the candidate had his or her license suspended in the past seven years? **In-person Interview** - When you meet with a candidate in person, you should discuss the MVR and any red flags you have identified, as well as employment and driving history. You can also use this as an opportunity to assess communication skills, reasons for gaps in employment history and if the candidate’s personality makes him or her well suited to be a shuttle driver or valet. Particularly for valets, you want someone who is friendly, as him or her are the first and last hotel representative to interact with the customer. Also, this person should have an awareness of difficult situations that may arise and know how to properly address them. **Criminal and Work History** - Use a reputable third-party provider to conduct a background and employment history check. Your insurance provider may offer this service or refer you to a company they trust. You will also need to call references—don’t be tempted to just email them—and take a look at candidates’ public social media profiles. Though that may sound intrusive, it is a common and accepted part of the hiring process these days. Drug testing is another now-commonplace part of the hiring process. Send all candidates to the same trusted medical professionals for testing. Make sure to have the policy and procedure for hiring documented and followed. **Skills, Knowledge and Functional capacity** - The extent of these tests depends on the state and labor laws. Start with a written test to assess general driving knowledge, and make sure the candidate understands the rules of the road. A road test is especially useful for determining if the candidate is well suited to the valet or shuttle driver position. Though you cannot collect medical information about candidates, you can have them undertake a functional capacity evaluation. For example, shuttle drivers who do airport runs need to be able to lift as much as 80 pounds several times a day to handle guests’ luggage. This can help eliminate anyone unable to perform the physical tasks required and can reduce the potential for workers’ compensation claims. **Training, Coaching and Mentorship for Drivers** According to NCCI, employers can play a huge role in encouraging driver safety and discouraging distracted driving. All new drivers should undergo an orientation to your hotel, fleet of vehicles and facilities, as well as safety training specific to their role as a valet or shuttle driver. All drivers must be trained in safe and defensive driving tactics, and this training should review cell phone use and other causes of distracted driving. Shuttle driver training should cover operation and basic maintenance of the van, as well as emergency procedures and how to respond in the event of an accident. Introduce drivers to your daily vehicle safety procedure or checklist. Since shuttle drivers spend a long time behind the wheel and handle guests’ luggage, they should also be trained in ergonomics and body mechanics. Proper body mechanics for getting in and out of the vehicle, as well as lifting and handling luggage is crucial to reducing injuries. Valets require different training to meet the unique demands of their jobs. They need to know the layout of your parking facility and be equipped with exact directions for entering and exiting. You should also review what some may consider common sense dos and don’ts of parking a guest’s car, like not riffling through items in the center console. Not all hotels do this, but consider training valets to conduct a visual inspection before accepting keys from a guest. They can use two-part tickets (one part for the vehicle owner, the other for the hotel) to make note of dents and scratches, which they can review with the guest. This can help cut down on fraudulent claims for physical damage. Valet training should also include conflict resolution, as many aspects of the job require them to de-escalate situations. In the event of damage, valets should be trained to be up-front with guests and their managers. They should also know how to avoid confrontation with belligerent or intoxicated guests. All of this can reduce the frequency and severity of any claims. Like shuttle drivers, valets should be taught ergonomics and body mechanics. They get in and out of cars dozens of times a day; being taught to do this with proper body mechanics can mean the difference between a productive valet and a workers’ compensation claim. In addition to formal training, have new shuttle drivers and valets shadow experienced co-workers. This allows drivers and valets to share and pass on difficult-to-document insider knowledge, like how to navigate particularly tight areas of your parking garage. **Drivers Must Never Stop Learning** To consistently control claims, training and coaching must be consistent parts of valets’ and drivers’ jobs. If there are multiple accidents with specific drivers, you need to look at their driving trends, evaluate their ability to drive and consider requiring them to take refresher courses. You can review drivers’ MVRs at least once a year to stave off potential problems before they begin manifesting at work. In addition, I recommend the following for ongoing coaching and training: - Ride-alongs with newer drivers to evaluate their driving behavior and skills as they adjust to the job. - Mandatory, monthly safety meetings geared towards valet and shuttle drivers. - Fitness instruction in back exercises and stretches to support proper body mechanics. - A written procedure for incidents included in the human resources manual. This should include job coaching by a manager when there are incidents, as well as a documentation process that will provide for justification in the event of employee separation. Driving is a dangerous activity, but your hotel can take steps to make it safer for valets and shuttle drivers. In addition to the recommendations laid out above, you can talk to your insurance broker about risk management tips and your lawyer about relevant labor laws. But be sure to take action today—don’t wait for a serious accident to make a change to your driver hiring and training. [1]: http://www.bls.gov/ [2]: http://

