The push and pull of music licensing in the hotel industry has always been somewhat emotional. Because it is a devilish task to determine the value of music to the industry, it is easy for the hotels to conclude they pay too much and easy for the licensing companies to conclude that they, and the artists they represent, are entitled to more. Over the years, the hotel industry and the music industry have gradually gotten accustomed to each other and some of the companies in the industries involved have truly understood how they can help each other. This article is an attempt to explain what is going on. READ MORE

The hospitality sector relies heavily on service providers and supply chains. Cybersecurity risk management and data privacy considerations are increasingly a critical factor in those relationships, both to deter poor vendor practices as well as to mitigate exposure in the event of a cyber incident. This article explains how cybersecurity is a risk management function that can be applied to all aspects of a vendor relationship, along with overarching practices for such relationships. The article focuses on cybersecurity considerations in vendor contracts and offers a practical "cybersecurity checklist" that can be used to vet contracts and ensure that cybersecurity and related considerations are being tended to. READ MORE

Hotel executives realize that knowledge is the most strategic factor for empowering the capabilities of a hotel and improving its competitive advantage in the marketplace. Knowledge is shared and synthesized with an aim to providing higher quality services. However, this is still not enough for hotel executives because knowledge is quite elusive and is changing on a day-to-day basis with discontinued services and the ever changing vast array of environmental issues. The key is for hotel executives to integrate risk management, knowledge management and talent management within hotels so that information can be found and used instantaneously. READ MORE

So, what does the future hold in store for the wedding event as well as business? The hospitality industry is currently going through what can be termed as the guest experience customization craze. No one wants a cookie cutter stay in a hotel. They want their stay to be a memorable experience. Well, if that is the requirement, wedding events have a lot going for them. To begin with, they are already clear, important events in any one's life. Thus, the motivation to make it something to remember is already there. What new initiatives would you bring to your target market's wedding or anniversary events? READ MORE

Navigating through Paid Time Off (PTO) benefits for multi-jurisdictional employers can be challenging. Christine Samsel of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck provides a summary of several key issues to consider, from combining different types of PTO into a single category to different states' handling of PTO as a vested wage entitlement or a contract matter between employers and employees, and the impact that has on PTO policies. She also dissects the interplay of PTO and paid sick leave laws, and outlines some of the pitfalls of a recent trend - unlimited PTO policies. READ MORE