Hotel Door Open Key CardHotels are frequently settings for sexual assault because they inherently facilitate anonymity, trespassing, and sex-related crimes.

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Every hotel’s legal responsibility involves exercising due care when protecting its guests and employees from sexual misconduct. Failure to carry out this duty of care could result in liability for a sexual assault crime on the premises.

Sexual assault is defined as penetration or any other sexual misconduct without the other party’s consent.

Our Hotel Sexual Assault Attorneys Can Help You Pursue Civil Compensation

Sex abuse does not necessarily require physical contact. If you recently experienced assault at a hotel, contact the personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC.

We can put our legal experience advocating for victims of sexual assault to work on your behalf. Our lawyers will review your case, answer your legal questions, and help you take the first step toward a favorable case resolution. Call (888) 424-5757 today for a free, confidential consultation.

Hotel Sexual Assault FAQs

Below are some frequently asked questions raised by people who have been sexually assaulted, abused, or raped in a hotel or motel. We appreciate the sensitive nature of these incidents and welcome you to contact our law firm for a free consultation with an experienced sexual abuse attorney for a free case consultation.

What Is Hotel Sexual Assault Prevention?

Training hotel workers from the front desk to housekeeping about sexual violence could maximize employees’ and guests’ safety procedures. Some hotels provide panic buttons to maids and guests to instantly notify hotel security of an emergency.

Guests and employees should understand their surroundings and be assertive when preventing harassing moments and escaping unsafe situations. If any harassment or abuse does occur, report what happened to hotel administrators and law enforcement to press charges.

How Can I Tell If the Hotel Is Secure?

Crime in a hotel setting is a sobering reality in the United States where victims are injured through robbery, burglary, assault, and murder. Determining how to secure a hotel might be challenging if visitors do not know the area or the crime statistics associated with guests and trespassers.

Common indicators that hotel security does not protect guests and visitors include:

  • Inadequate lighting creates darkened areas at night
  • Insufficient patrolling security guards on duty
  • Insufficient inside and outside security cameras
  • Transient “guests” congregating in the lobby and parking lot
  • Prostitution activity at the hotel
  • Inattentive front desk clerks not validating incoming guest’s identification to confirm they do not pose threats to others

What Question Should I Ask the Hotel’s Front Desk to Ensure My Safety?

Guests and visitors should raise questions with the front desk and hotel security to ensure their safety. These questions might include:

  • Does hotel security take the correct measures to ensure everyone’s safety at the facility?
  • Did employees receive the proper training to determine who should be entering the hotel lobby and hallways?
  • Does the hotel administration conduct background checks to determine every employee’s past criminal activities?

Victims of sexual abuse, assault, and rape at the hotel should contact law enforcement immediately to file a report.

How Do I Prevent an Assault at the Hotel?

Visitors and guests can follow hotel safety precautions to avoid criminal activity and assault while staying at the facility. These precautions could include:

  • Never give your room number or share your room key with others
  • Have the front desk write your room number on your receipt instead of saying it out loud
  • Upon entering the room, inspect the entire area, including behind the curtains, in the closet, and inside the bathroom
  • Check to ensure that the windows and doors are locked and functioning properly
  • Throw the deadbolt into the closed position after entering the room
  • Do not open the door to unwanted visitors and hotel employees
  • Enter and exit the hotel using the main entrance only to ensure you will remain in the hotel’s busiest areas when going or coming from your room
  • Maximize your security by asking that a hotel employee accompany you to your vehicle when leaving at any time of the day or night

What Do I Need to Do If I Was Sexually Assaulted at the Hotel?

The steps you take immediately after the assault could maximize the healing process and your well-being. You should:

  • Report what happened to local law enforcement and describe the traumatic experience in detail
  • Ask for transportation to the local emergency room by ambulance to undergo a comprehensive examination to document your physical injuries and gather evidence
  • Make sure the crime scene is photographed to prove your case in court and hold those responsible legally accountable
  • Speak to an experienced attorney who can ensure that the sexual predator faces criminal charges and civil action to pay for what they did to you

What Is a Hotel Panic Button?

