While it may have been the least productive year for Congress in history, at least in terms of passing laws – fewer than 60 of which made it through the House and Senate and were signed by President Barack Obama, state lawmakers across the US were busy getting more than 40,000 bills passed including ones that tackle everything from drones to minimum wage to food stamp benefits. In fact, one may argue this Congress is on pace to make history with the least productive legislative year since the late 1940s , and the 80th Congress, which President Truman called the "do-nothing Congress" in 1948.

How do you keep track of changes in hospitality law?

As I am not an attorney, I do not offer specific legal advice. As I represent both defendants and plaintiffs on an approximately equal basis, I work to keep a balanced perspective in my research.

My work does include research, reports, situation analysis and at times, testimony at either deposition or trial. I do share lessons learned from both conferences and legal cases with hotel owners and general managers at our training workshops, on HospitalityEducators.com and in one-on-one interaction.

In providing my professional services relating as an expert witness in legal cases relating to the hospitality industry and hotels, I am always looking for new venues to expand my awareness of trends and legal interpretations on reasonable care.

In my 2014 planning and updates, I am pleased to share with readers of this column a new venue addition to a successful existing program that has been offering solid information. The new program is titled Hospitality Insurance & Loss Prevention Summit and precedes the February Hospitality Law Conference in Houston.

Issues being addressed this year at the include:

  • Understanding what insurance coverage your hotel needs
  • Grasping the Top 10 ADA Issues facing Hotels, Restaurants and Spas
  • Dealing positively with Guest and Employee Claims; Understanding Trends and Solutions
  • Addressing coverage for harassment claims and losses
  • Surviving a Traumatic Event – Planning for Business Continuity after a Crisis

I also discovered this online resource to track national bills as they “plod” through what has been described as the Congress with the lowest approval rating in history:
I look forward to seeing you in Houston.

  John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is CEO and Co-Founder of HospitalityEducators.com , which has more than 2000 resource pages and has become the #1 independent website for hotel owners and managers. He is also the Principal of HoganHospitality.com , which offers hotel expert witness services and hospitality consulting. Contact us for assistance – [email protected] 602-799-5375 HoganHospitality.com : [email protected]

KEYS TO SUCCESS™ is the umbrella title for our programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my "HOW TO" articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™, THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™ and Principles for Success.

All rights reserved by John Hogan and this column may be included in an upcoming book on hotel management. This article may not be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.

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John Hogan, CHA CHMS CHE CHO
602-799-5375
Dr. John Hogan CHA CMHS CHE CHO