Editorial Board   Guest Author

Mr. Trefzer

Tim Trefzer

Head of Environmental Sustainability, Georgia World Congress Center Authority

Tim Trefzer is head of environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility for the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. He oversees efforts to improve internal operations, reduce the impacts of hosted events, and advance the Authority's benefit to the community through strategic partnerships. 

As a LEED Accredited Professional, Mr. Trefzer administered the GWCC's LEED Silver certification in 2014 and LEED Gold recertification in 2017 which made it the largest LEED certified convention center in the world. In 2017 he also guided the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center to LEED Gold certification. Mr. Trefzer also supported the LEED Platinum certification efforts of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

He is intimately engrained in sports and sustainability, working with the Atlanta Football Host Committee for the College Football Playoff and Super Bowl. He chaired the NCAA Men's Final Four sustainability committee in 2013, garnering the moniker “greenest Final Four in history.” Since 2015, Mr. Trefzer has consulted with the College Football Playoff and Super Bowl, managing various aspects of the sustainability efforts placed around these mega sporting events. For the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship and Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, Mr. Trefzer  is sustainability chair for the Atlanta Football Host Committee and Atlanta Super Bowl LIII Host Committee. 

Mr. Trefzer serves as faculty associate for Arizona State University and Georgia State University where he teaches courses in the Global Context of Sustainability and Sustainable Operations in Hospitality. He has degrees from Florida State University and Arizona State University.

Please visit http://www.gwcca.org for more information.

Mr. Trefzer can be contacted at 404-223-4011 or ttrefzer@gwcca.org

Coming up in December 2020...

Hotel Law: Protecting Guest Privacy

Every business is obligated to protect their customers from identity theft but unfortunately, data breaches have become all too common. In an effort to protect a guest's right to privacy and to safeguard their personal data, the European Union passed a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that could hold hotels legally liable for any breaches that expose a customer's sensitive personal information. Though the GDPR only pertains to EU citizens' data, any international business that mishandles their data can be legally responsible. Another legal issue of concern is the fight involving hotel "resort fees." Several states attorney generals have recently filed suit against two major hotel chains in an effort to litigate this practice. Their suit alleges that these companies are "engaged in deceptive and misleading pricing practices and their failure to disclose fees is in violation of consumer protection laws." The suit seeks to force the hotel chains to advertise the true price of their hotel rooms. There are several other legal issues that the industry is being forced to address. Sexual harassment prevention in the workplace is still top of mind for hotel employers-particularly in New York and California, which now statutorily require harassment training. Hotels and motels in California will also soon be required to train all their employees on human trafficking awareness. Immigration issues are also of major concern to hotel employers, especially in the midst of a severe labor shortage. The government is issuing fewer H2B visas for low-skilled workers, as well as J-1 visas for temporary workers. Though there is little hope for any comprehensive immigration reform, hotel lobbying groups are actively seeking legal remedies to alleviate this problem. These are just a few of the critical issues that the December issue of the Hotel Business Review will examine in the area of hotel law. 


Click here to Subscribe
Copyright © 1996-2020. All content on HotelExecutive.com. All Rights Reserved.