265 | Franchising In Deconstruction: COVID-19 crisis amplifies problems in brand licensing

Earlier this year, a large group of hotel owners began to organize and create a comprehensive push back at the hotel franchising model.

Fair Franchising Initiative held its launch conference on March 5, a little more than a week before President Trump declared a national emergency as the new coronavirus pandemic spread to the U.S. The crisis has all but paralyzed the lodging sector and the U.S. economy as a whole.

It has also exposed the cracks in the franchiser-franchisee relationship as frightened and frustrated owners say hotel companies are not doing enough to protect their businesses from collapse.

This episode of Lodging Leaders is the second part of a series examining the hotel franchiser-franchisee relationship that we began in early March. It is also part of Long Live Lodging’s special report on the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hotel industry.

You’ll hear from owners and veteran industry leaders as well as a lawyer well versed in brand license disputes.

Related Content

• Multimedia report related to this podcast
• 017 | Iconic Leadership, Innovation by Necessity, the Human Resource, and Mindset with Mike Leven
• 253 | Franchising Report Part 1 – Power Struggle: New hotelier organization lobbies for franchisee protection

Resources and Links

• Robert Zarco of the law firm Zarco Einhorn Salkowski & Brito
• Robert Rauch of RAR Hospitality
• Sawan Patel of Unity Hotels Group
• Prakash Shah of Fair Franchising Initiative
• C-SPAN: Presidential Meeting with Tourism Executives