In my three prior articles on alternative dispute resolution, I discussed mediation, expert determination and arbitration. Resorting to the court system may be necessary only because the parties in their agreements did not provide for the resolution of disputes by one of the three alternative dispute mechanisms. Even so, as the dispute devolves to one that the parties will not resolve by negotiation alone, they may at any time agree to mediate, submit the matter to an expert or arbitrate. READ MORE

Most hotels have a sign in each bathroom that ask the guest to be environmentally friendly by reusing their towels. When a guest re-uses their towels, the hotel saves money on laundry expenses, which includes a reduced use of water. However, many hotels find these signs to be ineffective. The cards cost a fee to print, and they use employee resources for placement in the rooms, but hoteliers find little to no return on investment for these paper signs. READ MORE

Until mid-20th century, a hotel's aesthetic was unique and customized to each location - either by design, as in the case of luxury properties built at the beginning of the 20th century, like the Waldorf Astoria or St. Regis, or by default, in the case of humbler regional hotels, motels and inns. The trend toward design standardization started in the 1950s in North America. Middle class prosperity mixed with modern interstate highways and cars designed for longer trips fueled an increase in leisure and business travel. But to offset the boundaries being pushed in personal exploration, travelers desired predictability in lodging. READ MORE

The mission of hotels has evolved over the years, from simply providing guests with a comfortable, safe place to sleep to offering a destination that provides much more than shelter. At today's hotels and resorts, visitors have a place to conduct business, enjoy good food and drink, socialize and escape from life's everyday pressures. But travelers often seek something more now, and a new trend has distinctly emerged. Many visitors no longer want to escape. They want to explore and dive into the local atmosphere. Today's travelers desire to experience the culture, attractions, food and neighborhoods of a destination more than ever before. READ MORE

In the last two decades, the boutique hotel revolution has stolen the show and has birthed an abundance of small batch hospitality concepts that have scaled out and fundamentally changed the way hotels look and behave. The Kimptons and W's have blazed the trail for FB&E hotels like the Ace and the Standard. European darlings like Citizen M have dared to dream small by making micro-rooms sexy with unapologetic modernism and vibrant, public spaces. Outliers, like the 21c Museum Hotels, exemplify the sort of programmatic innovation that begs the question - are hotels just hotels anymore? READ MORE