Hospitality Law Conference
Presented by Anderson Kill and Petra Risk Solutions: Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at The Cornell Club in New York
For more:Â http://bit.ly/1RdDoqn
Tag Archives: Hotel
Hospitality Industry Conference Update: “Hospitality Law Conference”
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Filed under Conferences, Hotel Industry, Risk Management, Training
Hospitality Industry Management Update: “4 Ways to Differentiate Your Hotel”
“If you can’t find anything fun that is truly local, then expand the circle of your list to include the county, the state or even the region in which your hotel is located.
 Then figure out how to inexpensively incorporate at least three of those items into your property.”
If you spend any time paying attention to trends in our industry, the buzz words you’ll likely come across include “unique,†“authentic,†“artisanal,†“sense of place,†“local,†“craft,†“experiential,†“discovery,†the latest iterations of “boutique†and “lifestyle,†and the single most overly and incorrectly used word in the English language, “curated.â€
Today’s trend words all have one definitional element in common: They all are somewhat synonymous with “different†in one way or another. Guests are looking for different experiences in the different cities they visit, particularly road warriors. “Different†in that context doesn’t necessarily mean “better,†just not “the same.â€
If this is not your year for a major renovation, and you won’t be turning your lobby into an experiential gathering place or your restaurant into an eclectic journey of discovery, there are still things you can do to be different and successful.
For more:Â http://bit.ly/1Ph7h84
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Filed under Employee Practices, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management
Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Examining Hotel Labor Costs”
Labor cost is a major expense item throughout all operated and undistributed departments within a hotel. Not surprisingly, the labor-intensive rooms and food and beverage departments have the highest labor cost ratios.
In 2013, labor costs represented 61.1 percent of total expenses in the rooms department and 59.6 percent in the food and beverage department. At the other end of the spectrum, labor costs are less pervasive in the administrative and general (48.8 percent) and maintenance (51.5 percent) departments.
As revenues continue to grow for most U.S. hotels, the combined cost of salaries, wages, bonuses, and payroll-related expenditures has declined as a percent of total hotel revenue. In 2013, labor costs represented 32.3 percent of total revenue, down from a high of 34.8 percent in 2009 but still above the long-run average of 31.2 percent. Labor costs measured as a percent of total revenue run from a high of roughly 35 percent at convention and resort hotels to a low of 22 percent at limited-service and extended-stay properties.
Strong growth in revenue, however, has the potential to mask the struggles hotel managers face to control labor costs. Therefore, it is important to also measure movements in labor costs relative to changes in other hotel operating expenses. While labor cost as a percent of revenue has declined significantly in recent years, labor cost measured as a percent of total expenses has remained relatively constant.
For more:Â http://bit.ly/111qTYD
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Filed under Employee Benefits, Finances, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership
Hospitality Industry Management Update: “60 People Fall Ill With Norovirus at Bay Area Luxury Hotel” (VIDEO)
After the outbreak, staff members with the county’s Communicable Disease and Environmental Health Service began working with hotel management
to implement infectious disease containment measures. The measures include frequent and comprehensive cleaning of common areas, educating employees about the virus and posting additional signage reminding employees to wash their hands.
Public health officials say 60 people who fell ill after staying at a Bay Area luxury hotel two weeks ago contracted the norovirus — a highly contagious virus that can lead to stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea.
San Mateo County health officials confirmed Friday that the guests and employees of the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City became ill sometime after Oct. 28, and traced the illness to the highly contagious norovirus, which spreads after contact with an infected person or contaminated food and water.
For more:Â http://lat.ms/1uYVKCD
And for more on how to help prevent Norovirus at your property, check out the video below from Petra’s own P3 Risk Management Team.
[vimeo https://vimeo.com/98741016 w=500&h=281]
Petra Risk Solutions’ Loss Control Manager, Matt Karp, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Preventing Norovirus at Your Property’.Â
P3 (Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America ’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.
For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.
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Filed under Employee Practices, Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training
Hospitality Industry Management Update: “What You Should Know Before Monitoring Your Employees and Guests”
There are many legitimate reasons for an employer to monitor spaces at the workplace, in fact, the law might require the employer to do so in some situations.
However, surveillance is a sensitive subject and employers have good reason to be cautious. As always, employers should consult competent legal counsel before implementing any workplace surveillance program.
Employees can make or break businesses in the service industry. While customer service oriented employees create a luxurious experience at a lesser establishment, employees that don’t prioritize customer service can ruin a guest’s experience even at the most finely-appointed hotel.
