Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
11 October 2006
“What will it take to solve important problems and improve people’s lives?” That’s what businessman Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft Corp., asks on the main page of his website, www.paulallen.com. Apparently, one of Allen’s answers is: “condo hotels.”
Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
9 October 2006
If you are like me, you already have events scheduled on your 2007 calendar! I hope you have saved dates for the two annual hospitality conferences sponsored by the Global Hospitality Group® at Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP.
The Hotel Developers Conference will be March 7-8, 2007.
Meet the Money® will be May 3, 2007
Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
5 October 2006
Quick settlement with the union.
The Beverly Hilton hotel is expected to announce today (October 5, 2006) that it has signed a three year contract with Unite Here, according to Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer. Both sides are claiming victory with the announcement of a quick resolution, along with increased wages, maintaining the current health benefits and a commitment to hire more African Americans. But beyond that, what is the significance of this settlement for others who may be sitting on the other side of the table, facing the union soon–whether in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Honolulu, Toronto or elsewhere?
Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
5 October 2006
If you have any interest regarding unionization of your hotel, a landmark decision has just been issued by NLRB. To understand the significance of this development, I have turned to my partner, Marta Fernandez, a hospitality lawyer who is a senior member of our Global Hospitality Group and the Labor & Employment Group of Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP.
Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
4 October 2006
Please see “troubled hotel loans – workouts, bankruptcies & receiverships” for the latest articles on troubled hotels.
Hotel bankruptcy lawyers’ dreams come true?
Hotel loan workouts, hotel bankruptcies, and hotel receiverships have been scarce the past few years — approaching an all-time low. But that may be about to change.
Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
30 September 2006
One of the top priorities of the Unite Here over the past two years has been obtaining neutrality agreements (also sometimes called card-check agreements or peace agreements). See yesterday’s posting and many of the newspaper articles referenced below). So what do you do when the union is at your door — whether you are a union hotel (not covered by a Multi-Employer Group contract), a non-union hotel, or a developer waiting to break ground?
Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
29 September 2006
This has been a busy year for the hotel unions such as UNITE HERE. The union’s latest action yesterday in closing down the main corridor to LA’s International Airport with sit-ins in the middle of Century Boulevard garnered significant media attention. More than 300 were arrested in a demonstration “choreographed” with city officials and police. The protest was part of the union’s effort to organize 13 non-union hotels ostensibly to publicize the treatment of immigrants by the non-union airport hotels.
Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
27 September 2006
UNITE HERE hotel union officials announced that they are scheduling a protest for tomorrow afternoon (September 28) at 4:30 pm during rush hour traffic with the intent to close down Century Boulevard–one of the main corridors to and from LAX.
Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
26 September 2006
Yesterday, we noted how Shaquille O’Neal is jumping into a $1 billion joint venture on a hotel-enhanced mixed-use project in Miami. Now it looks like Andre Agassi is looking for a new kind of grand slam.
Author of www.HotelLawBlog.com
25 September 2006
Last week at The Lodging Conference in Phoenix, hotel-enhanced mixed-use was one of the hot topics which everyone was talking about. A recent example of this trend was reported in the September 19 news that Miami Heat basketball star and NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal is getting involved in a high-profile mixed-use project. He has formed The O’Neal Group, a real estate firm that plans big real estate projects across the country. Its first venture is with MDM Development in a $1 billion mixed-use project in downtown Miami. The so-called Met Miami will include an office tower, 1,100 residential units, a supermarket, a 24-hour fitness center and a high end Marriott hotel. O’Neal, who has amassed a real estate portfolio worth $50 million over recent years, will be involved in the sales and marketing arm of the development operation.