2015 - HospitalityLawyer.com®

Trends in Privacy and Data Security Breaches

by Jeffrey Neuburger in Technology. Posted July 28, 2015

As large-scale security breaches at major companies captured headlines in 2014, lawmakers in the US and abroad remain active on both the regulatory and enforcement fronts.Large-scale security breaches involving national retailers commanded the headlines and spurred private litigation over when an individual has standing to bring a lawsuit following a data breach. Privacy and data ...

BrandVerity’s Latest Study on the Use (and Abuse) of Branded Keywords in Paid Search

by Greg Duff in Hotel Development. Posted July 23, 2015

Our friends (and former contributors) at Seattle-based BrandVerity produced an infographic showing that the average hotel brand is losing 26,500 website visitors on direct web traffic each month, leading to a real loss in revenue as these bookings are made elsewhere. Their findings are based on the information found in the hotel selection of their quarterly report on The State of Branded Keywords ...

Competition & Markets Authority Recommendations for Online Reviews

by John Crosetto in Risk Management. Posted July 18, 2015

The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), which investigates business practices and enforces anti-competition and consumer protection legislation in the UK, just released a report and call for information that signals more scrutiny for online reviews and endorsements. Though the report does not identify companies or sites that will be the subject of investigation, it expresses a ...

Best Practices for Mobile Device Data Security

by Post & Schell in Legal, Safety & Security, Technology. Posted July 18, 2015

In 2014, it became official: There now are more active mobile devices in the world than people, according to data compiled by GSMA Intelligence and the U.S. Census Bureau. The rise in mobile devices is not confined to personal use; mobile devices increasingly play an integral role in many business operations. We rely on mobile ...

Small Business Safety and Threat Reduction

by admin in Insurance & Loss Prevention. Posted July 5, 2015

A Basic Guide To Conducting a Threat Assessment For Your Small Business How does the small business owner detect and prevent physical and cyber threats to the enterprise? Is it necessary, worthwhile or should anyone really care? With everything else for the shopkeeper to do, between ordering and inventorying merchandise, training employees and trying to ...

The JOBS Act: Potential Impact on the Sale of Hotel Condominium Units

by Bruce Czachor in Hotel Development, Legal, Lodging. Posted June 28, 2015

Co-authored by Brian L. Belt Changes in federal securities laws—namely, the loosening of rules on solicitation and advertising—may have opened up a new vista for investors and speculators, such that the sale of hotel condominium units could become both more profitable and more common. What follows are details of these changes and their expected impact. ...

Passing Credit Card Swipe Fees to Employees and Guests

by Kara Maciel in Food & Beverage, Legal, Lodging, Technology. Posted June 28, 2015

Our national hospitality practice frequently advises restaurant owners and operators on whether it is legal for employers to pass credit card swipe fees onto employees or even to guests, and the short answer is, yes, in most states. But whether an employer wants to actually pass along this charge and risk alienating their staff or ...

Reasons for Hoteliers to Act Now

by Russ Rivard in Hotel Development, Lodging. Posted June 28, 2015

At the recent 26th Annual Hunter Hotel Conference in Atlanta, Russ Rivard served alongside other hotel buyers, lenders, appraisers, and advisors on a panel discussion of “Hotel Values in a Rising Market.” While we shared insights from our various perspectives on the U.S. hotel industry as of early 2014, it became very apparent that there is a surge ...

How Music Establishes Mood and Drives Restaurant Profits

by BMI in Food & Beverage. Posted June 26, 2015

Will Bridges, co-founder of Lamberts Downtown Barbecue in Austin, Texas, sees on a daily basis the impact music has on diners. “The interplay between music and dining is crucial,” he observes. “You really can’t separate the two. Lamberts wouldn’t be what it is today without the music component.” Indeed, whether a restaurant is seeking to ...

Yearly Archives: 2015 ( Page 13 )