Hotel Operations have a social responsibility to serve alcohols with care. Each year, drunk drivers are responsible for approximately half the driving fatalities in the United States. Here in the Philippines a lot of vehicular accidents result from intoxicated drivers. One should drink responsibly as this may cause accidents and even fights. How many times we have heard in local news that a lot those engage themselves in a fight (whether teen-agers or adults) are those are intoxicated.
Regardless of legislation, good sense dictates responsibility in your service of alcoholic beverages. No one should sell beverages to minors or to those who are intoxicated. Service staff should be taught to identify minors by recognizing false identification and observing characteristics and actions frequently exhibited by minors, such as nervousness, sticking close to a group, pooling money and giving it to another person to buy drinks.
2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Determine Level of Intoxication
2. Demonstrated full knowledge of the effects of alcohol
and factors which influence guest’s actions.
3. Demonstrated knowledge of legal requirements for
alcohol service and consumption
4. Demonstrated knowledge of the benefits in creating a
responsible licensed drinking environment to self,
colleagues and customer/guests
5. Demonstrated knowledge of ways of assessing
intoxication of guests.
4. There are several behavioral warning signs that
can help service employees recognize that the
guest is becoming intoxicated:
Relaxed inhibitions
Impaired judgment
Slow reactions
Decreased coordination
7. Types of Assistance
• Communicating with the guest
• Promote Non – Alcoholic Drinks
• Slowing Down Service
• Offer Water
• Offer Food
• Advise other staff
8. Communicating with Guests
T – Tell Early
A- Avoid Put-Downs
K-Keep calm
E- Ever Courteous
C-Clarify Refusal
A – Alternatives
R- Report
E – Echo
9. Reducing the possibility of a
troublesome confrontation
• Alert back up
• Remove alcohol from the guest’s sight and
reach
• Be non-judgmental
• Be firm
• Minimize confrontation
10. Reducing the possibility of a
troublesome confrontation
• Remind the intoxicated guest that driving
while intoxicated is dangerous and against the
law, and suggest an alternate form of
transportation.
• Consider calling the police if a person insists
on driving while intoxicated.
• Keep a personal record of the incident.
13. SECTION 4. Prohibited Acts – The
following acts are prohibited:
1. The purchase of alcohol by minors from
vendors or other sources
2. Purchasing or obtaining alcohol for minors.
3. Misrepresentations of one’s age
4. Allowing the consumption or possession of
any alcoholic beverages by a person less than
18 years of age
14. Strategies to prevent underage
drinking
• Check before serving the alcohol
• It is a good practice to check the age of the
guest before serving alcohol.
• Requesting Identification
15. Checking of Identification
- Check the ID in a well-lit area
- Do not rush in checking the ID
- Look for signs of tampering (modification of
pages, photos, dates)
- If still not convinced with one ID ask for
another one and then compare
- Take the ID and ask the guest for his details
17. For Questions and
Clarification!!!
Just type your questions in our chat box control
panel located and right side of your screen
and it my pleasure to address and answer
your questions.
18. For Videos of Demonstration
LINK FOR FILM VIEWING OF DEALING WITH
HARASSMENT BY INTOXICATED GUEST
https://youtu.be/EB5nu0A_s1o
Thank you!!!
Hotel Operations have a social responsibility to serve alcohols with care. Each year, drunk drivers are responsible for approximately half the driving fatalities in the United States. Here in the Philippines a lot of vehicular accidents result from intoxicated drivers. One should drink responsibly as this may cause accidents and even fights. How many times we have heard in local news that a lot those engage themselves in a fight (whether teen-agers or adults) are those are intoxicated.
Regardless of legislation, good sense dictates responsibility in your service of alcoholic beverages. No one should sell beverages to minors or to those who are intoxicated. Service staff should be taught to identify minors by recognizing false identification and observing characteristics and actions frequently exhibited by minors, such as nervousness, sticking close to a group, pooling money and giving it to another person to buy drinks.
