Hilton Houston Post Oak
HOUSTON — A “huge” Christmas tree and other “big-sized” Holiday decorations limited a woman’s view as she was exiting a hotel, causing her to trip and twist her ankle.
Seeking up to $1 million in damages, Jennifer Lynn Kalinsky filed suit August 18 against Hilton Management in Harris County District Court.
According to her petition, on Dec. 12, 2024, Kalinsky was at the Hilton Houston Post Oak. As she was attempting to exit the hotel, she got out the lobby elevators and walked to the front entrance.
“Because it was the Christmas Holidays, the hotel lobby was heavily decorated with … a huge Christmas tree and other big-sized Holiday decorations, which negligently blocked … the view of the steps that led down to the hotel exit doors,” the suit states.
“Additionally, the mixture of confusing colors of the hotel lobby carpet, the color of the shiny granite floors and benches … obscured visibility.”
The suit further asserts the hotel had notice of the “safety hazard” because it placed “tiny signs” at the foot of glass-made stair rails.
“The size and print of the warning signs were not adequate or sufficiently conspicuous to alert reasonable and prudent invitees of the dangerous stairs near the exit of the hotel lobby,” the suit states. “The diminutive signs were even less visible at night, which is when Plaintiff fell and injured herself.”
Kalinsky alleges that as she was walking towards the hotel exit doors, she was unable to see the stairs, causing her to fall and twist her left ankle and hit her right knee.
She claims the hotel negligently failed to give adequate warnings of the unsafe condition.
Kalinsky is suing for her past and future physical pain, disfigurement, mental anguish and emotional distress, loss of earnings and impairment.
Attorney Kevin Acevedo of Ace Law represents her.
Case No. 2025-59642
