Albert Pucciarelli, Chair of the Hotels and Resorts Practice at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP, has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the Anthony G. Marshall Hospitality Law Award. The Marshall Award is given in recognition of pioneering and lasting contributions to the field of hospitality law.

John Szczepanski, Senior Director of Risk Management at White Lodging Services, has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the Thom Davis Lifetime Achievement Award. The Award recognizes a person who has committed his or her career to improving safety and security in the hospitality industry. The Award (formerly the Hospitality Loss Prevention Lifetime Achievement Award) has been renamed after Thom Davis, who passed away in late 2009 after dedicating more than 30 years of his life to hotel security and loss prevention management.

For the complete release on Pucciarelli and the Marshall Award, please click here. For the complete release on Szczepanski and the Thom Davis Award, please click here.

Pucciarelli and Szczepanski will be honored at the 2010 Hospitality Law Conference, during the Awards Luncheon on February 4.

Don’t miss the 2010 Hospitality Law Conference and honor these industry leaders.

Helpful conference links:

• Conference Registration
• Conference Brochure
• Conference Website
• Conference Agenda
  

Early registration ends today, January 11. Register today to receive discounted registration rates.

Program Topics:

• Information Protection and Privacy, including Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Workshop
• Hospitality Real Estate Transactions Workshop
• Hotel & Restaurant In-House Counsel Workshop (in-house counsel only)
• Food & Beverage Breakout
• Human Resources & Labor Relations Breakout
• Lodging and Fundamentals of Hospitality Law Breakout
• Loss Prevention and Risk Management Breakout
• General Sessions, including:
  • Information Protection & Privacy: The New High Stakes Game
  • Critical Issues in Payment Card/Merchant Relations
  • It’s Not Easy Being Green
  • The Franchise Debate
  • A Primer on Representing Airlines and Cruise Ships
  • An Ethics Sampler - Five Top Mistakes to Avoid

HRCI and CLE Available.

Helpful links:

Conference Brochure

Conference Website

Conference Agenda

Gallagher Hospitality Services has provided some helpful information. Matt Krell, Senior Vice President and Risk Control Consultant with Gallagher Hospitality Services, shares, “Every winter hotel properties battle the cold weather elements, and the threat of burst pipes is significant, even in the warmer climates. The pipes burst when water that is in the pipes freezes, then expands bursting the pipe that holds the water. The outcome of a burst pipe often includes guest dissatisfaction, rooms out of order and costly insurance claims.”

Below is a list of ideas you can implement to reduce the possibility of a burst pipe at your properties:

• Locate thermometers in hard-to-heat areas housing vulnerable equipment.
• Check heating equipment to make certain it will maintain building temperature above 40°F at the coldest points in the building (e.g., corners at the windward end of a building, at the eaves and in spaces with no direct heat).
• Check heat-tracing systems to make sure they are working properly.

Click here for the complete list. The link also contains the following information:

• Develop Winter Strategies: This operations checklist will assist you in preparation for severe winter weather
• Cold Weather Procedures: You should develop cold weather procedures to protect our associates and our assets.
• Your program should include: Cold weather tips for properties with vans or for those who drive

Should you have questions or need assistance, please contact Matt at (303) 889-2552 or by e-mail at matthew_krell@ajg.com.

Please also see “Are You Prepared for Winter?” and a sample “Snow and Ice Treatment and Removal Log” from the Front Line November 2009 Risk Bulletin, featured in the November Loss Prevention Newsletter.

The 2010 Conference will kick off on Wednesday, February 3, with a Pre-Conference Workshop and will feature the following sessions:

• Information Protection and Privacy, including Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Workshop – including PCI compliance, forensic investigations, and data security
• Hospitality Real Estate Transactions Workshop – including workouts, special service providers and how recent economic events have affected the real estate industry.
• Hotel & Restaurant In-House Counsel Workshop – including bargaining with credit card companies, protecting proprietary data, unions, and antitrust issues

The Hospitality Law Conference will shift into full gear on Thursday, February 4, with breakout sessions on a host of relevant and timely topics:

• Lodging and Fundamentals of Hospitality Law - including management contracts, OTAs, taxation issues, and more
• Food & Beverage – including the tip credit, Truth in Menu, selling alcohol, and alcohol sponsorship issues
• Human Resources and Labor Relations – including wage and hour issues, sexual harassment, OSHA, and the Fair Labor Standards Act
• Loss Prevention & Risk Management – including bed bugs, insurance litigation, claims, and various liability issues

Don’t miss the Wine Tasting & Product Showcase on Thursday, February 4, to be eligible to win a $1,000 American Express gift card. Stay until the end of the conference to be eligible to win a $500 American Express gift card, which will be drawn during the Closing Remarks on Friday, February 5.

