Having a well thought out emergency action plan and a staff that knows how to execute it is just as important as all of the building codes. Guests expect to be safe when staying at a hotel, and for that to happen, the hotel staff has to be prepared.

Recent trends among guests and employees suggest taking preventative action

If you haven’t updated your pool drainage in the past few months, you more than likely are not in compliance with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, which went into effect in December 2008. Some upgrades are easy, others may be more expensive, but all are needed to reduce your risk and leave you in good standing with your insurance company and the law. / BY ASSOCIATE EDITOR CHRIS CROWELL

After two years of falling premiums, property insurance is expected to go back up in 2009, in part due to the current down economy.

Sometimes chaos has a silver lining, and for the hotel industry--especially in the Gulf Coast--that comes in the form of disaster preparedness. Over the last few days I noticed several articles addressing how hotels and motels prepared for Gustav's potential Katrina-like forces.

There are an infinite number of ways tax law creates methods for business owners and top executives to be paid by the company in tax-advantageous ways. For the business owners who are not independently wealthy apart from the company, Uncle Sam has provided many choices for you to have a healthy stream of income without getting direct pay from your business. The list that follows will give you a good idea of what can be done to support your current lifestyle over and above Social Security and stock market...

What does it take to recover from unforeseen disaster? Hospitality company owners and managers find themselves in a fluid, rapidly changing environment after such an events and they face many challenges—from repairing a partly operational property to struggling to reopen a completely closed hotel.

National Report—Hotel owners are facing a great year for insurance. Because no major natural disasters or terrorism acts have occurred in the past few years, insurance rates are dropping and the market is more competitive.