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The Lodging Security Officer Program has recently been revised to include the following new or updated topics:
Click the image to the left to purchase these training materials!
Tags: ada regulations, ah&la ei, lodging security officer program, lso
Enabling Independence: Service for Guests with Disabilities (Video)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantees basic rights for people with disabilities, including full and equal access to your property and services. This new video highlights the unique needs of guests with various disabilities and identifies how lodging employees can accommodate their desire for independence. It also covers expanded ADA requirements regarding power-driven mobility devices, service animals, and practical steps you can take to ensure the safety and satisfaction of guests with disabilities.Bilingual DVD (English/Spanish). The companion material with this DVD will include a Leader’s Guide and sample Learner’s Guide in PDF format.
By Cheryl Baldwin, Ph.D., Vice President of Science & Standards, Green Seal
This article is published courtesy of the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Institute
Businesses that incorporate sustainable practices benefit with increased financial success. This was illustrated during the economic downturn in 2008–2009, when businesses committed to sustainability financially outperformed industry averages by 15 percent (Mahler et al., 2009). Sustainable practices in lodging and hospitality have traditionally translated to energy and water efficiency and waste reduction, for the rooms and conference space. For the food and beverage services, however, the focus should be on food.
Why food? The production, distribution, preparation, and disposal of food are sources of enormous environmental damage. The amount of energy used to produce, process, package, store, and transport food is seven-and-a-half times the amount of energy the food actually provides in return (Heller and Keoleian, 2000). This has led to the food supply contributing significantly to climate change, responsible for about one-third of global greenhouse gasses (Bellarby et al., 2008). Agriculture is also one of the primary sources of biodiversity loss (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2010). Topsoil is being lost at rates significantly greater than it is being formed. Agriculture is responsible for two-thirds of fresh water use and 70 percent of the pollution of rivers and streams (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1995; United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1998). As a result, most of the environmental impact from the day-to-day operation from food and beverage services isn’t from energy or water use, it is from the food purchased or wasted (Baldwin et al., 2010). The damage from food – the “foodprint” – can be reduced to become more sustainable and better for the planet, its people, and your bottom line.
Read more here.
This link is password protected for lodging members only. If you need help logging in, email Michelle in the WH&LA office or call 262/782-2851.
Tags: f&b, food service, sustainability
From the American Hotel & Lodging Association:
While Hurricane Irene and its ensuing damage served as a learning experience for the lodging industry, hoteliers along the eastern seaboard provided exceptional service and safety to guests. The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) polled members to determine the extent of their damage and recommendations and tips. A number of hoteliers relayed stories ranging from employees who went above and beyond to salvage disrupted weddings to sleeping on cots in order to stay on property to acts of kindness by both employees and guests.
The survey revealed that the top issues hoteliers faced were labor challenges around employees being able to get to work, power loss, wind damage, flooding, leaks, and food spoilage. Hoteliers said among the things they’d do differently include getting a generator, better employee training and communication, addressing prepaid rooms needing to be cancelled, and revising action plans.
AH&LA culled together a lengthy list of action items to consider in advance, during, and following a natural disaster, including:
-Review insurance coverages and reporting requirements with your agent
-Designate a signal phone number for employees to call for the latest information on schedules, closing, rooms, etc.
-Secure storage of vital employee and financial records
-Block rooms for employees and corporate team members
-Conduct inventory and order additional non-perishable food and paper products
-Secure sandbags if flooding is anticipated
-Procure additional cash for purchases post storm
-Store as much water as possible in tubs, sinks, and other containers, as well as ice
-Provide glowsticks to guests and place in halls and stairs
“This year has shown us that you don’t have to be in a traditionally natural disaster prone area to be affected,” said AH&LA President/CEO Joe McInerney. “The best thing for hoteliers to do is to start preparing before a warning is even issued.”
For a complete list of member recommendations, along with federal and allied member resources available to help members prepare for natural disasters ranging from hurricanes to earthquakes to tornados, visit http://www.ahla.com/irene/
Tags: disaster preparedness, emergency plan, evacuate, flooding, natural disaster, safety, tornado season
AH&LA is hosting a webinar titled “New ADA Title III: Will You Be in Compliance on March 15, 2012,” scheduled for Wednesday, July 27 from 1 – 2:30 p.m. CDT. This webinar is free for all AH&LA members.* The session will be led by two legal experts who have been actively involved in working with AH&LA to submit comments to the Department of Justice during deliberations on these changes.
