Earlier this month, I attended the Midwest Lodging Investment Summit in Chicago.  One of the speakers at the conference was Joe McInerney, the President and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.  McInerney gave a “View from Washington”-type speech that touched on a few legislative issues that have impacted the hotel industry during the
Continue Reading

I mentioned the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) in my last blog entry, and am going to mention it again here.  Another presentation at this year’s Midwest Lodging Investment Summit featured an AHLA video titled, “If you see something, say something.”  (If that wasn’t the title of the video, it was the central phrased used
Continue Reading

Last month, the Supreme Court of Iowa issued a strongly worded and unanimous opinion (with two justices abstaining) that reversed an intermediate appellate court’s decision to reinstate a $10 million judgment in favor if a company that manages casinos, against a developer that owns them.  The court’s opinion offers insights for attorneys who negotiate asset
Continue Reading

I’ve spent much of the past two months attending professional conferences, especially in the hotel industry. Perhaps the most rewarding presentation at any of these conferences was a speech delivered on March 7 at the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference in Atlanta, by Jack Deboer. Mr. Deboer is currently the Chairman of Value Place, LLC in
Continue Reading

Last week, I was privileged to attend the 2011 Hospitality Law Conference in Houston. As always, the program at the conference was outstanding. (This was my third time attending the annual conference.) One of the sessions I attended focused on issues related to operation of spas. The session included discussion of an issue that has
Continue Reading

Whether you are negotiating an event agreement, an agreement to procure goods or services, a franchise agreement or any number of other types of contracts, it’s hard to imagine a more common sticking point that can hold up a deal than that dreaded section titled “Indemnification.” Going into a negotiation, each party may expect the
Continue Reading