Introduction to Hospitality Law Episode Two: Operational Legal Risks & Compliance (Presented by HospitalityLawyer.com)

Stephen Barth, founder | HospitalityLawyer.com®

Stephen Barth, author of Hospitality Law and coauthor of Restaurant Law Basics, is an attorney, the founder of HospitalityLawyer.com, the annual Hospitality Law Conference series, and the Global Travel Risk Summit Series. As a professor at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston, he teaches courses in hospitality law and leadership. He is #3 on Global Guru’s Top 30 Hospitality Thought Leaders & Influencers for 2023. In addition to legal and travel risk mitigation insight, Stephen specializes in communicating the importance of Emotional Intelligence in leadership roles; and has provided valuable insight to many companies including The Methodist Hospital System, Wyndham Worldwide, Dine Equity, Business Travel News and Aramark. His fun, fast-paced presentations provide practical information and solutions to enhance your personal and professional life.

• Education & Credentials

He earned a B.A. in Economics, an M.A. in Communications, and a J.D. from Texas Tech University. His faculty profile also describes decades of work in hospitality law and leadership education, alongside litigation-support and expert-witness work in hospitality-related matters.

• Recognition & Leadership

He has received University of Houston teaching recognition, including the Career Teaching Excellence Award, and other teaching honors noted in his professional materials. He has also been recognized by GlobalGurus in its hospitality rankings, including being listed as the #1 hospitality professional for 2022 and appearing in the 2023 and 2024 lists.

• Professional Involvement

His work includes building HospitalityLawyer.com as a platform serving hospitality lawyers and industry leaders with legal, safety, and risk-management resources. He is also associated with industry-facing conferences and summits that convene professionals around hospitality legal risk and travel risk management.

• Experience

Across more than three decades at the University of Houston’s Hilton College, his profile notes teaching and speaking activity at significant scale, including thousands of students taught, extensive publishing, and hundreds of industry presentations. His work also includes being retained in litigation contexts and contributing expertise on hospitality-related standards of care and operational risk.

Justin Bragiel, General Counsel | Texas Hotel & Lodging Association

Justin R. Bragiel serves as General Counsel and Legislative Director for the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, advising the lodging industry on legal risk and legislative developments that affect day-to-day hotel operations across Texas. His role spans both legal counsel and government affairs, positioning him at the intersection of compliance, regulatory change, and operational decision-making for hospitality businesses.

• Education & Credentials

He earned a Juris Doctor from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (2007) and a B.A. in Government from The University of Texas at Austin (2001). He is admitted to the State Bar of Texas (admitted Nov. 2, 2007) and is also listed as a registered lobbyist in Texas and a notary public.

• Recognition & Leadership

Within THLA, he serves in a senior leadership capacity combining legal counsel and legislative strategy, including representing the lodging industry before the Texas Legislature and other governmental bodies. His role includes developing legislative agenda and strategy and communicating legal and policy updates to THLA leadership and members.

• Professional Involvement

He is listed as a member of professional organizations including the Austin Bar Association, Austin Young Lawyers Association, and Texas Young Lawyers Association, along with industry-aligned associations such as the Texas Society of Association Executives and the International Society of State Hotel Association Executives. He also authors hospitality-focused legal content through HospitalityLawyer.com.

• Experience

He has served as General Counsel at THLA since 2008, overseeing a legal program supporting association members and advising on a wide range of hospitality operational issues—explicitly including hotel occupancy tax, ADA, regulatory compliance, contracts, employment, and related risk areas. His experience also includes advocacy work at the state and local levels, and he is described as primary legal counsel to multiple local lodging associations across Texas.

SESSION 1 – Understand Price Gouging Laws and How They Apply During Declared Emergencies | 12:00pm – 12:20pm

This session examines how declared emergencies trigger price gouging restrictions on lodging rates, covering dynamic pricing risks, displaced-guest demand, defensible pricing frameworks, and the documentation protocols attorneys should advise clients to implement before a crisis occurs.

SESSION 2 – Evaluate Firearm and Weapons Policies Within Hotels and Restaurants | 12:20pm – 12:40pm

This session addresses how hospitality businesses structure and enforce legally aligned weapons policies, covering practical enforcement realities, staff training, notice requirements, de-escalation procedures, and strategies to reduce negligent-security and incident-response liability through policy design.

SESSION 3 – Clarify Occupancy and Lodging Tax Obligations and Common Compliance Pitfalls | 12:40pm – 1:00pm

This session covers recurring lodging tax issues including exemptions, long-stay rules, third-party booking complications, and audit exposure, equipping attorneys to help hospitality clients build audit-ready processes and avoid costly tax assessments across complex management structures.

Break | 1:00pm – 1:10pm

SESSION 4 – Identify Practical Risk Management Strategies for Hospitality Operators | 1:10pm – 1:25pm

This session translates legal requirements into operational controls through SOPs, incident documentation, staff scripting, and decision logs, giving attorneys concrete tools to help frontline hospitality teams maintain consistent, defensible compliance practices across daily operations.

SESSION 5 – Apply Legal Best Practices to Daily Operational Decision-Making | 1:25pm – 1:40pm

This closing session connects compliance principles to everyday management decisions, what to document, when to escalate to counsel, and how guest disputes and enforcement attention affect liability equipping attorneys to advise hospitality clients in real time.