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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A Pricey Wedding Mishap

A bride is suing a luxury hotel for more than $250,000 after she slipped on a wet floor and fractured her kneecap on her wedding day. In addition to compensation for injuries, the woman, a hairdresser, wants the hotel to pay for loss of income and the cost to hire cleaners to help around the…

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Vegetarian Drive-Thrus Change the Fast-Food Game

It started with San Diego’s Evolution Fast Food, the first vegan drive-thru in the country. While they consider themselves a “burger and fries” place, all the menu items are made from scratch without the use of any animal byproducts, refined sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, or artificial additives. Owner Mitch Wallace named his restaurant…

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You Asked, We Listened

Our customers hold the keys to our success. That’s one thing we’re sure of as we set our course for the future. We are confident that the constant improvement of our customers’ experience will prove to be a powerful value differentiator. Recently, we have started our journey to ask, listen, and act on feedback about how we can improve…

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Another Reason to Double-Check Hotel Guest IDs

When it comes to hotel management, the devil is often in the details. We saw confirmation of this in February, when a Pennsylvania man sued a Ritz-Carlton hotel after a room mix-up led to a molestation charge involving a 9-year-old girl.

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IBA Checks In With Distinguished’s COO

As markets continue to grow, largely due to the rebounding economy and increase in construction nationwide, the need for risk-management specialists and professionals becomes even more necessary. Carla Vel, Distinguished Programs’ President and Chief Operating Officer, sat down with Insurance Business America

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Managing Risk: Fitness Centers

Many of us have been there: We start a new diet and fitness regimen, and everything goes great…until we have to travel. And then we fall off the wagon. To prevent this wellness detour, guests increasingly are requesting fitness rooms and healthier menu options, and the hotel industry has been responding. The AP reports that…

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Insurers Addressing Impact of Extreme Weather

The issue of climate change is one on which the insurance industry is strongly focusing, particularly in the light of the severe weather that has devastated communities throughout the United States over the last several years. 2015 alone included 10 weather and climate disaster events across the U.S. that each exceeded $1 billion in damages….

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What Zika Means For You

If you’ve been following headlines, you’ve seen warnings about the new global health crisis of 2016: the Zika virus. The World Health Organization declared the Zika outbreak a global health emergency after evidence was found linking the virus to microcephaly, a devastating birth defect that causes abnormally small heads and reduced brain development.

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Hotel Franchise Requirements 101

Hotel franchisees spend countless hours considering the perfect location for their new business, but often neglect to take that same consideration when insurance enters the picture. But franchise agreements can be complicated, often requiring certain coverage enhancements beyond simple limit requirements. That’s where a limited-service hotel umbrella policy comes in handy.

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Are Your Clients Covered for a Hotel Security Breach?

Hyatt reported earlier this year that the hotel chain suffered a massive data breach that affected about 250 of their hotels in 50 countries over the course of almost four months. Ouch. This Reuters article shows that this type of incident is becoming all too common in the hospitality industry, with Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.,…

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