CDA § 230 is shorthand for Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, 47 U.S.C. § 230 (2016). It is the law cited by short term rental companies ("STRC"), such as Airbnb, when they argue with city and state governments and in the courts that their businesses are not subject to state and local regulation. It is fair to say that the STRCs are of the opinion that city and state governments are nearly powerless to regulate them in any way whatsoever, absent their consent. CDA § 230 provides, in pertinent part, that: "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." READ MORE

The hospitality industry experiences change every single day. Each day sees changes in guests, rates, menus, events and staff. At a higher level, hotels across the globe experience changes in management, brands, job responsibilities, revenue strategy and guest expectations. Sweeping changes in distribution, technology, analytics and merging industry conglomerates also affect nearly every hotel in every region. READ MORE

Corporate culture is critical to ensuring that the experience guests actually receive is representative of the experience that hotel leadership hopes to portray. Culture can be affected in any number of ways, from management implementing employee appreciation programs to maintain top talent, through far less formal interactions like a couple of workers putting together a plan to ensure there's coffee to start a shift together. It can be augmented, strengthened, improved, measured, and yes; culture can be ruined. READ MORE

After a seven-year stagnation, the federal minimum wage is poised to follow the lead of cities and states across the U.S. that have passed measures to raise wages for their lowest-paid workers. Service industry employers who fail to prepare for the higher labor costs that will come with the minimum-wage increase and its subsequent ripple effect on their pay ladder will likely experience a dollar-for-dollar negative impact on their bottom line. To offset the higher labor costs will require organizations to take a hard look at their business model for opportunities to improve productivity. READ MORE

Start discussing a technical topic and watch as people's eyes glaze over, even if those people are fully aware that it's something they should be paying attention to. Embarking on a path toward a more sustainable and energy efficient hotel operation qualifies as one of these 'glazed' subjects, so to eliminate any possibility of eyelid fatigue, let's talk about this extremely important issue in terms of something just a bit more fun - golf. READ MORE