Our firm has worked extensively on hotel-related projects, providing legal guidance across a wide range of settings, for a wide range of clients, and under a wide range of contracts.
Clients We Represent
We’ve represented owners, developers, design-builders, architects, engineers, and interior designers involved in hotel work. Our involvement has included drafting, negotiating, and tailoring contracts; resolving disputes through liens, litigation, and settlement; and advising on risk, responsibility, and regulatory obligations. Our hotel work includes everything from boutique interior renovations to major ground-up hospitality developments in urban and resort settings.
Hotel Development Experience
We’ve helped real estate developers structure and negotiate complex contracts for large-scale hotel conversions, including a $75 million adaptive reuse of a high-rise tower into a 300-key hotel with public spaces and rooftop amenities. We’ve advised owners on substantial interior renovations for rebranding and repositioning purposes, such as an $11.5 million project converting an existing property into an extended-stay hotel. We’ve also supported architecture firms on major hotel design agreements, including a $40 million resort hotel in a ski town and a $14 million full renovation involving guest rooms and public spaces.
Negotiating AIA and Other Industry-Standard Contracts
Many of these projects involved industry-standard AIA forms. We’ve negotiated AIA Document B101-2017, Agreement Between Owner and Architect, AIA Document B152-2019, Agreement Between Owner and Architect for Interior Design and Furniture, Furnishings, and Equipment (FF&E), and AIA Document B108-2009, Agreement for Federally Funded or Insured Projects, as well as AIA Document A141-2014, Agreement Between Owner and Design-Builder. Sometimes, we’ve tailored these forms to accommodate regulatory overlays like US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements or gaming laws.
Addressing Legal Risks Mid-Project
We’ve helped clients address legal risks mid-project, such as when structural issues on a hotel site raised serious health and safety concerns, requiring detailed code analysis and forceful advocacy with the owner and contractor. In another case, we worked with a design-builder to protect against liability for pre-existing problems on a complex 90-day renovation of a historic hotel in an urban setting, navigating indemnity, ownership of documents, and schedule risk.
Dispute Resolution in the Hotel Sector
Our dispute resolution work in the hotel sector includes both pre-litigation advice and full-scale litigation. We’ve recorded and enforced mechanics liens for unpaid design work, including a $1.8 million lien that led to a favorable settlement in resort-area litigation involving multiple investor groups. We’ve also helped clients evaluate lien rights and negotiate payment through other mechanisms – such as personal guarantees and promissory notes – where multiple stakeholders and encumbrances complicate the picture.
Protecting Investments and Reputations
Across this body of work, we’ve dealt with vertically subdivided properties, phased hotel renovations, owner-furnished materials, lender-required assignments of design contracts, and joint ventures between developers and institutional investors. Our understanding of how legal and business interests intersect in hotel development helps us protect clients’ investments and professional reputations in this complex sector.
If you’re seeking legal guidance for your hotel development or renovation project, contact our team today to safeguard your investment and move forward with confidence.
