I was so happy to see how the Erin Andrews case resolved last Monday in a Tennessee court, which found the hotel owner and management company at fault, along with Andrews’ stalker.
“But wait,” some of you might say. “Stephanie, you cover the hotel industry. Shouldn’t you be on our side?”
To that I say, I AM on the hotel industry’s side. And because I’m on your side, I hope you’ll take note of the facts of this case and make some changes if you need to when it comes to ensuring basic guest safety.
While to the public this case might have been about a popular sportscaster’s privacy, I think it was entirely about hotel operations. Both sides knew that Andrews’ stalker—Michael David Barrett—was guilty, and primarily to blame. This case instead centered on whether the hotel owner and manager were also to blame for allowing Barrett to learn Andrews’ guestroom number and permit him to book the room next to hers, thus enabling him to surreptitiously film her.
What a case to put the hotel industry into the spotlight.
Attorneys for the plaintiff and the defense had different arguments and pointed fingers in different directions regarding who was at fault, and how Barrett secured Andrews’ guestroom number. For background, I point you to The Tennessean’s excellent coverage of the trial and arguments, particularly this article summarizing the day-to-day actions.
But at the end of the day, this case was about basic hotel security procedures. Extremely basic security. As in, don’t give out or confirm guestroom numbers for registered guests. Don’t make it easy for guests to use in-house phones that display guestroom numbers. And when people request specific rooms at a hotel, it’s OK to ask why, whether you’re taking the reservation from a nameless call center or from the front desk.
These issues aren’t new, they aren’t extravagant, they don’t turn the tenets of basic hotel security on their head, or all of a sudden require thousands of dollars invested into extra equipment or training time.
So now’s the time to step up and make sure your hotel’s basic security policies are in place and your employees are being trained on them. One important factor that came out of the defense’s argument was that Barrett had tried this before, at different hotels. They also pointed out that as a traveling insurance salesman, Barrett was no stranger to hotels and thus knew his way around finding out the information he needed.
That right there is even more reason why hoteliers should take the outcome of this case as an opportunity to hone basic security measures and training.
I encourage you to read “What the Erin Andrews lawsuit means for hoteliers.” It summarizes the legal actions and players, and it lays out fantastic tips for hoteliers to follow that do more to ensure guest security and avoid similar problems in the future. This is the story that I hope hoteliers pass along to property-level employees around the world.
Now on to that ugly defense
One of the side effects of this trial is that the defense really didn’t do any favors for the hotel’s management company, Windsor Capital Group, or its owner, West End Hotel Partners.
Part of the defense team’s argument was essentially that Andrews couldn’t have been THAT traumatized by the event because hey, she managed to catapult her career further into the spotlight afterward, and certainly now she doesn’t need the money she was asking the defendants to pay.
Personally, I’m trying hard to chalk that defense up to legal maneuvering. The companies have made public statements about their commitments to guest safety at their properties, and I hope those statements are true; I have no reason to believe otherwise.
So please—let’s keep the conversation about this case to safety and not to celebrity, and certainly not to personal attacks. I’ve heard gossip about this case at several industry events. I’ve also heard rumors—and I know I’m not the only one—about specific people directly involved with the case who are demonstrating their unhappiness with the outcome in ugly ways.
Erin Andrews didn’t ask for this to happen because she has a recognizable name and face. She didn’t ask for anything more than what any hotel guest should expect in terms of safety. And her annual salary has nothing to do with the rights and wrongs here.
Legal proceedings proved the hotel failed a couple basic safety checks. The hotel’s owners and managers will pay. I just hope the hotel industry listens up.
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