Terms & Conditions

The following are terms of a legal agreement ("Agreement") between you and HotelExecutive. By accessing, browsing and/or otherwise using this web site, HotelExecutive, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed to be bound by these terms and conditions, and to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. export and re-export control laws and regulations. If you do not agree to all of these terms and conditions, you may not access, browse and/or use HotelExecutive. The material provided on HotelExecutive is protected by law, including, but not limited to, United States copyright law and international treaties.

These terms of access apply to your access to and use of HotelExecutive and do not alter in any way the terms and conditions of any other agreement you may have with HotelExecutive for products, software, services or otherwise, unless otherwise directed by HotelExecutive. If you breach any of these terms and conditions, your authorization to use HotelExecutive automatically terminates and you must immediately destroy any downloaded or printed materials and discontinue use of any hyperlinks to HotelExecutive.

1. USE RESTRICTIONS

Copyright. All Site materials, including, without limitation, text, pictures, graphics and other files and the selection and arrangement thereof are copyrighted materials of HotelExecutive © 1996-2016, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, or by the original creator of the material. Permission is granted to display and use the materials on HotelExecutive for private individual, educational and noncommercial use only, provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the materials. You may not, however, distribute, copy, reproduce, display, republish, download, or transmit any material on HotelExecutive for commercial use without prior written approval from HotelExecutive. You may not "mirror" any material contained on HotelExecutive on any other server without prior written permission from HotelExecutive. Any unauthorized use of any material contained on HotelExecutive may violate copyright laws, trademark laws, the laws of privacy and publicity and communications regulations and statutes.

Trademarks

The trademarks, service marks, trade names and logos (the "Trademarks") used and displayed on HotelExecutive are registered and unregistered Trademarks of HotelExecutive. In addition, all page headers, custom graphics, icons and scripts are service marks, trademarks and/or trade dress of HotelExecutive, and may not be copied, imitated or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of HotelExecutive. You acknowledge that the Trademarks used and displayed on HotelExecutive are and shall remain the sole property of HotelExecutive or the Trademark owner. Nothing in this Agreement shall confer any right of ownership of any of the Trademarks in you. Further, nothing in HotelExecutive shall be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel or otherwise any license or right to use any Trademark used or displayed on HotelExecutive, without the express written permission of HotelExecutive or the Trademark owner. The misuse of the trademarks displayed on HotelExecutive, or any other Content on HotelExecutive, is strictly prohibited.

Hyperlinks

You are granted a limited, nonexclusive right to create a hypertext link to HotelExecutive provided that such link is to the entry page of HotelExecutive and does not portray HotelExecutive or any of its products or services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise defamatory manner. This limited right may be revoked at any time for any reason whatsoever. You may not use framing techniques to enclose any Company trademark, logo or trade name or other proprietary information including the images found at HotelExecutive, the Content of any text or the layout/design of any page or any form contained on a page without HotelExecutive's express written consent. Links to third party sites on HotelExecutive are provided solely as convenience to you. If you use these links, you will leave HotelExecutive. HotelExecutive has not reviewed all of these third party sites and does not control and is not responsible for any of these sites, their Content or their policies, including, without limitation, privacy policies or lack thereof. HotelExecutive does not endorse or make any representations about third party sites or any information, software or other products or materials found there, or any results that may be obtained from using them. If you decide to access any of the third party sites linked to HotelExecutive, you do so entirely at your own risk. You acknowledge and agree that HotelExecutive shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by, or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such third party sites.

