Legal - HospitalityLawyer.com®

A Guest, Tenant or Transient Guest…that is the question!

by Stephen Barth in Legal. Posted October 1, 2015

In the lodging area, a guest can be classified as being either a transient guest i.e., a customer who rents property for a relatively short period of time with no intent of establishing permanent residency, or a tenant who rents real property for an extended period of time with the intent of establishing permanent residency. ...

Legally Speaking: Avoiding Bath Fall Liability

by Karen Morris in Insurance & Loss Prevention, Legal, Lodging, Safety & Security. Posted August 3, 2015

Some issues in hotel law come and go. Falls in slippery bathtubs have a sticking quality. Liability in this type of lawsuit can be avoided but it takes some attention to those porcelain bastions of cleanliness. In the typical case a guest is showering, loses his balance and falls. Because floors and walls surrounding showers are ...

Reducing the “Insider Threat” Risk

by Steve Cocco in Human Resources, Legal, Safety & Security. Posted June 15, 2015

We recently provided guidance on reducing the all hazards threat to small business. Readers may remember that we touched on physical threats to your infrastructure and equipment stemming from broken or damaged structures, debris in hallways or access routes, faulty electrical lines, etc. We made brief mention of the “insider threat” but did not dwell ...

Foreseeing Criminal Activity on Your Premises

by Maryalyce Cox in Legal, Lodging, Safety & Security. Posted June 4, 2015

A guest walks to the front desk of a hotel and reports that his car window has been smashed and his laptop and GPS unit have been stolen. His car was parked in the hotel parking lot. The hotel manager calls the local police and reports the crime, and then the guest turns to the ...

A Safe Night Out: Things to Avoid When Serving Alcohol

by admin in Food & Beverage, Legal, Safety & Security. Posted May 14, 2015

For many young adults, a night on the town involves heavy alcohol consumption. In a perfect world, patrons would regulate themselves; no “one shot too many” incidents, no getting behind the wheel after downing a few Jägerbombs, and so on. Of course, in the real world, this stuff happens all the time. Be warned: A ...

Gun Policy and the Hospitality Industry: Ways to Consider Your Own Firearm Policy

by admin in Food & Beverage, Legal, Lodging, Safety & Security. Posted May 14, 2015

Firearms and gun control occupy a hotspot right in the middle of the modern psyche. Every facet of this issue—high-capacity magazines, concealed carry rights, background checks—inspires strong feelings and opinions from most people. Gun control currently enjoys a spotlight that had been absent since the Columbine High School shootings, and it really does affect everyone ...

The Patent Troll Problem: U.S. Public Transit Agencies Targeted by Patent Assertion Firms

by admin in Legal. Posted May 14, 2015

July 3, 2013 Patent trolling, a fairly new method of coercing money from large companies, has put several U.S. transit agencies in an uncomfortable spot. So-called patent trolls, otherwise known as patent assertion agencies, are companies that don’t actually produce anything for income; instead, they purchase patents and then demand licensing fees from other companies ...

The Perils of Hotel Balconies

by admin in Hotel Development, Legal, Lodging, Safety & Security. Posted May 14, 2015

Many people enjoy having a balcony when staying at a hotel; between the outside air and sweeping views, there isn’t much to dislike. However, apart from general security concerns, this favorite amenity has a dark side that rears its head from time to time when tragic accidents permeate the news. On September 1, in St. ...

Don’t Fake It to Make It: Prosecutors Crack Down on Business Fake Online Reviews

by admin in Legal. Posted January 13, 2014

Hunting for a top-rated hotel or searching for the perfect dim sum restaurant? Chances are you will turn to sites such as Yelp, Citysearch, or TripAdvisor to guide you through the mass of options most locations have to offer. As the Huffington Post recently noted, “In an increasingly tech-reliant world, most of us do not ...

ID Scanners: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

by Stephen Barth in Food & Beverage, Legal. Posted November 6, 2013

Lately, bars, lounges and nightclubs are using a variety of new devices that scan patron identification cards upon entry, storing the information for future reference, and in some instances, sharing the information with other proprietors or using it for marketing purposes. The justification for the scanners is that they assist in age verification and fake ...

Legal ( Page 16 )