Have you posted your required human trafficking signs?

April 25, 2019

Are you getting the absolute best credit card processing rates?

T here are multiple hotel Property Management Systems (PMS) and Gateway options available to you as a hotel, which can make it hard to know what solutions are the best to fit your needs!

For example, do you know if your current gateway is passing the data points needed to get you discounted lodging rates, such as check in/check out dates, portfolio number, amount and tax? If you are using a standalone terminal, does it have a hotel program that will pass the data points listed above?

Choosing a credit card processor that is not familiar with the hotel and hospitality industry can raise your hard cost if the transactions are processed as a retail transaction – meaning you could be paying as much as .76% more than you should be. APS Payments is experienced with many hotel gateways and PMS systems. You can leverage our expertise to guide you in the right direction for the gateway which best fits the needs of your business and will pass the datapoints for hotel rates.

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Panic Buttons Becoming a Must-Have Safety Trend in Hospitality

by Robb Monkman

There’s a popular saying that reads, “prepare and prevent, don’t repair and repent.” This seemingly simple sentiment hints at a universally understood and applied concept – be pro-active, rather than reactive. Now, let’s put this theory to work. When students are faced with a major exam, is it best for them to study beforehand or ask their professor for a re-test after the fact? When the objective is to avoid illness, is it best to pro-actively invest in one’s good health or treat illness once it comes? In the case of relationships, is it best to value and support our loved ones, or beg for forgiveness later? The logic is rather simple – preparation and consideration breed preparedness, and can (in many cases) help to steer individuals away from personal and professional hardship.

Don’t you think this same principle should apply to workplace safety?

No one begins their day at work anticipating the worst case scenario – or so, we would hope. Yet for many hospitality workers, the possibility of harm to their person while on the job is far too imminent. In fact, Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2013 shows that hotel and motel workers had a nonfatal injury and illness rate of 5.4 (the rate for all industries was 3.5). Further, sexual assault against hotel workers has become something of an epidemic across the industry, despite often not receiving the media attention it deserves. In fact, a 2016 report in Illinois that found 58% of hotel workers surveyed said they had been sexually harassed by a guest. Also, nearly half of all hotel housekeepers surveyed said guests had at one time exposed themselves or answered their door naked.

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Assembly Bill 1162

Bill introduced to ban individual plastic personal product bottles in lodging establishments

Assembly Bill 1162 prohibits lodging establishments from providing small, single-use plastic bottles for personal care products to guests. It empowers state agencies to inspect lodging facilities for compliance and issue fines for non-compliance. If passed, the law would go into effect January 1, 2023.

You can see the actual bill at http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1162

Please complete this simple four question survey of your thoughts regarding this proposed legislation so that we may convey them to the legislature.

Participate in a 4 question survey on AB 1162

It's the Law

HumanTrafficking Regulations for the Lodging Industry

Lodging establishments are required to post a compliant notice regarding human trafficking in a conspicuous place near the public entrance of the establishment or in another conspicuous location in clear view of the public and employees where similar notices are customarily posted.

After Jan. 1, 2020, an employer must provide human-trafficking awareness training and education once every two years to each employee likely to interact or come into contact with victims of human trafficking.

Anti-trafficking Regulations Resources:

https://oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking/model-notice

https://oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB1193

https://hotellaw.jmbm.com/labor-employment-update-california-hotel-owners-must-provide-

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/pages/california-enacts-two-laws-to-combat-human-trafficking.aspx

CLIAlert Editor: One of our members reported that they were visited by a "Human Trafficking Specialist Labor Law Inspector" from the "California Board of Compliance Department of Investigation" regarding the property's anti-trafficking notification compliance. This organization is a private company and is not affiliated with a governmental agency.