Downloadable Materials

Any software, including codes or other materials that are made available to download from HotelExecutive, is the copyrighted work of HotelExecutive and/or its suppliers and affiliates. If you download software from HotelExecutive, use of the software is subject to the license terms in the software license agreement that accompanies or is provided with the software. You may not download or install the software until you have read and accepted the terms of the applicable software license agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, copying or reproduction of the software to any other server or location for further reproduction or redistribution is expressly prohibited unless otherwise provided for in the applicable software license agreement in the case of software, or the express written consent of HotelExecutive in the case of codes or other downloadable materials.

Limited Access

Except as otherwise expressly permitted by HotelExecutive, any access or attempt to access other areas of HotelExecutive computer system or other information contained on the system for any purposes is strictly prohibited. You agree that you will not use any robot, spider, other automatic device, or manual process to "screen scrape," monitor, "mine," or copy the Web pages on HotelExecutive or the Content contained therein without HotelExecutive's prior, express, and written permission. You will not spam or send unsolicited e-mail to any other user of HotelExecutive for any reason. You agree that you will not use any device, software or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of HotelExecutive. You agree that you will not take any action that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on HotelExecutive's infrastructure.

Additional Use Restrictions

You shall not post, transmit, e-mail, re-transmit or store material on or through any of the services provided by HotelExecutive (the "Services") which, in the sole judgment of HotelExecutive: (i) is in violation of any local, state, federal or non-United States law or regulation, (ii) is threatening, obscene, indecent, defamatory or that otherwise could adversely affect any individual, group or entity (collectively, "Persons") or (iii) violates the rights of any person, including rights protected by copyright, trade secret, patent or other intellectual property or similar laws or regulations including, but not limited to, the installation or distribution of "pirated" or other unauthorized photos or software products that are not appropriately licensed for use by you. You shall be responsible for determining what laws or regulations are applicable to its use of the Services. In addition, you may only use the Services in a manner that, in HotelExecutive's sole judgment, is consistent with the purposes of such Services. If you are unsure of whether any contemplated use or action is permitted, please contact HotelExecutive at editor@HotelExecutive By way of example, and not limitation, the following uses described below of the Services are expressly prohibited:

A. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, messages or other materials (collectively, "Content") that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, sexually intolerant or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;

B. impersonate any person or entity, including, but not limited to, a Company official, forum leader, guide or host, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;

C. forge headers or otherwise manipulate identifiers in order to disguise the origin of any Content transmitted through the Services or develop restricted or password-only access pages, or hidden pages or images (those not linked to from another accessible page);

D. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any Content that you do not have a right to transmit under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships such as inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements;

E. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any Content that infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights of any party;

F. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes" or any other form of solicitation;

G. upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit any material that contains software viruses, worms or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment;

H. interfere with or disrupt the Services or servers or networks connected to the Services, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to the Services;

I. intentionally or unintentionally violate any applicable local, state, national or international law, including, but not limited to, regulations promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any rules of any national or other securities exchange, including, without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ, and any regulations having the force of law;

J. 'stalk' or otherwise harass another user of HotelExecutive or Company employee or official;

K. promote or provide instructional information about illegal activities, promote physical harm or injury against any group or individual, or promote any act of cruelty to animals. This may include, but is not limited to, providing instructions on how to assemble bombs, grenades and other weapons, and creating "Crush" sites; and

L. effecting security breaches or disruptions of Internet communication. Security breaches include, but are not limited to, accessing data of which you are not an intended recipient or logging into a server or account that you are not expressly authorized to access.

