To avoid landing in court, hotels must stay on top of the latest rules and regulations. In January, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued new guidelines for tips and service charges. In addition to the IRS' new rules, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which issues standards for the basic minimum wage and overtime pay, has a separate set of guidelines for service workers, which if not followed, makes the hotel industry vulnerable for lawsuits. Since each state has its own laws regarding service charges and tipping, hotel operators must ensure that they are compliant with their state regulations to avoid legal issues. READ MORE

For the hotel industry, 2014 may well go down as the year of rebranding. This is in response to the intense competition and the need to cater to a new audience: the millennials. To ensure a successful transition, properties should consider business and legal implications to avoid costly time-consuming problems especially intellectual property issues. To those unfamiliar with legal jargon, it boils down to creating and protecting strong trademarks, trade dress, and an effective web presence. These are essential to debranding and rebranding to give a brand a competitive edge in the ever-growing hotel industry. READ MORE

Thanks to the compromises that brought about the failed social experiment of Prohibition in 1936, the laws governing the manufacture and sale of alcohol in the U.S. are a patchwork quilt that vary wildly and widely from state to state. Federal law lays over this patchwork of state laws to create a layered web and, together, state and federal laws make alcohol one of the most heavily regulated - if not the most heavily regulated - consumer-oriented products available at retail without a prescription in the world. READ MORE

How do you use social media to encourage your current and prospective guests in different countries to engage with your hotel brand? It's a question that is hard enough to answer for a social media program in one country, let alone for multiple countries across the globe. Emil Atanassov, general manager, Asia Pacific at Sajan, lends his expert insight into all aspects of fostering multilingual conversations—and hotel brand loyalty—among guests. Learn best practices on everything from responding to messages in near real time using machine translation to personalizing your engagement strategy for each target audience. READ MORE

The United States Green Building Council estimates that buildings account for approximately (“~”) 38% of carbon emissions, ~14% of potable water consumption, ~30% of waste output, ~40% of raw materials, and a significant portion of our energy consumption. In California, roughly 19% of all energy consumed is for water treatment and pumping for human consumption. These numbers hold true for hotels, resorts, and casinos in warm climates. Maximizing sustainability in a hotel, resort, or casino property takes time and a considerable upfront capital investment. Detailed, below, are some reasons why sustainable measures are a “must” in the nation's hospitality market. READ MORE