In 2017, Chicago enacted a law similar to a statute passed in Seattle to provide panic buttons to every hotel employee working in guestrooms and other private areas. Many hotels have not developed defective policies that prohibit sexual harassment and assault in the workplace by encouraging workers to report any incident of sexual misconduct by guests.

The policy allows workers to stop their job immediately and leave any dangerous area to reduce problems occurring in unsafe working conditions.

Hotel Sexual Assault and Negligent Security

Inappropriate sexual activity at a hotel is an indicator the establishment could have a serious issue with security. Under the premises liability laws of most states, property owners must exercise reasonable care regarding their premises’ security.

Hotels must take reasonable steps to protect their guests from foreseeable risks of harm—including crimes such as assault—which could include:

  • Remain aware of previous criminal cases in the hotel and the surrounding neighborhood
  • Hire sufficient security guards and install security cameras, parking lot lights, locked gates, and other measures to prevent crime
  • Ensure the security and performance of all doors, windows, and locks on the premises
  • Perform comprehensive employee background checks to identify past criminal activity
  • Inspect the property for potential hazards such as broken locks
  • Take steps to prevent or eliminate the frequency of prostitution in the hotel
  • Check visitors who enter the premises for proper key cards or identification to ensure they are not trespassing

A hotel operator or owner could be liable for negligent security if it fails to prevent or address risks of sexual abuse. Evidence of negligent security could be enough to grant an injured hotel guest compensation for damages.

Hotel Sexual Assault Prevention for Employees

Paying guests are not the only persons at risk of sexual assault in the hotel setting. Hotel employees might also face sexual harassment and abuse by coworkers, supervisors, or guests staying at the hotel.

The facility is responsible for providing reasonable hotel security to prevent sexual assault on the property.

Preventive security measures might include:

  • Training staff members about sexual violence in the workplace
  • Implementing rules to prevent a maid or other worker from being alone in the same hotel room with a guest
  • Installing panic buttons for maid service staff in guest rooms
  • Training employees on how to recognize the signs of hotel rape, sexual violence, harassment, and assault
  • Hotel management encourages employees to report cases of sexual misconduct without fear of retaliation

Workplace sexual assault or violent crime victims are often hotel employees. An experienced sexual assault lawyer could help you gather evidence, including surveillance footage or eyewitness testimonies.

The evidence could prove a sexual assault case against the perpetrator and your employer. You deserve legal recourse as the victim of workplace sexual misconduct in the hospitality industry.

Filing a Lawsuit for Hotel Sexual Harassment and Assault

Were you victimized by non-consensual sexual activity while working or staying at a hotel? If so, protect your rights by retaining experienced lawyers that can help you file a personal injury claim against the assailant as well as a negligent security action against the hotel.

Claims against all responsible defendants can lead to the maximum compensation for your damages, including:

  • Past and future medical expenses
  • Sexual misconduct therapy or counseling
  • Lost income or employment opportunities
  • Physical pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress or mental anguish
  • Lost quality or enjoyment of life

Victims will need to bring their claim in the proper court within the state’s statute of limitations to file a sexual abuse lawsuit. An attorney can gather any available evidence against the defendant.

Personal injury attorneys often hire negligent security experts to testify on the victim’s behalf. The lawyer will do the hard work by investigating and building a case while the victim focuses on their physical and emotional healing.

Hiring an Attorney for Your Hotel Sexual Harassment and Assault Claim

Filing a civil claim against the perpetrator who victimized you, the hotel owner or another party for hotel sexual assault can provide you and your family justice, closure, and peace of mind. It could also aid your future financial stability by granting you compensation for your damages.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC has the necessary experience handling these types of cases to bring a successful claim, and we are sensitive to the issues involved. Contact our law firm today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or through the contact form to schedule a free consultation.

All discussions with our law office remain confidential through an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send sensitive information to our law office through voicemail, email, or text message.

Our attorneys follow social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus).

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Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (847) 835-8895
Toll Free: (888) 424-5757

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