When you leave town, you generally expect that your stay at a hotel will be stress-free and relaxing. Hotels often strive to provide guests with the best possible experience by having numerous amenities, such as swimming pools, hot tubs, fitness facilities, day spas, restaurants, and more. Unfortunately, along with many of these amenities comes the risk of injury to hotel patrons and hotel employees [1]. If you suffer injury in a hotel accident, you should always discuss a possible legal claim against the hotel with an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
Common types of hotel accidents
Though hotel accidents and injuries may occur in a wide variety of situations. Some of the most common injuries happen as a result of the following:
- Slip and falls in the room or common areas
- Falls down stairs
- Elevator or escalator accidents
- Drowning in pools or hot tubs
- Broken or defective furniture
- Food poisoning
- Bed bugs or other unsanitary conditions
- Burns from fires [2], hot water, or irons
- Exposure to other toxic chemicals
- Assaults
Liability for hotel injuries
Hotel owners and managers are subject to a very high standard of care [3]when it comes to the safety of their guests. This means they are expected to take all action that is reasonable possible to make sure the premises of the hotel are safe for guests. This duty of care extends to all premises including parking lots and garages, hotel-owned shuttle buses, common areas, guest rooms, meeting rooms, pools, fitness centers, restaurants, and more.
Managers should ensure that hotel staff takes all possible precautions against any foreseeable harm to guests or other visitors. “Foreseeable” means that management is aware or should be aware of the possibility of injury due to certain conditions. Management then has a duty to prevent or correct such dangerous conditions.
When a hotel manager fails to ensure that the premises are reasonably safe for guests, that hotel should be held liable for any injuries that result. Injured guests may often receive compensation for losses such as medical expenses, lost wages, physical pain and suffering, and more. An attorney can help you prove that a hotel was negligent and should be held liable for your injuries.