Sexual Affronts a Known Hotel Hazard

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
NYT

A lot of people were shocked by the charges that the head of the International Monetary Fund sexually assaulted a hotel housekeeper in New York last weekend.

But housekeepers and hotel security experts say that housekeepers have long had to deal with various sexual affronts from male guests, including explicit comments, groping, guests who expose themselves and even attempted rape.

“These problems happen with some regularity,” said Anthony Roman, chief executive of Roman & Associates, a Long Island company that advises hotels on security matters. “They’re not rare, but they’re not common either.”

Hotels are reluctant to discuss such incidents, but security experts say the accusations against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the I.M.F. chief, will prompt some hotel managers to review their security practices to better protect their housekeeping staff.

(More here.)