OVERVIEW
This lesson deals with the knowledge, skills and attitude in handling or dealing with intoxicated guests at the workplace. It includes the knowledge and skills on how to determine the level of intoxication, proper approach, application of appropriate procedure and the knowledge on legislation for alcoholic drinks.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, students are expected to:
Determine Level of Intoxication
Demonstrated full knowledge of the effects of alcohol and factors which influence guest’s actions.
Demonstrated knowledge of legal requirements for alcohol service and consumption
Demonstrated knowledge of the benefits in creating a responsible licensed drinking environment to self, colleagues and customer/guests
Demonstrated knowledge of ways of assessing intoxication of guests.
Employee should understand that a 12 ounce glass of beer, a 4 ounce glass of wine and a 1 ounce serving of 100 proof liquor all have approximately the same 1/2 ounce of pure alcohol. They should know the legal definition of intoxication. While this varies, someone is legally intoxicated when the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in his or her blood reaches 0.10 grams of alcohol or higher, per 100 milliliters of blood.
How may drinks can someone consume before becoming intoxicated? There is no precise answer to this question because so many factors could influence the effects of alcohol. However, one approach that could be uses as a basis related to the weight of an individual to the number of drinks that may be consumed before reaching a BAC of 0.10 gram. A large heavy person experience fewer effects with the same amount of alcohol than does a smaller, lighter person. However, care must be taken in relying on this chart since it only considers weight and the number of drinks consumed. An active, fit individual has a high percentage of muscle in relation to fat and is typically less influenced by alcohol. Since women tend to have a higher percentage of body fat than men, women may absorb more alcohol into their blood streams than men of the same weight consuming the same number of drinks. Fatigue and many common illnesses also affect how the body responds to alcohol. When alcohol is consumed by someone in a weakened condition, the result is quicker intoxication.
The traffic light rating system can be used to help determine if guests should continue to be served alcoholic beverages. Monitoring alcohol consumption begins in the green zone when servers first observe guests and look for behavioral warning signs of intoxication. Each time a guest orders another drink, it is important to re-evaluate the guest’s rating. As guests rated green become more relaxed and less inhibited, the rating may change to yellow. A person in yellow zone will exhibit relaxed inhibitions and impaired judgment. Slow reaction time and loss of coordination will be exhibited by a drinker in the red zone. No person in the red zone should ever be allowed to drive.
If any or all of the listed symptoms indicated shows being intoxicated, then the staff should start thinking about offering assistance.
After a guest is determined as intoxicated, assistance should be offered whenever necessary and as part of the establishment’s house rules and local laws.
An intoxicated guest does not automatically merit being asked to leave the establishment. There are other ways of handling an intoxicated guest without asking the person to leave, depending on the level of intoxication.
No matter how drunk a person is, handling the intoxicated guest must be done in a professional and discreet way. The reputation of the establishment might be put on the line if intoxicated guests are disrespected, likewise, improper handling of intoxicated guest may affect his image to the public/
Take note that assistance must be done with consent and one should never try to help a guest who is clearly refusing to receive any.
Types of Assistance
There are a number of different ways of assisting an intoxicated guest. Some of them are:
Communicating with the guest - Talk to the guest. It will help determine the guest’s state of intoxication. It will also help you identify what assistance is best suited for them.
Promote Non – Alcoholic Drinks - offering an alternative like non - alcoholic drinks sometimes helps
Slowing Down Service - Try to delay the service of drinks to guests without making it obvious. This way, the guest will not get frustrated.
Offer Water - Drinking alcohol causes the body to be dehydrated, offer water whenever necessary
Offer Food - food can be offered by providing a menu
Advise other staff. - Share information with other staff about the estimated quantity of drinks a guest has consumed or other concerns which may be relevant.
Communicating with Guests
Steps when handling Intoxicated Guests using the acronym TAKE CARE
TAKE CARE
T – Tell Early
You should be aware of the early signs of intoxication to help provide assistance to guests that will enable them to still enjoy their experience.
A- Avoid Put-Downs
Avoid putting down the guest, instead of directly refusing to serve alcohol to the guest, try to delay your service but not too much as it may irritate the guest. If this does not work, think of alibis, (white lies) that would prevent the guest from possibly becoming a problem. Just always remember to be respectful in your approach when communicating with the guests. Never tell the guest as to his condition.
