By: Shirin Heidary and Albert Pucciarelli of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP Hyatt, InterContinental, Hilton, Sheraton – these United States hotel brands were once associated with Iran. During the Shah era, Hilton had a hotel in Tehran called the Royal Tehran Hilton; InterContinental had one called the Tehran InterContinental; Sheraton had the Arya-Sheraton Hotel; and […]

Making hotel insurance simple, and saving you money in the process. You may be aware of this recent judgment, maybe not. Either way, you definitely should be, because it has ramifications for every hotelier (and any other business owner) across the country. Even though Florida is often quite idiosyncratic in its lawmaking, this recent change […]

Your positioning should be reflected in everything you say and do, your service standards, enhancements, resource allocation, capital decisions, sales and marketing approach, human resource policy and budgeting.

As a lawyer involved for over 30 years in the drafting and negotiation of contracts for the hospitality industry, I can assure you that disputes are inevitable. Even among parties such as owners and management companies that have the best working relationships, there will nevertheless be issues that cause discord. It is in how we […]

A common question for hotel and restaurant operators is: How do I get insurance that effectively covers my operation for the lowest price available? While insurance is a complex topic with many intricate layers, the answer to this specific question is fairly simple – control the process. When you ask for a certain grade of […]

Mediation is becoming a “must” in many states prior to a judge hearing a case. Coming prepared for mediation will limit anxiety, expedites the negotiations, and has been proven to result in a higher chance of a resolution of the dispute.

No stars…we need everyone! In the hospitality industry more so than any other, knowing how to replace the individual excellence model in favor of building effective workgroups is vital. Across the world, a competitive spirit is instilled on our children from a very early age. It is from that point onward which gives us armies […]

If I have learned anything after twenty years of managing engineering departments it’s this: the most successful engineers thrive in an environment where their leadership has a thorough understanding and appreciation for what the hotel’s maintenance team does, and how its efforts contribute to the overall success of the property. Sounds obvious, right? But how […]

When we think about alternative dispute resolutions, our first thoughts are likely go to mediation and arbitration. For these situations, a neutral third party is called upon to resolve the issue. In the case of a mediator, it’s by skillful intermediation to bring about a compromise. And in the case of an arbitrator, it’s a […]

Hospitality operators borrow money from lenders in various manners. Whether you borrow from a local community bank or complete a commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS) transaction on Wall Street, in the loan documents you will be required to maintain a certain level of insurance. And with this comes stipulations that may be a tad burdensome […]