A hotel is responsible not only for hazards it actually knew about, but also for those it should have known about — where its housekeeping, inspection, and maintenance routines would reasonably have found and addressed the problem in time. Proving that 'should have known' is often the heart of a hotel case, and it is done with the property's own records.
Hotels run scheduled housekeeping rounds, inspections, and maintenance, and they keep logs of them. Those records, along with maintenance history, prior complaints, and any camera footage, often show whether staff should have found a hazard and whether they acted. A spill in a busy lobby that sat through several housekeeping rounds, for example, tells a clear story.
Because the property controls this evidence and footage can be overwritten within days, acting quickly to demand it be preserved is critical. A prompt investigation of the housekeeping and maintenance records is how a hotel's notice — and its negligence — is established.