From the category archives:

Current Events

Washington Innkeepers’ Duties and H1N1 (Swine Flu)

August 28, 2009

Information regarding the H1N1 virus (otherwise known as “Swine Flu”) is becoming clear, including what it is, how it is caused, and precautions people should take to avoid becoming infected. However, many questions remain about what practical steps business owners can and cannot take to safeguard themselves, their staff, and their customers.

For example, what liabilities might a hotelier face for refusing accommodations to guests who appear ill? What legal implications might an employer face for not training and/or protecting its employees? Finally, what practical steps should hoteliers be taking to deal with the current virus (or future pandemics)? This post addresses Washington law and provides answers to the questions above.

Read the full article →

New Organic Wine Labeling Policy

June 25, 2009

Federal labeling policies for wines that are made with organic grapes are changing to provide clearer disclosure to the consumer. Wine Industry Insight reports that a Memorandum of Understanding has been drawn up between the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) [...]

Read the full article →

Details on Federal Menu-Labeling Agreement

June 12, 2009

On Wednesday, U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Tom Carper (D-DE) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced a compromise menu-labeling bill that combines key elements from two competing bills: the Labeling Education and Nutrition (LEAN) Act and the Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act.

Upon enactment, this legislation would preempt past and future state and local laws—including those recently approved in King County (WA), Oregon, and California [...]

Read the full article →

Managing Counterparties in Financial Distress

May 15, 2009

Hospitality business implicates virtually every area of the law, including at its core, landlord/tenant law (and increasingly, bankruptcy law). This is the first post in a series dealing with the subject of managing counterparties in financial distress for commercial landlords, tenants, lenders, and real estate investors. This first post focuses on tenant bankruptcy from the perspective of a commercial landlord [...]

Read the full article →

Arctic Club Hotel Recognized for Preservation

May 11, 2009
Thumbnail image for Arctic Club Hotel Recognized for Preservation

Downtown Seattle’s Arctic Club Hotel–soon to be renamed the “Doubletree Arctic Club Hotel Seattle”–was recognized this afternoon with the 2009 State Historic Preservation Officer’s Award for demonstrated outstanding achievement in historic preservation, according to hotelsmag.com. The award was received by the hotel’s management company, The Hotel Group (”THG”), which is based out of Kirkland, Washington [...]

Read the full article →

Suncadia Resort Reviewed in NYT

May 1, 2009

Suncadia resort and lodge located near Roslyn, WA was reviewed last week in The New York Times [...]

Read the full article →