K-Keep calm
There will be instances that an intoxicated guest will talk to you in a rude manner. Remember not to take it personally. Try to use a calm and controlled voice. Using loud or threatening words or tones will only escalate the problem.
E- Ever Courteous
You must respect the guest and be professional and polite. Don’t be confrontational and demeaning about the person. Always address the guest with Sir or his family name like Mr. Cruz.
C-Clarify Refusal
You need to explain to the guest the reason he or she is refused a beverage / entry into the premises or the right to remain on the premises.
Always be practical with your explanations and stick to the facts. Avoid getting emotional or personal about the intoxicated guest.
A – Alternatives
You must be able to provide and explain a range of alternatives including switching to non-alcoholic drinks or eating a meal, which will help the guest improve his/her condition.
R- Report
Make sure that you notify other people of what is happening. For legal reasons, you may be required to keep a record of events as they happen and the approach taken.
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E – Echo
If the guest is with company, you can notify a friend of the guest and explain why certain actions are taking place.
If the guest is a regular guest, you can explain your actions and the reasons behind it at an appropriate time.
There are some instances that you need to deal with harassment make sure that when you are in front of the guests, you have to make him understand that you are there to give your services. And keep distance from the person so that whatever happens you will be able to take a backward action then. Always be polite in communicating with an intoxicated person. There are times when you enter the room, the guest is half-naked so in that case you have to excuse yourself to leave the room just to make him feel that he is not ready to face you or it could be when you are serving already, you are arranging the drink on the table and he would try to touch you or perhaps could be saying some other words then that is a sign of harassment. Always excuse yourself politely rather than tolerating what he is doing. Make sure to place yourself in safe distance from the intoxicated guest. Politely remind the him that there is existing house rules and remind guest that any inappropriate behavior may not be tolerated.
Understanding Conditions of Law
Each country has its own laws regarding the legal drinking age. Please refer to local laws when handling possible underage drinkers. For the Philippines, the legal drinking age is eighteen (18).
For this lesson, we will briefly discuss the highlights of the law covering the legal drinking age of the Philippines. The following is Section 4. Prohibited Acts taken from S.B No. 2636 otherwise known as the “Anti-Underage Drinking Act.”
SECTION 4. Prohibited Acts – The following acts are prohibited:
The purchase of alcohol by minors from vendors or other sources
Purchasing or obtaining alcohol for minors.
Misrepresentations of one’s age by presenting false identification or otherwise represent themselves as being of legal purchase age.
Allowing the consumption or possession of any alcoholic beverages by a person less than 18 years of age on an establishment’s premises, no matter who purchased the alcoholic beverages or where they were purchased.
Selling, giving, or otherwise providing alcohol to minors by an establishment which is licensed to sell alcoholic beverages, or for any employee of that licensee, to sell or furnish any alcoholic beverages at any time to a person less than 8 years of age.
If there is doubt over the age of a guest trying to order alcoholic drinks, the staff may require the guest to provide an Identification Card. The ID must show the date of birth of the guest. These are usually valid government IDs
Examples of Valid ID’s
Passport
Social (SSS) / Unified Multi Purpose ID
Driver’s License
TIN ID
Voter’s ID
Postal ID
The staff must be observant for possible purchases of alcoholic drinks for minors, the attention must be called for.
Fake Identification Documents that look authentic can easily be produced. An establishment would still be legally liable for considering a minor’s fake ID. It is the establishment’s responsibility to make sure the ID presented is authentic.
All establishments, regardless of the industry, owe a duty of care to guests. This has been practiced for a long time and is applicable anywhere in the world. Responsibilities and Obligations of Housekeeping Staff to Guests and other Staff
The main responsibility of an establishment to its guest is to ensure that all of them are safe while inside the establishment. Therefore, all personnel is responsible for everyone within the premises of their workplace.
Management and Staff have the responsibility to ensure the safety of all people in the establishment including threats from violent intoxicated guest among others.
