Hospitality

At Farella Braun + Martel, we provide comprehensive counsel across the hospitality sector, including to hotel owners and operators, franchisors, private equity, developers, joint ventures and individual investors and family offices. Our work spans supporting luxury resorts to cost-conscious and family-friendly brands and properties.

The attorneys in our Hospitality practice understand the industry and provide practical guidance to clients regarding potential business transactions or existing disputes. We have assisted our clients in matters concerning luxury resorts, full and limited-service branded and independent hotels, fractional ownership and time share properties, golf, tennis, and ski facilities, Michelin-starred restaurants, and restaurant chains. Our experience involves both domestic and international properties. We regularly assist clients with single-asset and portfolio transactions and litigation, including management agreements, consulting and operational matters, financing, joint ventures with property owners and financial partners, and tax structuring. 

Our transactional attorneys structure deals to optimize value and mitigate risk, navigating joint ventures, franchise and management agreements, and ground leases. We are adept at handling cross-border transactions and advising on regulatory compliance, title, and zoning matters. Many projects leverage tax credits (e.g., Historic Tax Credits (HTC), New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), and Opportunity Zone incentives). We negotiate and draft a wide range of hospitality-related agreements, including hotel management contracts, franchise agreements, food and beverage leases, vendor contracts, and technology licensing. Our team also advises on labor and employment issues, as well as data privacy matters, that affect hotel operations.

Our litigation experience encompasses a broad range of issues concerning the hospitality industry. We have mediated, arbitrated, and litigated through trial charges of mismanagement, poor financial performance, wrongful termination and unfair competition, as well as accounting disputes, insurance disputes, trademark protection matters, construction matters, tax disputes, and other management agreement disputes. Additionally, we have deep experience representing asset purchasers through bankruptcy or other distressed sales and auctions.