The hospitality industry presents its own blend of complexity, bringing together corporate, finance, entertainment, intellectual property, real estate and employment disciplines — and our lawyers know how to navigate every facet of it. Our proactive, “see-around-corners” approach is rooted in decades of guiding leaders and entrepreneurs in the hospitality space, from today’s celebrity chefs and recognized restaurateurs, restaurant technology platforms, luxury hotel developers, to tomorrow’s experiential operators alike. We don’t just understand the hospitality space; we understand your business drivers and goal of providing exceptional customer experiences, and we strive to deliver advice that propels success at every stage of growth.
When a hot new restaurant or boutique hotel opening is on the line, our real estate team structures and negotiates complex leases and build-out contracts, thus ensuring that clients secure optimal site control and favorable operating economics. Our veteran corporate + hospitality team brings its extensive experience to financing an independent restaurant or negotiating a management agreement to bring culinary talent to hotels, real estate developments, or cultural institutions. And because hospitality is a people business, our labor + employment group counsels on wage-and-hour compliance, discrimination and harassment prevention, organized labor, and internal investigations — both proactively designing policies and vigorously defending high-stakes disputes.
Hospitality brands also rely on us to protect their reputations and intellectual property. We craft brand licensing and intellectual-property strategies that safeguard trademarks and trade dress and proprietary material such as recipes, menus and NILs, across hotel portfolios, restaurant concepts and ancillary services. Our advertising + marketing team guide promotions, loyalty programs and social-media campaigns to comply with FTC, and state and local regulations, thus mitigating risk without sacrificing creativity. As hospitality brands expand into media-driven ventures — podcasts and streaming series to branded cookbooks and high-profile appearances — our cross-disciplinary teams provide strategic counsel on content creation, licensing, talent agreements and brand integration to ensure seamless, compliant and impactful storytelling.
When disputes arise, whether over threats of class actions, ADA claims, wage-and-hour allegations and breach of management contracts, construction delays or food-safety claims, our litigators pursue efficient resolutions in court, arbitration or mediation.
From celebrity chefs, cutting edge food concepts, cpg’s, landmark urban hotels to island-resort retreats, Davis+Gilbert delivers strategic, business-minded legal solutions that help hospitality clients anticipate challenges, protect brand equity and create exceptional guest experiences.