Topics covered will include: new requirements for existing swimming pools, spas, saunas and steam rooms; new standards for what is considered an accessible facility; clarified or expanded requirements regarding lodging reservations, service animals, effective communication with guests with disabilities, etc.; coverage of power mobility devices (like Segways); and proposed regulations for accessible websites, point-of-sale devices, guestroom beds and other furniture, and other self-service equipment.
Register for the webinar here.
*All WH&LA members with 51 or more rooms/units automatically join AH&LA, and smaller properties with 1 – 50 rooms/units have the option to join each year if they would like). If your property is not an AH&LA member, the cost of the Webinar is $99; however, as a separate membership for a small property without a restaurant is only $110, this may be something to consider. Contact the WH&LA office at 262/782-2851 for any questions on AH&LA membership.
Tags: accessibility, ada compliance, AHLA, department of justice, mobility devices, service animals, spas, swimming pools, webinar
From the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA):
Under a U.S. Department of Labor rule, which went into effect May 5, 2011, employers must comply with specific procedures if they seek to claim a tip credit for wages paid to employees who receive tips in addition to a cash wage.
How it Works
Every employee for whom a tip credit is applied as part of his or her wages, must be notified of the following:
- The cash wage being paid to him/her, which must be at least $2.13 an hour (or higher depending on state law)
- The tip credit amount, which may not be greater than the difference between the minimum wage and the cash wage or the actual amount of tips received by the employee up to $5.12 per hour (or less depending on state law)
- All tips must be retained by the employee, except in the case of a valid tip-pooling arrangement
- The credit will not apply to any employee who has not been informed of this information
Although the rule states that employers do not necessarily need to provide this information in writing, it strongly advises employers to do so in case they are called upon to prove they have complied.
Questions? The Department of Labor has produced a fact sheet on the new rules.
State Laws
Employers must also comply with state laws that apply to tipped employees in addition to federal laws. Wages for tipped employees in specific states can be found here.
UPDATE: Fischer & Phillips LLP has posted an article in their laborlawyers.com blog regarding interpretations of the new Tip Credit requirements, including general principles, informing employees of the law’s provisions, no limits on tip pooling amounts, the chances for increased scrutiny of tipped-employee pay practices and additional Department of Labor news. Read the article here.
Tags: dol, tip credit, tipped employees, US Department of Labor
AH&LA is set to host a Regional Hospitality Forum on Tuesday, May 24 from 2 – 4:30 p.m. at McCormick Place in Chicago. AH&LA’s executive staff will provide updates on industry and governmental affairs initiatives, as well as a panel discussion on new ADA compliance regulations. The event is hosted by the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association (IH&LA) during the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show.
The $80 registration fee includes IH&LA 16th Annual Hospitality Luncheon at Noon, NRA Show badge and all AH&LA programming. AH&LA members can register here. WH&LA members that are not AH&LA members can contact Katie Hais at AH&LA via e-mail or by calling 202/289-3114.
Tags: ada, AHLA, chicago, hotel, ih&la, illinois, mccormick place, national restaurant show, regional hospitality forum
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is kicking off National Women’s Month with a membership drive for Women in Lodging (WIL) Connect, an industry-wide forum exclusively for female hospitality professionals. Anyone who joins in March will have the cost waived for a professional certification of their choice from the Educational Institute, which has never been offered before. To take advantage of the offer, the promo code will be emailed in early April.
And, the 1,000th member wins a prize package to be redeemed during the AH&LA Fall Conference, held in conjunction with the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show, November 11-14:
- Free admission to the WIL keynote seminar and luncheon
- The unique opportunity to attend the WIL Executive Council meeting, comprised of the top female representative from more than a dozen chains
- Free admission to the Inaugural Gala at the Mandarin Oriental honoring WIL founder and Incoming Chair Nancy Johnson, executive vice president and chief development officer for Carlson Hotels – the Americas, Carlson Hotels
Launched in 2004, WIL fuels the mission to promote women’s leadership into executive positions within the lodging industry. Currently, there are more than 750 members nationwide taking advantage of the career-boosting resources WIL has to offer, including educational programming, mentor/mentee opportunities, exclusive networking with some of the industry’s top professionals, inclusion in an online directory, and access to additional state chapter benefits.
Tags: AHLA, prizes, women in lodging
