There is a good article from a hotel management consultant and owners representative standpoint on the legal ramifications surrounding social media and its use amongst hotels and restaurants throughout the hospitality industry. In particular are those areas that an owner and operator never thinks to call their lawyer first on but should be looked at more closely in terms of trademarks, employee guidelines and internal procedures. In it, Attorney Ira Levy with Goodwin Proctor points out the importance of internal policies and practices relating to the marketing and public relations aspects of hospitality businesses on social mediums such as Facebook, Trip Advisor and Twitter. He summarizes that “The hospitality industry is beginning to fully grasp the power of social media to make deep and personal connections with guests and prospective guests. It is critical to put policies in place, and guidelines for adherence to these policies, that will help avoid these efforts giving rise to legal exposure.” Read and learn more here if you are a manager, operator or hotel management consultant. There is also a related article in Lawyers.com on managing social media risks that addresses those same legal issues and more. Hospitality management and their employees can read these tips here. We also publish periodic articles on the use of social media by other hotel and leisure advisors in our INNsider newsletter which you can subscribe to as well. Are you an attorney or legal professional who advises owners, operators and their hotel management consultant on legal exposures relating to the use of social media? If so, please share your recommendations that are key to minimizing exposure.
