Law Guide for the Hospitality Industry

The focus of this book is to equip personnel in the hospitality trade with the laws governing the industry, so as to help them avoid fines, imprisonment and endless litigation and thus save many from defamation and potential insolvency.

The pursuit of law and order has led men to sit down four times to re-order the world; the treaty of Westphalia - after the thirty years' war, the Vienna convention - after the Napoleonic wars, the Paris declaration - after World War One and San Francisco - after World War Two. Also, in the long march of mankind from the cave to the computer, law has played a central role in times of chaos - to bring stability, and also in times of stability - to bring progress. Law exists to bring order in daily activities and behaviour. As such the search to fashion out a body of law to regulate activities and define what is permissible and forbidden cannot be overemphasized.

Law itself consists of a series of rules regulating behaviour and reflecting to some extent, the ideas and preoccupations of the society within which it functions. Law is the element, which binds communities and business entities like hotels and guest houses together in their adherence to recognized values and standards. To help increase global tourism receipts, the hospitality industry must continuously instil in their daily operations, canons and laws of the trade. Lucidly, unambiguously and with no equivocation the author has laid out all the laws in the hospitality industry in clear terms, including the use of diagrams to create a mind-map for pictorial illustrations and to offer a deeper understanding. The law, rights and liabilities in the hospitality industry have been covered under subject themes like: contracts, misrepresentation and procedure for the acquisition of property, food regulation, employment and the doctrine of respondeat superior. It also considers perceived potential and actual or legally recognized negligence at the workplace and how to avoid them. There is also the adherence to health and safety laws, which every employer and employee in the industry must abide by. Case histories and questions on the law of contract have been added as a bonus package. In the light of the aforementioned areas covered by the scope of this book, proprietors in the hospitality industry, managers, receptionists, housekeepers, stewards, maintenance and those who handle health and safety issues in hotels, guesthouses, apartments and all forms of commercial accommodation will find this book worth purchasing and reading. Tour operators and travel agents will also find this book useful; some pages have been devoted to the law of agency; which specifically delves into the law regarding tour operations and travel agency. Business owners and organizations will find reading of this book quite refreshing. Provisions of what to consider when setting up a limited liability, private and public companies have all been discussed here. Students in the hospitality industry will also see this book as an important resource material; it offers clear and simple definitions to terminologies in the field as well as case histories and questions to help them prepare for examinations. May the reading of this book help to instil the respect, practice and knowledge of law that upholds the way in the industry. May it make ignorance of the law of the hospitality industry a thing of the past. Finally, for the curious mind that craves law and order, it certainly will rekindle your reading pleasure. The book "LAW GUIDE FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY" remains a priority and a must read for operators in the hospitality industry and all those who aim to grow and own a business.