Accreditation:

MCLE accreditation for up to 16.0 hours (including 1 hour of ethics) is available.

This program has been approved for 4 (General) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.

Helpful Links:

• Online Registration
• Conference Brochure
• Conference Website
• Conference Agenda

]]> http://blog.hospitalitylawyer.com/2010/01/04/early-registration-ends-soon-for-hospitality-law-conference/feed/ http://blog.hospitalitylawyer.com/2009/12/14/hotel-safety-and-security-legionella-resources-for-hotels/ http://blog.hospitalitylawyer.com/2009/12/14/hotel-safety-and-security-legionella-resources-for-hotels/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:25:17 +0000 admin http://blog.hospitalitylawyer.com/?p=184 In light of the recent issues at Miami’s EPIC Hotel, which has moved guests after a European guest died from Legionnaires’ disease, HospitalityLawyer.com wanted to provide resources for hotels on Legionnaire’s disease. For more information on the developing story in Miami, please click here.

The 2009 Hospitality Law Conference featured the panel “Something in the Water,” which explored Legionella, Norovirus, and other agents that can be issues for hotels. For the conference excerpts on Legionella, please click here.

The HospitalityLawyer.com Loss Prevention Newsletter archives also has an article discussing a 2000 Legionella outbreak in Ocean City, Maryland, which resulted in litigation.

Need a solution? Forensic Analytical is a great resource for Legionella issues.

Dear Mr. Barth, I came across your website through a Google search regarding third hand smoke. Our company is currently involved in a lawsuit regarding a tenant’s security deposit being withheld due to third hand smoke damage in their apartment. At this point, the damages have exceeded their security on deposit and we are seeking additional damages since we have been unable to re-let said apartment due to the odors contained within. We have had to hire professional companies to give us estimates for restorative work in this apartment since the smoke odor has penetrated the wood flooring, walls, ceiling, a/c’s, etc. ….Upon re-taking possession of her unit, we were immediately aware of the smoke odor but truly thought we could paint and clean our way back to a clean smelling apartment. To say the least, we were wrong. We have tried desperately to re-let this apartment and have even lowered our rental rate in hopes of securing a new tenant. However, every prospective tenant complains about the odor and ends up walking away.

For the sake of the health of your customers and employees as well as your bottom line, do not allow smoking.

Houston, TX, November 2009 - HospitalityLawyer.com, the industry’s web-based resource for legal, safety, and security solutions, welcomes Merlin Law Group as a new affiliate. Merlin Law Group will provide information on Insurance Law for HospitalityLawyer.com’s U.S. National Law Library.

About the newest member, HospitalityLawyer.com founder Stephen Barth says, “We are delighted to welcome Merlin Law Group as a new member. Their expertise on insurance issues in the hospitality industry will be of great value to the users of HospitalityLawyer.com. We look forward to Merlin Law Group’s contributions.”

Merlin Law Group provides legal services related to insurance claim presentation, business income loss claims, director and officer liability claims, coverage disputes, insurance bad faith issues, ADR services, insurance litigation, and appeals. Merlin Law Group Founder, Chip Merlin, has dedicated his practice to the representation and advocacy of insurance policyholders in disputes with insurance companies in Florida, Texas, Mississippi, and nationwide.  He says, “Merlin Law Group is very appreciative to be the National Law Library provider for Insurance Law. Because we are aware of the vast amount of legal information out there, our firm has its own Knowledge Manager / Librarian. We are happy to share basic legal ordinances pertinent to the hospitality industry that should help those who are increasingly turning to HospitalityLawyer.com for this kind of information.”

