Regulatory and Legal Affairs

🚨 Charles Seifert, founder of ItBox, suggests the Building Safety Act 2022 may be amended in autumn 2025 to include hotels. The Act currently covers buildings over 18 meters or with seven or more stories with at least two residential units. The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has assessed few of the 14,000 residential buildings. If hotels are included, owners must prepare for potential compliance complexities to avoid penalties, including criminal charges and fines.

💼 Location: Brussels, Belgium. HOTREC seeks a Public Affairs Manager for digital and economic policy advocacy at the EU level. The role involves working with EU institutions, stakeholders, and HOTREC’s 47 member associations. Applicants need 5+ years of relevant experience. Deadline: 2 June 2025. Apply with a CV and cover letter to Sergey Golyshin at [email protected]. More details on the Euractiv JobSite.

🛡 U.S. restaurant operators report increased immigration enforcement, especially in Washington, D.C., and Nashville. DHS conducted "worksite enforcement operations" on over 100 D.C. businesses, inspecting I-9 documentation. At least nine restaurants were visited last week, with some operators not cooperating without a warrant. Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) confirmed no arrests from these visits and reached out to Homeland Security for guidance. In Nashville, ICE activity resulted in at least 96 detainments, leading to decreased restaurant business and closures. Nashville's Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is offering I-9 compliance training. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell mandated reporting interactions with federal immigration to his office within one day. The Trump administration aims to deport one million immigrants annually.

New Hospitable report reveals hosts are confidently competing with larger operators — and aren’t interested in handing over control SAN FRANCISCO, 12 MAY – A brand new report from property management…

📑 UK, 12 May 2025: The Labour government unveiled immigration reforms, including raising the skilled worker threshold to RQF 6 (graduate level) and increasing salaries. The Immigration Skills Charge will rise by 32%, and the settlement period extends to 10 years. New English language requirements will apply broadly. Less than 10% of hospitality roles qualify for skilled visas, impacting sectors like care and hospitality. Temporary Shortage List roles must meet specific criteria for visa access.

🍔 Beef & Bass to open first site at 356-360 King’s Road, Chelsea. The 4,512 sq ft restaurant features a 14-cover speakeasy bar, an open kitchen, charcoal grill, and a private dining room. Founders Alessandro Verdenelli and Daniele Pampagnin join other debuts on Sloane Stanley’s Estate. Hannah Grievson from Sloane Stanley highlighted the area’s F&B hub. Mister Lasagne also opens at 273 Fulham Road. Miles Commercial and Levy Real Estate represent Sloane Stanley Estate.

🚨 On Tuesday, 06 May 2025, the European Multi-sectoral Social Partners released guidelines to address third-party violence and harassment (TPVH) at work, aiming to improve workplace health and safety. Key aspects include implementing TPVH policies, making tools accessible, raising risk awareness, and developing preventive measures. HOTREC and EFFAT support the guidelines, emphasizing protection and quality service in hospitality, and advocate for national implementation and sharing of practices.

💥 A severe storm resulted in extensive damage to a home, with a lightning strike causing the loss of power and hurling objects across a room. The home, constructed with about $20,000 of salvaged materials 25 years ago, now faces rewiring costs estimated by an electrician at $100,000 due to melted insulation. The family's car was also damaged by hail two days later. Amidst these challenges, the author finds solace in their child's affectionate greeting, highlighting the importance of simple joys and love.

💰 TPG Capital to acquire Sabre's Hospitality Solutions for $1.1 billion in cash. Hospitality Solutions serves over 40% of top hotel brands with a SaaS platform. Sabre's net proceeds of approximately $960 million will largely pay down debt. The deal, advised by Haynes Boone, was announced on April 28, 2025, and is expected to close by the end of Q3 2025, pending regulatory approvals.

🛒 A systemic fraud issue in the hotel booking industry affects consumer trust and costs billions, as fake sites use brand keywords in Google Ads, driving up marketing costs for legitimate hotels. Europe's CMA launched an investigation into OTAs in 2018, but the issue persists. The U.S. Senate's Stop Online Booking Scams Act of 2019 failed to pass. In 2024, the London-based roomangel Foundation introduced the "Verified by roomangel" stamp, allowing hotels to verify their websites at no cost to combat fraud and reassure consumers.