M. advertising to, or soliciting any user of HotelExecutive to buy or sell any products or services through the unauthorized or impermissible use of the Services. You may not transmit any junk email or chain letters to other users. If you breach this Agreement and send unsolicited bulk email, instant messages or other unauthorized commercial communications of any kind through the Services, you acknowledge that you will have caused substantial harm to HotelExecutive, but that the amount of such harm would be extremely difficult to ascertain. As a reasonable estimation of such harm, you agree to pay HotelExecutive $500 for each such unsolicited email or other unauthorized commercial communication you send to each user through the Services.

2. DISCLAIMER WARRANTY

HotelExecutive, including all software, functions, materials, and information is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. HotelExecutive disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, warranties of non-infringement and implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, title, merchantability of computer programs, data accuracy, system integration, and informational Content. HotelExecutive does not warrant or make any representations regarding the operation of HotelExecutive, the use, validity, accuracy or reliability of, or the results of the use of the materials on HotelExecutive or any other sites linked to HotelExecutive. The materials of HotelExecutive may be out of date, and HotelExecutive makes no commitment to update the materials at HotelExecutive. HotelExecutive does not and cannot guarantee or warrant that the files available for downloading from HotelExecutive, if any, will be free from infection, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, or other code that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. HotelExecutive does not warrant that HotelExecutive, software, materials, products, or services will be uninterrupted or error-free or that any defects in HotelExecutive, software, materials, products, or services will be corrected.

3. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

In no event will HotelExecutive, its suppliers or other third parties mentioned at or in HotelExecutive be liable for any damages, including, without limitation direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages, damages resulting from lost profits, lost data or business interruption arising out of relating to the use, inability to use, or resulting from the use of HotelExecutive, any web sites linked to HotelExecutive, the materials, software or other information contained in any or all such sites, whether based on warranty, contracts, statutes, regulations, tort (including but not limited to, negligence) or any other legal theory and whether or not advised of the possibility of such damages. If your use of the materials or information from HotelExecutive results in the need for servicing, repair or correction of equipment or data, you assume all costs thereof.

4. REVISIONS TO THIS AGREEMENT

HotelExecutive may revise this Agreement at any time without notice by updating this posting. By using HotelExecutive you agree to be bound by any such revisions and should therefore periodically visit HotelExecutive and page to determine the then current Terms of Access and Use conditions of use to which you are bound.

5. TRANSMISSIONS

Any idea you transmit to or post on HotelExecutive by any means will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary and may be disseminated or used by HotelExecutive or its affiliates for any purpose whatsoever, including, but not limited to, developing and marketing products. You are prohibited from posting or transmitting to or from HotelExecutive any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic, profane material or any other material, including but not limited to any material that could give rise to any civil or criminal liability under both domestic and international law.

6. YOUR WARRANTIES

You warrant to HotelExecutive that:

You are the sole owner of all rights in the materials posted or uploaded by you (including all related copyrights) or that you have the absolute right to license their use as provided in this section. While you will retain ownership of the copyright in the materials posted or uploaded by you, you agree that all materials posted or uploaded by you shall become part of a database, and that HotelExecutive will own the compilation copyright in that database. In addition, you hereby grant HotelExecutive a perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, publicly perform, publically display and distribute such materials, and portions of such materials and any derivative works created from such materials, in print, electronic and other media, by any means now known or developed in the future. We may sublicense all of our rights and licenses or assign them to third parties. Neither HotelExecutive nor any third party using the materials in accordance with this section will be obligated to pay you any royalties or other compensation for use of the materials.

You will comply with these Terms of Access and Use including, without limitation, the USE RESTRICTIONS set out in Section 3 above;

You agree to indemnify and hold HotelExecutive harmless from any claim or damages (including any legal fees in relation to same) made by a third party in respect of any matter in relation to or arising from your use and/or membership arising from any breach or suspected breach of these Terms of Access and Use by you or your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.

7. ACTIONS WE MAY TAKE AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION

HotelExecutive may take any or all of the following actions at our sole discretion:

Remove any member profile (including photographs) or other material that, in our sole discretion may be inappropriate or we suspect to be illegal, subject us to liability or which may violate these Terms of Access and Use or where required to do so by law;

Issue members with verbal or written warnings and may take such further action as we deem appropriate if such warnings are not heeded;

Suspend or terminate a member's access to the members's area of HotelExecutive or a member's account without notice at any time;

Inform the appropriate authorities and provide them with information regarding any suspected illegal activity; or bring legal action against a member or other user of HotelExecutive in relation to any breach of these Terms of Access and Use or any illegal or suspected illegal activity.

8. GOOD SAMARITAN CONTENT AND COMPLAINT PROCEDURES POLICY

A. Policy

We have provided opportunities for you to contribute Content to our Site. It is our policy, however, not to allow any Content which may constitute intellectual property infringement; violations of federal, state, or local law; obscene or defamatory material, or may otherwise be unacceptable or inappropriate. Upon learning of such Content, we will attempt, and you hereby give HotelExecutive the right, to delete, edit, remove, disable, change, or restrict access to or the availability of the Content, which in our sole discretion, is otherwise unacceptable or objectionable. We may or may not notify you about what action we take with respect to the disputed Content. The provisions of this section are intended to implement this policy but are not in any way intended to impose a contractual obligation upon us to undertake, or refrain from undertaking, any particular course of conduct.

B. Complaint Procedures

If you believe that another user or other third party has posted Content which violates this policy or specifically the USE RESTRICTIONS in Section 3 above, you may notify HotelExecutive via e-mail at editor@HotelExecutive . In order to allow HotelExecutive to respond effectively, please provide HotelExecutive with as much information as possible in your correspondence, including: (1) the nature of the right infringed or violated (including any applicable registration numbers of the federally-registered intellectual property allegedly infringed), if applicable, or the unacceptable or inappropriate Content; (2) all facts which lead you to believe that a right has been violated or infringed, if applicable; (3) the precise location where the offending Content is located; (4) any grounds to believe that the party or user which posted the Content was not authorized to do so or did not have a valid defense (including the defense of fair use), if applicable; (5) if known, the identity of the party or user who posted the infringing, offending, or inappropriate Content; and (6) in the case of alleged copyright infringement claims, information sufficient to identify the work and your claims to ownership.

C. Indemnification/Waiver of Certain Rights

By contacting HotelExecutive and complaining of an alleged violation, you agree that the substance of your complaint shall constitute a representation made under the pains and penalties of perjury pursuant to the laws of the State of California. In addition, you agree, at your own expense, to defend and indemnify HotelExecutive and hold HotelExecutive harmless against all claims which may be asserted against HotelExecutive, and all losses incurred, as a result of your complaint and/or our response to it.

D. Waiver of Claims and Remedies

We expect all users of our Site to take responsibility for their own actions and cannot and do not assume liability for any acts of third parties which take place at our Site. By utilizing the Good Samaritan procedures set forth herein, you waive any and all claims or remedies which you might otherwise be able to assert against hotelexecutive under any theory of law (including, but not limited to, intellectual property laws) that arise out of or relate in any way to the content at hotelexecutive or our response, or failure to respond, to a complaint.

E. Investigation/Liability Limitation

You agree that we have the right, but not the obligation, to investigate any complaint received. By reserving this right, we do not undertake any responsibility in fact to investigate complaints or to remove, edit, disable or restrict access to or the availability of Content. We will not act on complaints that we believe, in our sole discretion, to be deficient, incomplete, or otherwise questionable. If you believe that Content remains on HotelExecutive which violates your rights, Your sole and exclusive remedy shall be against the user or other party responsible for said content, not against HotelExecutive. your sole and exclusive remedy against HotelExecutive shall be to terminate your use of HotelExecutive and service.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act Compliance. As set forth in Subsection (b), you must contact our agent if you believe that a work protected by a U.S. Copyright which you own has been posted on our Site without authorization or that our Site, in some material way, contributes to its infringement. It is our policy in appropriate circumstances, if possible, to terminate the access rights of repeat infringers and other users who use HotelExecutive in an inappropriate or objectionable manner.

