Managing Insurance in Hospitality Operations (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 Global Gurus 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.

Mikaela Whitman, Partner | McGuireWoods

Mikaela Whitman is an attorney with McGuireWoods LLP whose practice focuses on complex insurance coverage and litigation matters. She advises clients on a wide range of insurance-related issues, including policy interpretation, coverage disputes, and risk management strategies across various industries. Her work involves analyzing policy language and representing clients in disputes involving high-exposure claims, providing practical guidance on navigating insurance frameworks and liability allocation.

• Education & Credentials
  • Mikaela Whitman earned her law degree and is licensed to practice law, as reflected in her professional profile with McGuireWoods LLP. Her credentials include formal legal training and admission to practice in relevant jurisdictions, supporting her work in insurance coverage and litigation matters.
• Recognition & Leadership
  • Her professional profile reflects involvement in significant insurance-related matters and contributions within her firm’s practice groups. While specific awards or recognitions are not detailed in the provided biography, her role within a national law firm reflects a high level of professional engagement in her field.
• Professional Involvement
  • Mikaela Whitman is actively engaged in legal practice areas involving insurance coverage and litigation. Her work includes advising clients, collaborating with legal teams, and contributing to the development of legal strategies related to insurance disputes and risk management.
• Experience
  • Her experience includes handling insurance coverage analysis, litigating disputes involving policy interpretation, and advising clients on managing liability exposure. She works on matters involving complex claims and provides guidance on aligning insurance structures with operational risks, particularly in high-liability environments.

SESSION 1 – Insurance Coverage Issues: Liquor Liability and Dram Shop Exposure | 12:00pm – 12:20pm

Hospitality operations face distinct insurance exposures. This discussion examines coverage fundamentals specific to hotels and events, with focused attention on liquor liability risks, dram shop statutes, and the practical insurance implications attorneys must understand to advise hospitality clients effectively.

SESSION 2 – Coverage Structure: Primary, Umbrella, Retentions, And Deductibles | 12:20pm – 12:40pm

Understanding how coverage layers interact is essential for hospitality risk management. This coverage breakdown addresses primary policies, umbrella coverage, self-insured retentions, and deductibles, equipping attorneys to evaluate whether a client’s coverage structure adequately addresses operational and event-related exposures.

SESSION 3 – Policy Analysis: Exclusions, Endorsements, and Declaration Pages | 12:40pm – 1:00pm

Effective policy analysis requires reading beyond the declarations page. This deep dive addresses exclusions, exceptions, and endorsements that commonly affect hospitality claims, giving attorneys the analytical tools to identify coverage gaps and assess enforceability when disputes arise.

BREAK | 1:00pm – 1:10pm

SESSION 4 – Workers’ Compensation and Employee-Related Claims in Hospitality | 1:10pm – 1:25pm

Hospitality operations generate frequent employee-related claims. This discussion covers workers’ compensation frameworks, staffing and safety concerns, and how documentation gaps contribute to liability, helping attorneys identify risk early and advise clients on reducing exposure in high-volume operational environments.

SESSION 5 – Emerging Considerations: Cyber Liability and Data Breach Coverage | 1:25pm – 1:40pm

Cyber risks are increasingly relevant to hospitality operations. This discussion explores cyber liability coverage, data breach exposures, and emerging insurance considerations, preparing attorneys to counsel hospitality clients on evolving threats and the coverage structures needed to manage them effectively.