To visit Merlin Law Group’s U.S. National Law Library, please visit http://www.hospitalitylawyer.com/national_listings.php?industry=1&topic=19.

Chris Zoladz, Founder of Navigate LLC, announces a new business alliance between Navigate and Hospitality Lawyer. The alliance is formed to expand the scope of issues currently addressed by HospitalityLawyer to now include information protection & privacy legal and business issues relevant to the hospitality industry. About the new alliance, Mr. Zoladz says, “I am excited to begin collaboration with HospitalityLawyer and provide information protection and privacy expertise in this increasingly important and challenging area.”

The first webinar highlighting the expanded offering will be on November 11. The featured topic is “Avoid Becoming the Next Headline – How to Avoid a Data Breach” and will address steps to prevent a costly data breach. The topic for a second webinar on November 18 is “Your Company Just Experienced a Data Breach - Now What?” Mr. Stephen Barth, founder of HospitalityLawyer.com said, “We are delighted to create an alliance with Navigate. Information protection and privacy is an area of competency important to our hospitality audience. Mr. Zoladz brings to HospitalityLawyer.com a wealth of experience and insight about information protection and privacy in the hospitality industry. He is a recognized leader in the field and will broaden immensely our offerings to the industry.”

Navigate LLC provides strategic and tactical information protection and privacy consulting services to commercial and government organizations with a specialty in hospitality. Navigate LLC was founded by Mr. Chris Zoladz, former Vice President of Information Protection & Privacy at Marriott International, and a recognized pioneer and industry leader in the area of Information Protection and Privacy. Navigate was formed to assist organizations pragmatically address their information protection and privacy business needs and legal obligations in a cost effective and efficient manner.

For more information please contact:

Mr. Chris Zoladz, Founder, Navigate LLC
12 Milestone Manor Court
Germantown, MD 20876
PH: 240.475.3640
FAX: 888.284.7309
www.navigatellc.net
Info@navigatellc.net

Mr. Stephen Barth, Founder, HospitalityLawyer.com
P. O. Box 22888
Houston, TX 77227
PH: 713.963.8800
FAX: 713.627.9934
www.hospitalitylawyer.com
SBarth@hospitalitylawyer.com

Upcoming webinars include:

• October 7th, Rob Sanderson, Jeff Chester, and Stan Szpytek will present Disaster Response Planning, Including the Claims Process sponsored by Advance Catastrophe Technologies, Inc. (ACT)
• October 14th, Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips along with William Hoffman will present Due Diligence Assessments in Acquiring Distressed Hospitality Assets sponsored by Trigild
• October 21st, Stephen Barth will present Positive Leadership for Positive Performance sponsored by HospitalityLawyer.com
• October 28th, Mike Mitchell will present Immigration: Where are we Today? sponsored by Fisher Phillips
• November 4th, Elizabeth DeConti will present Developing a Responsible Alcohol Service Policy sponsored by Gray Robinson
• November 11th, Chris Zoladz will present Avoid Becoming the Next Headline - How to avoid a data breach sponsored by Navigate.
• November 18th, Chris Zoladz will present Your Company Just Experienced a Data Breach - Now What? sponsored by Navigate.

All webinars are at 3:00 CST.

HospitalityLawyer.com also offers on-demand legal, safety, and security webinars. To visit our library of on-demand webinars, please click here.

Most webinars are only $59.00, and the first 20 registrants only pay $39.00! To register for any of the above webinars, please click here.

CLE/CE credit available.

For more information, please click here.

The company has instituted a new inspection process, and a cleaning fee will be assessed if a vehicle is returned with a tobacco odor or residue, guaranteeing each vehicle is clean and smoke-free.

When he learned of the Avis and Budget smoke-free fleet, Hospitality Lawyer Stephen Barth said, “This is a big step for the smoke-free challenge.  Every hospitality segment in the world, whether hotel, restaurant, or rental car company, should be smoke-free.  Inside and out.  It is the right thing to do for your employees and your guests, for your risk tolerance, for your property, and for your bottom line.”

In December 2007, Stephen Barth issued a challenge to the entire hospitality industry to go smoke-free.