9. COOPERATION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

HotelExecutive reserves the right to fully cooperate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing HotelExecutive to disclose the identity or other information regarding any user or member alleged by any governmental entity to be using HotelExecutive or any Content or materials available in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive in violation of any law or regulation, or in violation of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the posting of e-mail messages, or publishing or otherwise making available any such materials. By accepting this agreement you waive and hold harmless HotelExecutive from any claims resulting from any action by HotelExecutive during, or as a result of, its investigations, and from any actions taken as a consequence of investigations by either HotelExecutive or law enforcement authorities

10. APPLICABLE LAWS, VENUE, JURISDICTION & MANDATORY ARBITRATION

If any provision(s) of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be contrary to law, then such provision(s) shall be construed, as nearly as possible, to reflect the intentions of the parties with the other provisions remaining in full force and effect. HotelExecutive's failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision unless acknowledged and agreed to by HotelExecutive in writing. The section titles in this Agreement are solely used for the convenience of the parties and have no legal or contractual significance. This Agreement may be assigned in whole or in part by HotelExecutive. This Agreement may not be assigned in any manner by you without the express, prior written permission of HotelExecutive.

Any and all disputes or controversies of any kind, including but not limited to any performance, duty, obligation or liability arising under or related to this Agreement which are not first resolved informally, shall be determined by binding arbitration in San Francisco, California, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association. The final award in any such arbitration proceeding shall be subject to entry as a judgment by any court or competent jurisdiction, provided that such judgment does not conflict with the terms and provisions hereof. The jurisdiction of the arbiter (or arbiters) with respect to legal matters shall be limited only by the statutory and common law of the State of California and the United States.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, any and all disputes, which the parties cannot informally resolve, regarding the scope of issues or matter with the jurisdiction of the arbitrator, shall be resolved by a separate dispute resolution process whereby HotelExecutive, in its sole discretion shall elect the dispute to be resolved by either (1) a court of competent jurisdiction in the State of California or (2) a panel of three new arbitrators.

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California notwithstanding any conflict of laws provisions. You and HotelExecutive agree that the venue for all legal disputes, controversies, actions of any kind arising under or related to this Agreement shall be San Francisco, California. You and HotelExecutive further agree that in case of any litigation regarding this Agreement, you irrevocably and unconditionally (i) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in the County of San Francisco, California for any litigation or dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement, (ii) agree not to commence any litigation arising out of or relating to this Agreement except in the California Courts, (iii) agree not to plead or claim that such litigation brought therein has been brought in an inconvenient forum, and (iv) agree the California Courts represent the exclusive jurisdiction for all litigation relating to this Agreement.

11. MEMBERSHIP FEES

Hotel Business Review Subscriptions

If you choose to purchase a subscription, member subscription payments can be made in U.S. Dollars, as well as a variety of international currencies. Membership terms are Annual Recurring, and Monthly Recurring. The Annual Recurring subscription is an annual commitment and subscribers will be charged each consecutive billing cycle. Annual Recurring subscriptions can be cancelled after the first billing cycle and within 30-days of the billing date for a full refund. Monthly Recurring subscriptions are ongoing and subscribers will be charged each consecutive monthly billing cycle. Monthly Recurring subscriptions can be cancelled after the first month and within 7 days of the monthly billing cycle for a full refund.

12. PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION

Payment for the services provided to you in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive may be made by automatic credit card, debit card, direct debit, bankwire or Paypal and other approved payment means offered in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive, and you hereby authorize HotelExecutive and its agents to transact such payments on your behalf.

