Human Trafficking Reminder

Human Trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery, holding 40 million men, women, and

children captive. Hotels are the front line and play a critical role in the fight to end human trafficking. Red Roof stands shoulder to shoulder with the industry in its commitment to end human trafficking in our industry and communities.

As leaders of our hotels, it is important that you are talking to your staff about Human Trafficking and what you can do at your hotels to help support the industry and your communities in preventing human trafficking.

To ensure staff is knowledgeable and

remains vigilant, it’s important to display signage to help staff be conscious about ways to spot potential instances of trafficking in your hotel. In partnership with AHLA “No Room for Trafficking” and the Blue Campaign each hotel is required to have signage posted in a visible location for all staff. Signage is an auditable item.

Tools are available through WEST Edge. Below are quick links for easy access to locate downloadable posters for your hotels.

For information about states or other jurisdictions that have specific laws regarding human trafficking awareness signage, please reach out to the Training Department.

Tools:

• WEST Edge No Room for Trafficking Poster AHLA: CLICK HERE

• Front Desk, Housekeeping, Maintenance Job Aids

• Human Trafficking Blue Campaign Video link: CLICK HERE

• Blue Campaign Poster English: CLICK HERE

• Blue Campaign Poster Spanish: CLICK HERE

Safety and Security ALERT!

In a world where many people are trying to get something for nothing… we have seen a huge increase in phone scams occurring at many hospitality establishments across the country. RRI West is not immune to these scams either and we must make a concerted effort to notify and train all GSRs, especially our Front Desk teams. Knowledge of how these phone scams occur and what to do when they think they are happening is key to prevention. There have been several instances of these scams at specific RRI West properties over the past year. Here are some things we have seen from these cases:

• The caller often knows the GMs name, the RVPOs name and sometimes other key personnel within RRI West, Red Roof and/or Westmont and uses these names to gain trust with the GSR that this caller is legitimate.

• The caller will often claim to be the “owner” of the property.

• The caller will use fear tactics to scare the GSR that the owner needs money NOW and that XXXX authorized the GSR to give them money.

• When the GSR often explains they have no access to the safe, they caller will again, scare the GSR into giving up their OWN money, promising RRI West, Red Roof, etc. will pay them back.

• The caller will discuss extreme payment options, like giving the caller your own personal credit card, leaving the property to withdraw money from an ATM, or even setting up a bitcoin account.

• The caller will keep the GSR on the line for extended periods of time, and threatening them not to answer other calls, not to call anyone to verify the validity of the call, and in some cases, warning the GSR to not even help guests who physically come into the lobby.

THESE ARE ALL LIES. No one from Red Roof, RRI West or Westmont will ever call and threaten a GSR or anyone for that matter in exchange for money. No one with the organization will discuss a GSR using their own money to pay anyone.

If you encounter a situation like this, or similar, you should hang up and contact your supervisor immediately. We want all employees to feel safe at work and want to reassure you that through education, communication, and diligence, we will send a message to these scammers that RRI West properties are not a place for them. If you have any questions or concerns – please feel free to speak with your supervisor, any member of RRI West Leadership or Human Resources.

Please see the attached flyer for further information. GMs – please post for all employees. We will be setting up a document acknowledgement through the UKG system this month for all current employees (and all new hires going forward) to acknowledge receipt of this information.

Phone Scam Prevention Flyer RRI West

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Download PDF • 107KB

EMERGENCY LODGING ASSISTANCE

Are your registered for ELA?! Many of our inns are! To find out your login information please call 1-(866) 545-9865. Below is more information about ELA and guide on how to register for first time users.

It’s that time of the year where the East Coast and the Gulf are watching for the hurricanes to start in the Atlantic or the Gulf. Some of the U.S. is already affected by flooding and wildfires. We need our Inns to be prepared in case of a disaster. The Emergency Lodging Assistance (ELA) program provides lodging reimbursement on behalf of pre-qualified individuals during federally declared disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) created the ELA program to promote timely temporary shelter required in times of a disaster. Presently, Corporate Lodging Consultants (CLC) provides coordination of lodging and payment for ELA at participating hotels. You do not have to accept CLC or have a CLC contract to be part of the ELA program. All Inns may participate.

ELA -FEMA - final

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