Hotel Insurance – What not to do….Don’t take Risks with your Insurance Policy
COMFORT isn’t all about clean sheets and soft pillows. If you are in the Hotel (and B&B) business, making sure your guests enjoy their stay with you goes beyond providing them with a cosy bed for the night.
Although they may not be able to see it, your guests expect the establishment they have chosen to spend their hard-earned break, or obligatory business trip, is safe and sound.
A Hotel Insurance Policy may protect you financially against most eventualities, but an insurance plan only works if you play ball too.
Just as your guests expect a certain level of due care and attention, so your insurer will assume that you have taken all the necessary precautions to prevent or limit damage.
Maintenance and regular checking of fire prevention equipment will also put your insurer’s mind at ease that you are taking the necessary steps to avoid an incident which may lead to a claim.
In fact, some of these precautions are compulsory by law.
If a fire causes injury to your guests, damage to their property or, worst case scenario, death, your Public Liability cover will kick in and compensate your guests, or their dependents, for their loss.
It is essential, however, that you do all you can to take steps to prevent things like fires.
Obviously, the safety of your guests is paramount and your priority should be to prevent death or serious injury.
Hotel Owner fined £80,000
A few years back, a case in Newquay highlighted the need for Hotels and B&B Owners to check equipment such as smoke detectors and fire alarms.
A hotel in the Cornish town burnt to the ground killing three people. The owners of the hotel were fined £80,000 in court after it was found that alarms and detectors were faulty.
Aside from the immeasurable tragedy of three deaths, the company took a huge financial hit.
And because of the court’s ruling that there were Health and Safety failures at the hotel, any insurance claim would surely be rejected.
The cost of rebuilding the hotel would then have fallen on the owners, already £80,000 out of pocket.
Don’t take short cuts…
Taking short-cuts can cost lives and livelihoods. While you can take every precaution to prevent fire spreading, such as having working smoke detectors, fire alarms and extinguishers, as well as fire resistant furnishings, a sound Hotel Insurance policy means you will be able to pick something tangible from the wreckage.
Titan Insurance has been insuring Hoteliers for over 25 years. There’s very little we don’t know about this sector. Please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0207 731 3700 if you require any help or advice otherwise visit us on www.titan-insurance.com