You hereby authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card to pay for your membership to HotelExecutive. You further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card for any and all purchases of products, services in association with HotelExecutive. You agree to be personally liable for all charges incurred by you in association with your access or other use of any content provided by HotelExecutive or any third party in association with HotelExecutive. You acknowledge and agree that your liability for all such charges shall continue after termination of your access or any type of membership arrangement with HotelExecutive.

In the event that you have chosen to have your membership automatically rebilled, unless and until you notify HotelExecutive that you wish to cancel or terminate your membership to HotelExecutive, you hereby agree and authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to automatically renew your membership to HotelExecutive on a continuing basis and to charge your credit card (or other payment means you have selected) to pay for the ongoing cost of your membership. You hereby further authorize HotelExecutive's Internet Payment Service Provider to charge your credit card (or other approved payment means you have selected) for any and all purchases of products, services and entertainment provided to in, at, through or in association with HotelExecutive.

13. PRIVACY POLICY

The following is the Privacy Policy for HotelExecutive

We can be reached via telephone, email, or online at our contact page. When you visit our site we do not log any information regarding your domain or email address. Information Sharing: We do not share user information with any third parties other than via press release distribution as described below.

Hotel Newswire is a newswire service that distributes press releases on behalf of our users. If you decide to submit a press release for distribution through our system we will transmit your entire press release including any personal information therein contained to our media contacts and online distribution points including search engines. This is the only redistribution of your information that we engage in. Your submission of press releases through our system indicates consent with this policy. The information we collect during your registration process is used to notify users about updates to our service and inform users of any special events hosted by Hotel Newswire. This information is not shared with other organizations for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

Cookies: Our system requires the use of cookies to enable the user to log back into our website to access information from the newswire, without having to log in each time using the required username and password.

If you do not want to receive email from us in the future, please let us know by following instructions included in our communication with you. Users who supply us with telephone numbers online may receive telephone contact from us regarding their account, or informing them of new products and services available on the HotelExecutive website. If you do not wish to receive such telephone calls, please edit your account and remove your phone number from your account profile. This can be done from your user account menu.

Ad Servers: We do not partner with or have any relationship with any ad server companies. From time to time, we may use customer information for new uses not previously disclosed in our privacy notice. If our information practices change at any time, we will post the policy changes to our website to notify you of these changes and provide you with the ability to opt out of these new uses. If you are concerned about how your information is used, you should check back at our website periodically.

Upon request we provide site visitors with access to all information (including proprietary information) that we maintain about them. Users can access this information by logging in to their account.

Security: We always use industry-standard encryption technologies while transferring and receiving user data exchanged with our site. We have appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information that we have collected from you on our site. We do not store credit card information in our systems.

If you feel that this site is not following its stated information policy, you may contact us.

Receive our Newsletter

The Future of Hospitality: Pros and Cons of Robotic Technology in Hotels

By Enari Bryant, Sales Manager, Brick Hospitality

Advanced technology is gaining traction across various industries due to its ability to significantly enhance efficiency, improve accuracy, and elevate customer experiences. In fields like manufacturing, healthcare, and retail, technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and automation are revolutionizing operations by streamlining processes, reducing human error, and optimizing resource utilization. These advancements not only increase productivity but also enable businesses to deliver services much faster, thereby gaining a competitive edge in the market. In the hotel industry, advanced technology is similarly transforming guest experiences and operational efficiency. Hotels are increasingly adopting state-of-the-art digital concierges and virtual assistants for...

How Boutique Hotels are Using Micro-Influencers to Create Authentic Guest Experiences

By Angelica Olivas, Public Relations Coordinator, Crowe PR

Boutique hotels are now taking a unique approach to social media partnerships, discovering that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to the modern, social media-driven hospitality landscape. Rather than pursuing costly collaborations with celebrity or macro-influencers, many properties are now finding greater success by partnering with micro-influencers – content creators with followings between 10,000 and 50,000 – to showcase authentic experiences that resonate with audiences and potential guests. This strategic shift reflects a deeper understanding of how social media influences the booking decisions of today’s discerning travelers. While large influencers may offer broader reach, micro-influencers often deliver higher...

