hotel safety

Published on: January 22, 2019

Hotel Safety Tips to Avoid Being an Assault Victim

Most of us will go on at least one trip in our lifetime where a hotel stay is necessary. A key to making the trip a success is ensuring your safety while at the hotel. Unfortunately, more travelers than most people would expect have experienced some type of assault or danger while staying at a hotel. With the Superbowl coming to Atlanta in the next few weeks, the local hotels will no doubt need to take extra security measures to ensure the safety of all of their guests.

Factors such as negligent security, inadequate lighting and negligent maintenance can contribute to occurrences of assaults at hotels. It’s hard to say exactly how many assaults are reported at hotels and resorts across the US every year. Not all assaults are reported to police, and a hotel’s TripAdvisor page will hardly feature a summary of the number of assaults and suspected attacks the hotel has been involved in over the past few years. Likewise, a hotel will not make known the number of personal injury lawsuits filed against them for negligence.

Solo female travelers need to take strong steps to safeguard their own security. It’s important to not be lulled into a false sense of safety when you are walking around in the quiet hallways and guest areas of a hotel. Even with the state–of-the-art check- in systems and seemingly foolproof door lock systems many hotels use these days, it is not, unfortunately, a complete safeguard against crime. Therefore, all travelers, and especially females, must be on their guard at all times.

Published on: July 19, 2011

Slip and Fall on Rain-Slicked Hotel Floor Gets Million Dollar Verdict

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Described by her attorney as a “young, attractive executive,” Christine Garland was attending a sales conference that was interrupted by her slip and fall on the rain-clicked marble floor of the hosting hotel. She’s endured excruciating pain in the four years since, undergone numerous surgeries and was eventually forced to give up her lucrative job.

The hotel’s insurer had an opportunity to settle for $750,000. Now the chain may have to shell out $3.6million in damages, after a diverse Fulton County jury voted in the plaintiff’s favor.

In his closing statement, says the Daily Report, the plaintiff’s attorney honed in on the conflicting testimony of hotel staff. Some employees testified that prior to opening the doors of the conference room wet floor signs and safety mats had been posted as warning– other employees directly rebutted this testimony as did the plaintiff, Garland, and her boss. The other clincher for this case was the taped depositions of Garland’s treating physicians – graphic testimony that went unchallenged by the defending attorney. As a result, Garland received upwards of $800,000 more than requested in pain and suffering, and a great deal more than the $210,000 settlement initially put on the table by the chain.

Published on: June 7, 2011

Atlanta Hotel Window Safety in Question after Fatal Fall Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Window safety at an Atlanta hotel, which was the scene of a horrific fall accident that killed a young woman, is now under scrutiny.Questions are being asked about how the hotel’s windows failed to prevent an accident caused by “horseplay” which resulted in the wrongful death of one woman and serious injury to another woman. As an Atlanta injury lawyer, I would thoroughly investigate the manner of installation of the windows, the design of the windows and window frame as well as any prior complaints or problems with the windows.

The victim, Lashawna Threatt and her friend were in the room on the 10th floor of the W Hotel in Atlanta.They were part of a group that was celebrating Threatt’s 30th birthday.According to the friend, Threatt and her friend were play fighting in the room when they suddenly crashed through the window.The two landed on a sunroof adjoining the hotel, and while the friend suffered injuries in the accident, Threatt died as a result of her injuries.She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Questions are being asked about how the two women could simply fly through a hotel window while they were playing.At this point in time, police are not investigating the safety of the hotel’s windows.They are calling this an accident.A criminal investigation is also underway.There are also indications that the family of the victims is planning a lawsuit against the hotel.