Hospitality and Conference Liability

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When planning a conference it is so important to be aware of liability issues and have the proper insurance for your event. This really great two part podcasts discusses this issue. To watch the first podcast click here, and for the second half click here. Drugs, prostitution, alcohol are all things you have to worry about when hosting a conference at a hotel, especially when your guests stay at a hotel. You don't want these problems affiliated with your event. The hotel could be held negligent.

One very interesting issue I didn't think of was the matter of bed bugs. When you make an agreement with a hotel for rooms for people to sleep in, you make an offer of what your going to pay for a night and they are supposed to offer you a clean room for your needs. It is basically a contract. If they don't the hotel may be held liable to pay you compensatory damages. Depending on the damages, you could sue for punitive damages. Before choosing a hotel and conference center do research on the types of accommodations offered and make sure they are clean. It wouldn't be a bad idea to shop around and spend the night at the space you are planning to hold your conference.

A really important law to be aware of in the hospitality industry, or anyone hosting an event where alcohol is served, is the Dram Shop Act. When alcohol is served at an event, the person serving it can be held liable for things that the person drinking does. In my opinion, in a conference setting there should be a drink limit. It may be a good idea to sell drink tickets to help regulate how much a person consumes. One thing I found very interesting in my research is that even if you are just throwing a simple house party and one of your guests leaves and gets into a car accident due to their alcohol, you as the party host may be held liable.

There is so much that goes into the hospitality industry and planning conferences and events. You should be aware of the laws and things you could be held liable for. Below I have provided some supplemental cases on hospitality liability. I have also provided a podcast on hotel security. One hotel speaks about the terrorist attack of 9/11 and how the terrorists stayed at their hotel. They spoke on the signs that they ignored and what you can to do avoid their mistakes. I thought it was interesting since this year is the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Hope my information was helpful; enjoy!

Suplemental Information


Bed Bugs Article
Privacy Issue Article
Hotel Security and Anti-Terrorism Training Podcast