Don't Let Water Be the Reason for a Negative Review

By Mark Lynch, Director of Business Development, Water Management, Inc.

When booking a hotel for a family vacation, it is not uncommon to scroll through reviews of hotels in that area. Clean, comfortable, accommodating, and affordable guestrooms are typical terms that are frequently mentioned. After conducting research and reading several reviews, the level of confidence in the booking a particular hotel increases… or decreases. Three authentic hotel reviews from Tripadvisor were compiled that highlight three different, common, but sometimes complex, water-related issues. A complimentary and successful case study is being provided alongside of each problem to encourage and map out a potential path forward for hotels that may be experiencing...

Generative AI and Design Process for Hotels

By Lawrence Adams, Principal, Lawrence Adams Architect

"The creative act does not create something out of nothing; it uncovers, selects, reshuffles, combines, synthesizes already existing facts, ideas, faculties, and skills." - Arthur Koestler, The Act of Creation, 1964 Generative AI technology is advancing so rapidly that, by the time it is published, this article may no longer be relevant. Generative AI is generally defined as algorithms that can create new content in the form of language, images, and sound by using transformer-based deep neural networks and based on the patterns and structure of input training data to generate new data with similar characteristics. In this article, we...

Navigating Cybersecurity Challenges: Securing The Future of The Hotel Industry

By Suzie Squier, President, Retail & Hospitality ISAC

In the modern hospitality industry, cybersecurity has become a critical priority for hotel executives. With the increasing reliance on digital systems for reservations, guest services, and operations, hotels are prime targets for cybercriminals. Recent high-profile breaches have underscored the vulnerabilities inherent in the sector, highlighting the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures. By understanding and addressing these issues, hotel executives can better protect their guests’ sensitive information, maintain their reputation, and ensure the smooth operation of their establishments. Why Hotels Are Targeted As hotels increasingly use innovative technology to enhance their operations and guest services, they collect...

TFE Hotels Introduces 'A by Adina' to Europe With New Opening in Vienna, Austria

By Asli Kutlucan, CEO, TFE Hotels Europe

As the newly appointed CEO of TFE Hotels, Europe, I am thrilled to be leading TFE’s European expansion at such an important time in its journey with its Adina brand family as well as our newest tech enabled soulful hospitality brand MM:NT. Adina has already proven itself to be a standout in the extended-stay hotel sector, having established a strong presence across Europe since its debut in 1997. With seven new properties now open in the past few years across Austria, Switzerland, and beyond, Adina has demonstrated robust growth and has become synonymous with high-quality, apartment-style accommodations that cater...

The Benefits of a Small Hotel Management Company

By Kasia Russell, Senior Managing Director, Practice Leader, HVS

The last few years have been fraught with mergers and acquisitions in the hotel management space. Companies have grown larger and less personalized, more streamlined, increasingly technologically advanced, and geographically agnostic. The benefits of a large management company may seem obvious: efficiency and economies of scale, technology and innovation, specialized knowledge and resources, and distribution channel advantages, among others. However, when choosing a management company for your hotel, I encourage you to look beyond the seemingly obvious and evaluate whether a more personalized and strategic approach is appropriate for your hotel real estate investment goals. This article outlines the benefits...

HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW SEPTEMBER FOCUS: Hotel Group Meetings

From Valet to Shuttle: How Better Hiring and Training Can Prevent Losses

By Christopher Bolger Senior Risk Manager, Venture Insurance Programs | September 2014

Terms & Conditions

Receive our Newsletter

HOTEL BUSINESS REVIEW
SEPTEMBER FOCUS: Hotel Group Meetings