Eckert Seamans

Marijuana Use at Hotels by Guests or Employees – No Easy Answers

by Eckert Seamans in Legal, Lodging. Posted February 17, 2022

With the ever-changing landscape of marijuana laws, whether hotels should allow guests or employees to use marijuana may not be entirely clear. Currently, there are eighteen states plus the District of Columbia and Guam that allow recreational use of marijuana and nineteen other states that allow medicinal use. However, marijuana is still technically illegal under ...

How The Pandemic Re-Shaped Force Majeure

by Eckert Seamans in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Insurance & Loss Prevention, Legal. Posted April 22, 2021

When COVID-19 began its swift spread in the winter of 2019 and on a more global scale in the early spring of 2020, it did not take long for the term “force majeure” to dominate discussions, especially within the hospitality industry. Who could have predicted its extensive global economic impact? Think about the massive shutdowns, ...

Data Privacy and Security Challenges During Re-Opening

by Sandy Garfinkel in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Risk Management, Safety & Security, Technology. Posted October 29, 2020

The COVID-19 crisis and stay-at-home orders drastically changed corporate cybersecurity landscapes within an extremely compressed period of time. Almost every industry, including hospitality, rushed to introduce or increase the use of remote technology tools for work-related communication, including: Video Conferencing File Sharing Virtual Desktops Group Chat VPN Web-Based Applications and Tools Cyber criminals wasted little ...

Re-Opening & Room Rates: Beware of Price Gouging Laws

by Sandy Garfinkel in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Legal, Lodging. Posted September 1, 2020

So-called “price gouging” is when a business providing essential consumer goods or services takes advantage of abnormal market conditions caused by events such as natural disasters, armed conflicts or other crises, by raising prices to excessive levels. To date, 35 U.S. states have enacted anti-price gouging legislation. Typically, these statutes make it an illegal act ...

Reopening Closed Buildings: Legionella and Other Health Risks

by Eckert Seamans in Coronavirus (COVID-19), Lodging, Risk Management. Posted June 11, 2020

Reopening a closed building, or portions of a building, after an extended shutdown can be more complicated than just unlocking the doors and turning on the lights. The unprecedented shutdowns and reduced operations at a wide variety of commercial buildings and structures, ranging from office buildings and retail stores to hotels and restaurants, as a ...

The Perils of Social Media Promotions in the Hospitality Industry

by Elizabeth Brunins in Legal, Lodging, Technology. Posted November 23, 2019

Truth in advertising is not only a best practice; it’s the law. It applies to all media – from newspapers and magazines to radio spots to online platforms, such as blogs or social media. It is required in both overt advertisements and implied claims buried in otherwise innocuous posts. As such, it creates a minefield ...

All The World’s A Stage: Legal Factors to Keep in Mind Before Signing a Location Agreement

by Elizabeth Colombo in Legal, Lodging. Posted August 31, 2019

When location scouts for movies, TV shows or other special events come to check out a hotel, hotel owners or managers have reason to be excited and cautious. The property may receive a location fee for the filming, and the buzz, visibility and social media bounce that come with location filming can be hard to ...

Hospitality Cyber Threats Are Alive & Well – Lessons From Recent Incidents

by Sandy Garfinkel in Risk Management, Technology. Posted July 16, 2019

The data incident involving the Starwood guest database was one of the most significant data security incidents in recent years. Publicly announced on November 30, 2018, the details revealed in the days and weeks following the announcement contain some striking reminders and new lessons for the hospitality industry. Here are some of the key facts ...

The Unique Challenges of Data Security in the Hospitality Industry

by Eckert Seamans in Insurance & Loss Prevention, Lodging, Risk Management, Technology. Posted August 30, 2018

The hospitality industry has been in the news frequently over the past year as a result of multiple and significant data security incidents. Nationally recognized hotel and resort brands continue to suffer by cyber-attacks, including theft of payment card data from their retail and food/beverage outlets, and at times theft of guest data from reservations ...

Not All Fun & Games: Sweepstakes and Contests in the Hospitality Industry

by Elizabeth Brunins in Legal, Lodging, Risk Management. Posted July 3, 2018

A promotion is a marketing strategy devised to publicize or advertise a product, organization, or event. Hotels market their venues and services in a variety of ways, often employing creative strategies to help draw traffic to their establishment. When a hotel decides to use a sweepstakes or contest as a way of promoting itself, there ...