Distinguished Blog - Hospitality & Restaurants

Market insights and industry news.

The Beat Doesn’t Go On as Lawsuits Hit Hospitality Industry for Copyright Infringement

Walk into any hotel lobby, restaurant, or bar with music playing. Even when the music is background noise, it’s integral to the establishment’s ambiance and elevating the guest experience. Yet without proper licensing, establishments are taking a big risk of being hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit. Hotels, bars, and restaurants around the country are…

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Making Every Day Earth Day at Your Hotel and Restaurant

Way back in the bell-bottom dark ages of 1970, a new day was born: Earth Day. Millions of people joined demonstrations that April 22 nearly fifty years ago to protest the deterioration of the environment. Oil spills, air pollution, not to mention toxic waste and wildlife extinction. Fast-forward to April 22, 2017: Earth Day organizers…

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Plug It In, Plug It In…Hotels Offer Electric Car Chargers

Electric cars. They’re quiet, they’re great for the environment, and they’re creating a clientele who seeks hotels where they can charge up their vehicles after check in. Eco-savvy travelers are often willing to pay a little extra so their BMW, Nissan Leaf, Honda EV, or top-of-the-line Tesla can get back in business without delay. And…

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The Skinny on Having Higher Umbrella/Excess Liability Limits

The industry sectors we insure are big businesses in the U.S. For example, revenue in the hotel industry across more than 52,000 properties is estimated at $189-plus billion. This includes everything from limited service hotels to luxury full-service hotels and resorts. The restaurant industry boasts $1 million-plus locations representing 10% of the workforce with revenues…

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How Tourism May Be Affected by the Travel Ban, Extreme Vetting, and Stronger Dollar

A confluence of events could have a real impact on tourism and the hospitality industry in the United States. There is the proposed travel ban of six countries by the Trump Administration, consideration of extreme vetting of foreigners entering the U.S. by the government, and a strong dollar that may dampen the spirits of visitors…

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Fido Plus Your Hotel’s Pillows Equals….

We’re not sure how you feel about dogs in hotels, but what do you think about making sure homeless dogs get to sleep on those comfy hotel pillows? It’s not what it seems…it’s better! A Hilton hotel in West Chester, PA, recently adopted a protocol to donate its used hotel pillows to their local SPCA…

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Composting 101 for Hotels

Wait, wait, don’t throw out those coffee grounds! Welcome to hotel composting 101: where your hotel makes a good environmental impact and saves money to boot. Composting programs (for food and plant matter) at hotels can start in the kitchen and exterior grounds and travel all the way into guest rooms. That’s right. A luxury…

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Thinking Out of the Box: Our Top 10 Picks for Funkiest Hotel Amenities

When’s the last time you got excited about a 4oz bottle of shampoo? We thought so. Hotels are stepping up their game to pique the interest of travelers looking for something out of the box. Here’s our top 10 picks for coolest hotel amenities:

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Robot-Hotels in Your Future?

Could robot hotels be in our future? In Nagasaki, Japan, the future arrived last year and is planning to clone itself exponentially. The Henn na Hotel, staffed by 140 robots (and a half dozen “flesh and bloods” like you and me), takes care of guests’ needs from check in to check out via robotic assistance….

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Human Trafficking on the Rise—How Hotels Can Help

How can 1.6 million photos of empty hotel rooms help curb human trafficking? Hotel pics that are uploaded to the TraffickCam website (by anyone—hotel guests, staff, management) are digitally compared to current online photos advertising the victims of sex trafficking. This helps law enforcement locate and rescue the victims. It also helps identify which hotels are…

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Creating a Work-Life Balance That Works

Work-life balance doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. Long hours, fixed schedules, different demands from guests, all while being part of a team that demands smooth operation 24/7 at Mach 1o speed? That sounds like the life of many in hospitality. Toss in peak season changes, staff shortages, training needs, and the varying range of employee…

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