Editorial Board   Guest Author

Ms. Kula

Stacy Kula

Team Leader Hospitality & Alcohol, Steptoe Johnson

Stacy Kula is the Team Leader of the Hospitality & Resort Team and Alcohol Team at the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. She practices law throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Although Ms. Kula has a wide range of experience, she focuses her practice on alcohol licensing, hospitality law, mergers and acquisitions, entity formation, real estate purchases and leases, and general contract law.

She works closely with the alcoholic beverage industry, representing, among others, hotels, developers, national franchises, night clubs, restaurants, bars and alcohol manufacturers. Ms. Kula regularly applies for all types of alcoholic beverage licenses with state regulatory agencies and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and works with licensees through all phases of their business. She has acted as lead ABC counsel to a number of licensees in multi-state transactions, obtaining licenses in numerous jurisdictions and conducting nationwide research projects. She also defends licensees against allegations of misconduct and alcohol violations.

She is a second term elected member of the Board of Directors of Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys (AHIA). She is also a member of the National Association of Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Attorneys (NAABLA) and the National Association of Licensing Compliance Professional (NALCP).

She has published a number of articles about the alcohol industry and is a regular contributor to the Distiller magazine. She speaks frequently at national conventions about relevant issues in the alcohol industry.

Ms. Kula graduated with a B.S. from the University of Maryland and a J.D. from North Carolina Central University. In addition, Ms. Kula received her LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida.

Please visit http://www.steptoe-johnson.com for more information.

Ms. Kula can be contacted at +1 859-219-8222 or stacy.kula@steptoe-johnson.com

Coming up in January 2020...

Mobile Technology: Meeting Tech Expectations

What once seemed futuristic is now the norm, owing to the escalating developments in mobile technology, and hotels must continue to innovate in order to meet guest expectations. In a recent study from Mower, 65 percent of guests said they would gladly pay more for a hotel that provides the mobile technology they deem essential. The same study shows that 44 percent of travelers are more likely to book a smart hotel, and nearly 7 in 10 want to use smart devices provided by the hotel. And how do guests wish to use all this technology? A majority expressed a desire for mobile check-in and check-out, and mobile payment options. They also want to be able to stream content from their phone to the TV; to make service requests of the hotel staff; to control in-room lighting, temperature and sound; to order food and beverages; and to request a wake-up call - all from their mobile device. Guests also expressed preferences for robust wi-fi and convenient device charging ports throughout the hotel. They also appreciate the use of hotel branded apps which allow a guest to book a room, access loyalty programs, receive discounts and rewards, and even use the app to choose the room, floor and view they prefer. Some hotel apps also allow a customer to track their charges throughout their stay, rather than waiting to receive a bill at the end. Finally, mobile tech lounges are popping up more frequently in some hotels. These lounges offer guests the opportunity to perform tasks like airline check-ins or access to local info guides, but they also provide a place where guests can comfortably get some work done outside their room. The January Hotel Business Review will report on what some hotels are doing to meet their customers' expectations in the mobile technology space.

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