Hotels and other hospitality properties host large numbers of guests, and Georgia premises liability law treats those guests as invitees owed the highest duty of care. O.C.G.A. § 51-3-1 requires the operator to use ordinary care so the property and its approaches remain reasonably safe, a duty that spans guest rooms, lobbies, hallways, stairwells, pools, parking areas, and walkways.
Several recurring hazards arise in this setting. Slip and fall claims involve wet lobby floors, spills, poorly maintained bathrooms, and icy entrances, and they follow the Robinson v. Kroger standard, which requires proof that the operator knew or should have known of the hazard while the guest did not. Inadequate upkeep of stairs, railings, and walkways is another frequent source of injury.
Negligent security is especially significant for hotels. Guests are often unfamiliar with the area and rely on the property for safety, so the foreseeability of crime, judged under the totality of the circumstances after Georgia CVS Pharmacy, LLC v. Carmichael, can give rise to liability where the operator failed to provide reasonable measures such as functioning locks, adequate lighting, and controlled access.
Swimming pools add a further dimension, raising both maintenance duties and, for children, the attractive nuisance doctrine. Across all of these claims, the operator’s knowledge of the hazard and the reasonableness of its response remain decisive. A hotel is not an insurer of guest safety, but it must take the steps a reasonably careful operator would take to protect the people it invites onto the property.