Hotel guests today know that technology is available to identify them and where they are, what they are interested in, as well as who their friends are. So, they expect their hotel to also know who they are. There are multiple systems that can communicate to provide this recognition, but most properties are not able to convert this data into personalized service. This lack of guest identification costs hotels millions of dollars in lost business as guests continuously explore new hotel brands and independents to find the recognition and personal experience they expect. When guests feel welcome they value their stay, become loyal clients, and generate revenue. Most properties have the capability to provide a personalized experience if they simply combine the data at their fingertips. READ MORE

360 video and 360 images, known also as spherical videos or immersive videos, are a new type of media where the viewer has control of the viewing direction. Viewers can get a first-person experience of a different location and time. 360 Imagery has seen an astounding increase of the adoption rate in the last few years thanks to the diffusion of virtual reality devices, new browsers and techniques to display the media without additional plugins and the broad usage of new generation mobile devices that are able to display the 360 media. READ MORE

A wave of mergers and acquisitions purport to help management companies capitalize on emerging markets, generate cost efficiencies, and position themselves more favorably with customers, vendors and employees. However, the most important constituent to the future success of today's mega-brands may be owners. In this article, we explore the legal rights and responsibilities of owners asked to adapt to changing brand concepts, new brand standards, and shifting dynamics in the marketplace. Owners are facing new challenges - and coming to the realization there are ways to respond to the "invisible hand" that may be working against them. READ MORE

Over the past decade, many hotel owners and management companies have looked to independent restaurant concepts—often associated with celebrity chefs—to increase revenue and enhance hotels' images and guests' experiences. One way to do this is to lease space to a celebrity chef's company (a “ChefCo”) and allow the ChefCo to operate the restaurant independently. A similar approach is for the hotel owner to enter into a management agreement with the ChefCo—separate from the management agreement with a hotel management company for the rest of the hotel. A third approach is for the hotel management company to subcontract management of the restaurant to the ChefCo. READ MORE

Given the number of hotel management companies in the United States, it's no surprise these companies are as active in the merger and acquisition arena as any other industry. For hotel operators who don't own the businesses they operate, their contracts with hotel owners are the “assets” to be combined in such a transaction. When hotel operators combine (through merger or asset acquisition), it's easy to focus on obtaining required owner consents. In addition, however, the parties must address operational transition matters long before the deal closes - they should be considerations even while the transaction agreement is being drafted. READ MORE