Duff on Hospitality Law

I’m pleased to introduce another guest author from local accounting firm Clark Nuber. Julie Eisenhauer is an audit and accounting principal specializing in the hospitality industry. We're grateful that Julie has offered to share her experience and knowledge with our readers. Welcome, Julie, and thank you for today’s post on this important revenue ruling. – Greg

In a letter sent to major hotel chains, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai urged hotels to program their telephones to be able to dial 911 without first dialing 9. The motivation behind this initiative is the death of Kari Hunt Dunn, who was stabbed to death at the Baymont Inn in Marshall, Texas this past December, while her daughter unsuccessfully attempted to dial 911 for help. The Baymont Inn’s phone system required all guests to dial 9 before dialing 911. As a result, the daughter was unable to reach emergency services.

For those of you who attended, or even those of you who did not attend, below are the slides from today's sales presentation in Portland. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

For those readers and followers unable to attend last month’s AHIA Fall Meeting in Los Angeles, we have posted below our PowerPoint presentation, “On-Line Distribution: Overview, Issues and Tips.” A huge thanks to AHIA for hosting us last month. 

If you have any questions regarding the presentation or distribution generally, please let Ruth or me know.

I'm pleased to introduce guest author Katie Nguyen, a CPA from local accounting firm, Clark Nuber. Katie specializes in state and local taxes for the hospitality industry and has offered to share her experience and knowledge with the Duff on Hospitality readers. Welcome, Katie, and thank you for today's post on some important tax incentives available to Washington's owners and operators. - Greg 

I’d imagine that every hotel and restaurant owner/operator is interested to know how to save money on his or her state taxes (while still following all of the applicable laws and rules, of course). As a former Washington Department of Revenue auditor, I've seen many exemptions, credits, and preferential tax rates go unused – primarily because businesses just didn't know that they existed! This post provides a brief explanation of some Washington tax incentives (both old and new) that the hotel and restaurant industry should be taking full advantage of.

Sales/Use Tax Exemption for Items Imparting Flavor or Supporting Food

The Washington legislature recently enacted a measure providing a retail sales and use tax exemption on purchases by restaurants of the following two types of items:

• • Items used to impart flavor to foods that are completely or substantially consumed by combustion during the cooking process. Such items could include charcoal, charcoal briquettes, wood chips, grape vines, and the like.
  • Items comprised entirely of wood that support the food during the cooking process. Such items could include wood planks, etc.

This exemption expires July 1, 2017.

Commute Trip Reduction Credit

Also recently passed by the state legislation was a bill extending the life of the Commute Trip Reduction B&O tax credit. This credit is a great incentive for those taxpayers who help subsidize the cost of employee public transportation, carpooling, or non-motorized commuting. For each employee, the credit is capped at $60 or 50% of the transportation cost paid (whichever is lower) annually. Be sure to submit your application to the Department of Revenue by January 31, 2014 to get your 2013 credit!

I’m happy to see my quote in the recent Bloomberg article showcasing examples of private equity firms taking advantage of the rising hotel market. It’s an article worth reading!

Blackstone Seeks IPOs as Hotel Sales Climb: Real Estate

“In a nine-inning game, we’re probably in the sixth inning,” said Greg Duff, chairman of the Hospitality, Travel & Tourism practice of Seattle-based law firm Garvey Schubert Barer.“ On many levels and in many different markets in terms of occupancy, we have met or exceeded where we were pre-recession.”

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has released its Fiscal Year 2014 per diem rates. While the standard continental U.S. per diem is up to $83, per diem rates in the Northwest have largely remained unchanged. For more information on the new rates, visit the U.S. General Services Administration website.

The U.K.'s Office of Fair Trade (OFT) is currently evaluating and accepting public comments on whether formal commitments proposed by Booking.com B.V. (Booking.com), Expedia Inc (Expedia) and InterContinental Hotels Group plc (IHG) sufficiently address its competition concerns regarding the online offering of room only hotel accommodations by Online Travel Agents. The OFT is soliciting feedback on whether the proposed commitments offer an immediate and effective means of injecting meaningful competition into the online bookings.

Read full Press Release and Notice

What these commitments will mean for pricing parity in the future remains to be seen. Stay tuned for more updates in the weeks ahead.

Please welcome new author and GSB attorney, Julia Holden-Davis, to the Duff on Hospitality blog! She has over 15 years of experience in the legal aspects of design and construction and works out of our new office in Anchorage, Alaska. Welcome, Julia, and thank you for today’s recommendations on selecting an appropriate contractor. – Greg 

Selecting the “right” contractor is one of several key steps in ensuring a hotel project has a strong likelihood of success. At times, the selection of the contractor might seem obvious – for example, a developer entering a new geographical market might bring with it a contractor with whom it already has extensive experience in other markets. However, contractor selection should consider a broader number of criteria, tailored to the particular needs of the project, to maximize the likelihood of success.

1) Pick the right people to make the selection

Consider first with whom to place the responsibility of making the selection, recognizing that within the typical hotel ownership and management structure, not to mention other project participants such as an architect or designer, not everyone has the same priorities, experience, or end goals. For example, one person (e.g. franchisor) might care the most for the aesthetic-related capabilities of a contractor. Another might prioritize timely performance (e.g. operator), yet another lowest cost (e.g. owner/developer). An outside architect may have a relationship (be it good or bad) with certain contractors. Selecting an individual or a team who understands the needs of the facility, the critical points, and the overall goals can lead to a much better evaluation process – and ultimately, identification of the most suitable contractor.

2) Consider industry dialogue

Consider discussing the project or portions of the project with a variety of contractors or other industry professionals before actually evaluating or selecting a contractor. The information gleaned in early discussions can play a significant role in defining realistic expectations, developing innovative ideas, selecting new products, and improving the overall quality of the project. For example, a franchised property whose intended aesthetic is cutting edge, top of the line, with new and fresh ideas may want to carefully consider the use of new materials which may not yet have a proven service record. Similarly, contractors with a depth of building experience with the chosen brand may have good suggestions to the design, phasing, or to other aspects of the project that could improve the overall quality or decrease the time or cost of construction.

Published in Northwest Meetings + Events  Magazine, summer 2013.

HOSPITALITY ATTORNEY GREG DUFF has noticed a paradigm shift in the sales contracts his clients send him. The founder of Garvey Schubert Barer's national Hospitality, Travel & Tourism practice, he says, "Either the contracts have more terms or conditions than I have seen in the past, or those terms that have been somewhat common in the past have been revised to be more difficult." Duff shared the pros and cons of some of the newer provisions he's seeing...

Pleas contact me if you have any questions regarding venue or sales contracts.