Based on Cyber HITEC's 2020 keynote session of the same title, this article investigates an emerging trend in management strategy: customer service. What do you think of when you hear the term hospitality customer service? Do you perhaps recognize a front desk agent, server, or valet parking attendant face-to-face with a customer? Customer service is much more than these examples though. READ MORE
Time spent in nature elevates moods and lifts spirits. The problem is, as humans, we spend 93 percent of our time indoors, separated from nature. What does that mean for hospitality architecture and design if being outdoors can enhance even the most mundane human activities? We pull the natural world into the built hotel environment! READ MORE
The number one priority of a hotelier is the health, safety and well-being of both their guests and employees, but maintenance risks abound both inside and outside of hotels. Distinguished Programs' vice president and hospitality program manager Maryann Prestia examines these risks, as well as what causes them, and offers best practices for taking a proactive approach to hotel maintenance. READ MORE
The future of our industry will rely on the quality of our next generation of hospitality leadership, whose skill sets and attitudes are being forged right now in perhaps unseen ways. This article will consider some of these factors and the responsibility of today's hospitality leaders in developing and attracting these future leaders to our industry. READ MORE
December FOCUS
Hotel Law: Protecting Guest Privacy
The US Supreme Court recently ruled that the domain Booking.com is capable of functioning as a trademark. Over the objections of the United States Patent & Trademark Office, the decision opens the door to other generic.com domain holders seeking Federal trademark protection of otherwise potentially generic brand names. The ruling shows how powerful consumer brand perception can be in obtaining trademark rights. READ MORE
COVID-19 has caused significant disruption to immigration and travel into the United States, and in turn has had a profound effect on the hospitality industry. While the challenges are daunting, by changing current immigration policies and implementing new safety guidelines, we can re-energize travel for business and tourism and resurrect the industry. READ MORE
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the hospitality landscape, and its effects on the industry are far from concluded. Diligent market participants can be poised to navigate this uncertainty and stand to reap substantial returns when the sector rebounds. The allure of these healthy future returns, however, should not give way to lax diligence, and a skeptical and thorough diligence process is critical to ensuring that stakeholders are best positioned to weather the current upheaval and benefit from future market upswings. READ MORE
Liability waivers and limitation forms are commonly used by recreational facilities and tour companies, due in large part to the risks inherent in the use of recreational equipment and engaging in adventure tourism. Hotels and resorts are forced to balance the desire to offer guests amenities with the potential liability exposure created by providing access to the equipment involved. Howard Russell, office managing partner at Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial, provides factors for hotels and resorts to consider when developing or using waiver forms, sign-in sheets or liability limitation clauses. READ MORE
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Navigating through Paid Time Off (PTO) benefits for multi-jurisdictional employers can be challenging. Christine Samsel of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck provides a summary of several key issues to consider, from combining different types of PTO into a single category to different states' handling of PTO as a vested wage entitlement or a contract matter between employers and employees, and the impact that has on PTO policies. She also dissects the interplay of PTO and paid sick leave laws, and outlines some of the pitfalls of a recent trend - unlimited PTO policies. READ MORE
One of the world's largest hotel chains experienced a massive cyberattack in which a hacker exploited their lack of adequate IT security controls, exposing the private data and travel details of nearly 500 million people. Security threats can come from a number of touch points, such as hotel Wi-Fi, credit card reservations/sales, loyalty programs, guest services and interconnections with vendors. Adding to such vulnerabilities is a labor shortage. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates the hotel industry will experience a 600,000-worker shortfall. Couple this with the dearth of qualified cyber security professionals, and you see an industry at a peak point of stress. READ MORE