However, managers and supervisors cannot always be present to recognize and reward desirable service practices, nor can they always be present identify and correct poor practices. With so many points of customer and employee interaction, surveillance is one of the most effective methods to safeguard employee safety and integrity, review employee performance, identify training points, and document “HR issues.†Of course, too much of a good thing can be a problem.
Employers must understand the difference between valid surveillance and illegal intrusions on privacy rights before taking advantage of video/audio recordings. This article aims to help employers stay on the right side of that fence.
For more:Â http://bit.ly/1u1RgK0
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Filed under Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Privacy, Technology
Hospitality Industry Insurance Update: “AH&LA, 80+ Hotel Organizations Call On House Leadership To Pass TRIA Now”
TRIA is intended to provide stability to the economy and assure investors and developers,
as they plan long-term projects, that insurance will be available to adequately protect their properties against the financial risk of a terrorist attack. However, a short-term extension creates uncertainty as to whether TRIA will still exist as these projects move forward.
Washington, D.C. — In the wake of the midterm elections, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), along with more than 80 other hotel industry groups including hotel brands, management companies, real estate investment trusts (REITs), owners and state hotel associations, called on the House of Representatives to get back to work and pass the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) in a letter sent to House leadership.
AH&LA urged lawmakers to focus on the immediate priorities, including passage of this vital piece of legislation, which is critical to protect job and economic growth within the hotel industry and across the broader economy. More than 80 groups joined AH&LA in signing the letter, which was sent to every member of the House of Representatives in addition to House leadership.
For more:Â http://bit.ly/10ym9JI
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Filed under Claims, Hotel Industry, Insurance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management
Hospitality Industry Management Update: “3 Obamacare Decisions for Hoteliers”
Unless the act is repealed, over time employers will realize its effects, both positive and negative.
Rather than waiting around, however, employers are already adopting offensive moves to blunt financial impact beyond a certain level, seeking improved productivity through reduced costs and updated methods.Â
Despite attempts by health care experts to demystify the Affordable Care Act, some employers remain unsure of how to comply. Their questions are basic and familiar: Who is a covered employer? What type of coverage must be offered? May we keep our 90-day waiting period for enrollment?
While these questions are important, a more urgent imperative looms: The deadline for many employers to comply with the mandated coverage provision of the Affordable Care Act is approaching rapidly. Some smaller companies will not face mandatory coverage decisions until 2016, but for many employers a compliant health coverage program must be in place as early as New Year’s Day 2015.
Critical decisions must therefore be made without delay.
For more: http://bit.ly/1wzWL39
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Hospitality Industry Marketing Update: “Becoming Guest-Centric: Why Hotel Marketing Needs to Change”
At a time when guest-centric thinking has become critical for differentiating hotel brands,
hoteliers need solid information about guest preferences and behavior in order to deliver customer-centric marketing. By transforming not only their marketing efforts but their entire businesses in this way, hoteliers can deliver the value that today’s empowered guests crave.
Hoteliers: It’s not about you.
Is your marketing all about you? About how beautiful are your rooms, how delicious is the restaurant’s menu, how soothing are the spa services? All this may be true, but let’s be realistic: Your potential guests are hearing the same thing from every hotel.
There definitely is room for differentiation among hotel properties, and travel searchers yearn for it. Leisure and business travelers alike are usually undecided when they begin the online research process. Sixty five percent of vacationers and sixty percent of road warriors are considering multiple hotel brands when they begin planning. While most business travelers have a handle on the differences between hotel brands, sixty five percent of leisure travelers are unclear on hotel differentiation.
For more:Â http://bit.ly/1vJxmQh
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Filed under Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Management And Ownership, Social Media
Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Legionnaires’ Disease: Awareness and Prevention” (Video)
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Filed under Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management
Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Council to Vote on $15.37 Minimum Wage for Workers at Big Hotels”
“Several council members favor the increase, including Councilman Curren Price, who said it would make Los Angeles 
“a progressive leader” for the nation…Some business groups warn that hotels could be forced to cut jobs if the plan passes. They cited a city-requested report released Monday that said hotel developers will bypass Los Angeles if the ordinance is approved.”
The drive to boost minimum wages in Los Angeles could reach a milestone this week as the City Council votes on a proposal to raise the hourly pay of thousands of workers at big hotels to at least $15.37.
That would be more than $2 an hour higher than the minimum wage Mayor Eric Garcetti is advocating for workers citywide.
Labor groups are rallying behind the plan now before lawmakers, saying that it could pull hotel workers’ families out of poverty and inject more spending into the local economy. Several council members favor the increase, including Councilman Curren Price, who said it would make Los Angeles “a progressive leader” for the nation.
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Filed under Employee Benefits, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership
