General Management Opinion Articles

January 9, 2007

Hospitality Lawyer - The Plays To Make Successful

Hospitality Lawyer on international hotel investments. In a number of recent postings on www.HotelLawBlog.com, I have focused on the attractiveness of international hotel investments and some of the big names pouring investment overseas. Some of the hot markets include Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Spain, Italy, London, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, China and India. In Why we’re building hotels in India like crazy, I focused entirely on India, an explosive market that has often been overshadowed by opportunities in China. In announcing plans for Starwood Capital to invest a half billion in India alone, Barry Sternlicht says that there is so much demand that he is targeting an average annual return of 20% on investments in India!

JMM

Opinion Article

December 25, 2006

UNITE HERE Pays $17.3M For Airing Dirty Laundry | by Brian Herman

Thuggish tactics are nothing new in union organizing, and the high-stakes battles in corporate campaigns often bring out the nastiest maneuvers the unions have in their arsenals. In 2005, UNITE HERE, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union, unleashed a weapon in an organizing campaign that was so brazen, it makes typical union campaign attacks look tame.

HospitalityLawyer.com

Opinion Article

December 12, 2006

Hospitality Lawyer: Baja Mexico - So what's a brand?

Hospitality Lawyer Baja Mexico. He's done it again if you believe the AP Wire reports. On Saturday, December 9, 2007, the Associated Press reported that, “Donald Trump’s new luxury hotel-condominiums on Mexico’s booming Baja California coast registered about $122 million in sales Friday, potentially heralding a resurgent development boom along the Pacific shoreline, just south of the U.S. border.”

JMM

Opinion Article

December 11, 2006

Hotel Industry Is Getting Trashed, As Government, Labor And The Press Lambaste Our Reputation

Hello, out there. Anyone home, on deck, at the switch, in charge? Perhaps you are not a reader of the Boston Globe, but they in the past month have taken some sharp shots at our Industry, rousing the public, and basically taking our business into the Public Forum. The message from their editorial pages resonates with outrage and probably echoes, although not so stridently, what is happening throughout other major US cities. The Hotel Industry is under fire, and scrutiny shall not cease with a newly elected Democratic Congress.

By John Hendrie, Customer Experience Facilitator, Hospitality Performance, Inc.

Opinion Article

December 3, 2006

We Are What We Eat, Drink And Breathe

We have the benefit of those high powered Consulting Groups, who can slice and dice any demographic for you and provide a suitable Consumer Profile for your Marketing dollars, sometimes resulting in “think tank” gazpacho. And, we dutifully respond with thread count, curved shower rods and flat screens. Hospital rooms are a little more pragmatic. We sure are responsive.

By John Hendrie, Customer Experience Facilitator, Hospitality Performance, Inc.

Opinion Article

November 15, 2006

Hotel Labor & Employment Lawyer Report – Sutter Health Implications Part II

Yesterday, I discussed the record jury verdict against Unite Here in the Sutter Health case where a Superior Court jury in rural Placer County California found Unite Here guilty of “fraud, malice or oppression.” The jury hit the union with a $17.3 million verdict for intentionally and maliciously acting to harm the business of the Sutter Health not-for-profit hospitals and birthing clinics. As usual, I looked to Marta Fernandez, my hotel labor attorney partner, for insight and guidance. Yesterday, she gave us 9 points to think about as to the significance of the case—what it all means. But she save some real gems for today’s short blast. Here they are.

By Jim Butler, Partner & Co-Chair Hospitality Practice, Blank Rome LLP, Blank Rome

Opinion Article

November 13, 2006

Hotel Labor & Employment Lawyer Report – Unite Here Gets Slapped For Outrageous Behavior! Implications Of The Sutter Health Verdict For The Hospitality Industry

On July 21, 2006, a Superior Court jury in rural Placer County California—where you still expect jurors to know the value of a dollar—found Unite Here guilty of “fraud, malice or oppression.” This time, Unite Here—the union that represents hotel and hospitality workers—was caught red handed in its typical outrageous behavior. And it got slapped … but good...

By Jim Butler, Partner & Co-Chair Hospitality Practice, Blank Rome LLP, Blank Rome

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Opinion Article

November 2, 2006

Landmark ADA Decision Spells Relief for California Hotels

On October 26, 2006, the California state Court of Appeal ruled that disabled plaintiffs suing for damages under California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act (Unruh Act), must prove intentional discrimination in order to recover the “$4,000 minimum damages per offense” that makes this kind of litigation so lucrative to plaintiffs and their lawyers.

By Martin Orlick and Martin Orlick

Opinion Article

October 22, 2006

Nobody Asked Me, But… No. 18 | John Q. Hammons, Save the Belleview Biltmore, Chinese Tourism, CFLs, Ernie Byfield, Guestroom Entertainment in 1905.

Have you taken notice of the living hotel legend called “John Q”. He’s been on a unique and singular track for 87 years and, if you don’t know who he is, you’re missing one of the great hotelier/ developers of our time.Of course, I’m referring to John Q. Hammons who will receive the prestigious ALIS Lifetime Achievement Award in Los Angeles, January 22-24, 2007. Over his 48 year career he has developed 175 hotel properties in 40 states. But the statistics hide the essence of Mr. Hammons special development techniques. With his senior Vice President Scott Tarwater, Hammons disdains the standard feasibility studies when assessing potential sites for hotel development. Instead, he and Tarwater rely on their own experience, knowledge and intuition.

By Stanley Turkel, CMHS, Hotel consultant, Stanley Turkel, MHS, ISHC

Opinion Article

June 25, 2006

Regulating Condo Hotels | Bad condo hotel ordinances will discourage good projects | by Catherine DeBono Holmes

With the increasing demand for condo hotel building approvals around the country, municipal governments have scrambled to develop zoning ordinances that will allow high quality condo hotel developments, while at the same time preserving the transient occupancy tax (TOT) revenues that are so important to municipal income, assuring an adequate supply of transient hotel rooms for tourists, as well as for business and leisure travelers (to support tourism, and municipal facilities such as convention and conference centers); and controlling additional costs for and burdens on local infrastructure such as schools and city services.

JMM

Opinion Article

June 1, 2006

Ask the Hotel Lawyer | Condo Hotels: Who Owns What? Who Controls What? Who Pays for What? | by Jim Butler

Our recent Condo Hotel Boot Camp packed a full day’s worth of information into four short hours. (For information about purchasing DVDs and printed materials from the Condo Hotel Boot Camp, see page 9.) In the session titled “Where the Rubber Meets the Road,” four industry professionals distilled into their essential components, answers to the important questions: Who Owns What, Who Controls What, Who Pays for What? I am grateful to JMBM clients and friends Brent Howie, President of Provident Management Corporation and Peter Connolly, President of Palladian Development for sharing their expertise. Together, with my partners Catherine Holmes and Guy Maisnik of JMBM, Brent and Peter provided excellent material for this column. Isabelle Claver of PriceWaterhouseCoopers moderated the panel discussion.

By Jim Butler and Jim Butler

Opinion Article

August 31, 2005

Overcoming Disaster and Recovering on your Insurance Claim

In the wake of the recent hurricanes, many hotel and lodging professionals face weeks, if not months, of recovery efforts to restore their business and welcome travelers back into their hotels. During this recovery many questions will arise about how to recover money from insurance carriers and how to ensure that your business is fully restored.

Ernst & Young LLP and International Risk Management Institute, Inc.

Opinion Article

August 30, 2005

How to Master Your Next Disaster

Since the specter of terrorist activity has risen in our collective consciousness--and the images of hurricanes Charley and Frances have swept across out television screens--hotel owners and operators worldwide are blowing the dust off of their disaster plans. Whether the cause is terrorists or hurricane, fire, flood, earthquake, or other disaster, the smart money knows that the best time to deal with an emergency is before it happens.

JMM

Opinion Article

December 1, 2004

Is a Pet Policy Enough? Best Practices for Inviting Pets into Your Hotel And Avoiding Litigation | By: Diana S. Barber, Esq.

You’ve seen the articles. You’ve visited the web sites. You’ve heard that allowing guests to bring pets on vacation with them is a win-win situation because your guests are happy, they tend to stay longer at your property and, as a result, your revenues increase. Yes, increasing revenues is clearly important; however, you must first evaluate the risks and ultimate cost of having pets in your hotel verses the additional welcomed revenue.

LodgeLaw | a Division of Barber Law Associates, P.C.

Opinion Article

May 15, 2004

Accepting Minor Guests in Your Hotel; A Checklist for Handling the Challenges of Underage Guests

Spring is here. Prom, graduation and college social events are scheduled to occur in the next few months. Are you ready? Is your staff well trained on how to handle underage guests in your property? Many prom attendees look upon this event as their right of passage into adulthood. How can you make this evening memorable yet protect your property and your employees? You can assist these young adults in complying with the law by implementing and consistently enforcing reasonable rules and regulations on your property.

LodgeLaw | a Division of Barber Law Associates, P.C.

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