Editorial Board   Guest Author

Mr. Parker

Jeffrey Stephen Parker

Vice President of Technology , Stout Street Hospitality/Magnolia Hotels

Currently the Vice President of Technology and Chief Funologist for Denver-based Stout Street Hospitality, Jeffrey Parker's responsibilities include all communications and technology projects for the management company and its core brand, Magnolia Hotels, including System and data security, and infrastructure design and operations support for over 500 employees. Some of his recent high-profile projects include the deployment of VMware, Libra on Demand, HotSOS, Airwatch, and Google Apps for Business. Parker is a nationally recognized leader in data security; notably with relation to PCI compliance. He holds a bachelor's degree in Technical Communications from Metropolitan State College of Denver and has been working in the industry for over 25 years. As VP for Stout Street, Mr. Parker has championed the commitment of the company to invest in technology that lowers the cost of compliance while maintaining high-security and accessibility. As Chief Funologist for the company, Mr. Parker is also responsible for the company executives morale and teamwork initiatives. Denver-based Stout Street Hospitality, a privately held hotel management and development company operates upscale boutique hotels catering to the sophisticated traveler. The company focuses on development, management, acquisition, re-branding, new construction and conversation of existing hotel properties. The core product line consists of award-winning, independent boutique hotels under the Magnolia brand that offer a style unlike that of trendy or branded hotels. The company currently operates hotels in Denver, Colo.; Dallas, Houston, and Bryan, Texas; and Omaha, Neb., and is exploring other markets for additional growth opportunities.

Mr. Parker can be contacted at 303-351-1649 or jparker@stoutstreethospitality.com

Coming up in December 2019...

Hotel Law: A Labor Crisis and Cyber Security

According to a recent study, the hospitality industry accounted for 2.9 trillion dollars in sales and in the U.S. alone, was responsible for 1 in 9 jobs. In an industry of that scope and dimension, legal issues touch every aspect of a hotel's operation, and legal services are required in order to conform to all prevailing laws and regulations. Though not all hotels face the same issues, there are some industry-wide subjects that are of concern more broadly. One of those matters is the issue of immigration and how it affects the ability of hotels to recruit qualified employees. The hotel industry is currently facing a labor crisis; the U.S. Labor Department estimates that there are 600,000 unfilled jobs in the industry. Part of the problem contributing to this labor shortage is the lack of H2B visas for low-skilled workers, combined with the difficulty in obtaining J-1 visas for temporary workers. Because comprehensive immigration reform is not being addressed politically, hotel managers expect things are going to get worse before they get better. Corporate cyber security is another major legal issue the industry must address. Hotels are under enormous pressure in this area given the large volume of customer financial transactions they handle daily. Recently, a federal court ruled that the Federal Trade Commission had the power to regulate corporate cyber security, so it is incumbent on hotels to establish data security programs in order to prevent data breaches. The lack of such programs could cause hotels to face legal threats from government agencies, class action lawsuits, and damage to their brand image if a data breach should occur. These are just two of the critical issues that the December issue of Hotel Business Review will examine in the area of hotel law.
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